When inclement weather is impending, I always reflect on other times I have faced hurricanes in the past. I must remind myself sometimes that not all of the two thousand people that I go to school with have nearly as much experience with hurricanes as I do. It’s honestly really fun to see people asking, “Why is it raining so much? Should we be concerned about this? Are we okay?”
Hurricane Erika was a Category 1 and, already, she has been downgraded from the tropical storm she already was. Now, she’s more just a big, windy rainstorm. Regardless, the impacts of her weird weather are hitting us. I figured since more rain is coming, it’s my duty as a lifelong Floridian to share a little bit of wisdom about hurricane season.
These things are fickle. They’re like normal storms but even more of a pain. They come with their own set of troubles. There is, however, something comforting about knowing what the weather is going to be like every single morning. Rain, rain, and even more rain. Especially in the summer time, having a few dark, calm days is fun. We don’t have snow days here in Florida. We have hurricane days. I have memories throughout my life of waking up from a massive thunderclap and knowing that my day is going to be much easier.
Yet, with all of the memories I have of hurricanes, I have to remember that they aren’t just fun days off. They’re dangerous forces of nature that bring death and destruction in their wake. My mentality of casualness around hurricanes, I feel, is the mentality of many. Truthfully, the mentality of casualness around hurricanes, especially when they are of a high category, is part of why people are rarely prepared when the Category 4 or 5 hurricanes hit.
When I was a kid, I slept under a desk at my parents’ work to be safe from a hurricane. I had a nightmare about my house being blown away in the storm and losing everything. I forget just how much destruction hurricanes can bring since, thank God, they haven’t had a serious impact on me personally.
Not to wrap this up in a nice neat morality lesson, but it all comes down to human empathy. People frequently forget the bad things that happen to others because the bad thing isn’t happening to them. That, to me, is why empathy is such an important trait to have. Because ignoring suffering or pain does not mean that it doesn’t exist. So I will continue to enjoy my hurricane parties and my nights in from the rain. I will even laugh and enjoy how more and more ridiculous the names get as time goes on (for example, this year, there is going to be a Hurricane Nicholas, what kind of name is that). At the same time, I will remember to have empathy for those who can’t just relax when danger approaches. I recommend you try it yourself.
