To most people, June 1st signifies the beginning of summer and the start of a season full of bathing suits, exotic vacations, and flip-flops. To most Floridians, June 1st represents the start of another dreaded hurricane season. Although Florida has not had a majorly destructive hurricane since the devastation of Andrew in 1992, 2016 has all of us in for a treat. Hurricane Matthew has been slowly developing off the coast of Africa for a couple of weeks now and is finally making its presence known along the eastern coast of the United States.
I am writing to all of you on the eve of hurricane Matthews’s arrival from my fortified dungeon. And when I say fortified dungeon, I am not kidding. As you drive down the streets in most South Florida neighborhoods and cities, you will see metal shutters or plywood nailed to the windows and doors of every house. Those houses that don’t have some type of protection either have hurricane proof impact windows or are just praying for a miracle to happen. I do not know what is worse, looking out of a window during a hurricane or living in pure darkness and not knowing what is going to happen next.
People in Florida are so used to these summer-time phenomenons that they are not phased with the general word of “hurricane,” until… Max Mayfield magically appears on our TV as the meteorologist from the national hurricane center. You also will never hear the phrase “hunker down” unless this hurricane business is actually getting serious.
As soon as you see Max Mayfield announce the possibility of a hurricane making landfall in Florida, all hell breaks loose. It is as if people are experiencing a purge. People line up at gas stations to fill up their cars and other containers. There is also a mad dash to every Publix and supermarket to stock up on non-perishable food items and water. Lastly, a very concentrated area is also around hardware stores, including Lowe’s and Home Depot as people are trying to stock up on generators, batteries, flashlights, water, and plywood for their windows.
Once the hurricane starts to set in and kicks it into high gear, there is really not much for you to do. Most people sit on their couch in the living room and watch the local news, that is on 24 hours a day, until the madness reaches a halting conclusion on the biggest TV that they have. Others are curled up into a ball in the one room that does contain any windows with a bag of chips, hoping the hurricane will pass soon.
Hopefully Matthew will not cause as much destruction as everyone is saying. Floridians will have to wait and see… STAY SAFE EVERYONE!!!
