Hurricanes Are Scarier In Person!

When Hurricane Harvey picked up steam in the Gulf, I thought it was just going to be another rainy day.

Boy, was I wrong. Okay, half-wrong. There was rain, but no one had a clue how bad the flooding would be. People, rich, poor and middle-class, lost entire homes, clothes, cars and businesses to two, three, four (in some cases, five) feet of standing water.

This is a moment most of us have seen repeatedly on television. Hurricane Katrina, Rita, Allison, Ike, Patricia, Kenna (for those of you old enough to remember Hurricane Kenna), all these hurricanes came with their flurry of shiny headlines only to fade into history. 

However, the people who survive the floods that follow never forget the horror of watching water slowly creep into their homes and destroy everything it touches. These people remember having to race against time to get as many precious items, as possible, to higher ground hoping water would never reach them. These people remember having to struggle through two to five feet of water with as many belongings as they could carry, raised above their heads. Never in a million years did I believe I would be one of these people.

Funny how life works, huh? I went from watching the aftermath to living it. Granted, some of what I experienced was pretty sweet in retrospect. I had the rare opportunity to ride on an airboat (you know, that boat some people who live near swamps ride in. If you don’t know what it looks like, check out this picture). Plus, I saw a 3-chopper team of Apache helicopters fly above me as I stumbled through 3 feet of water. I also made a few friends on my way to one of the local shelters. It was like a movie.

A very expensive movie, however. Unlike most costly films, this one has no budget cap and there are plenty of sequels yet to come. Much like Hurricane Harvey is not the first of its kind, hurricanes of similar magnitude have ripped through people’s homes and livelihoods worldwide. Knowing this fact does not, and should not, undervalue anyone’s losses. Nothing can replace the last remaining picture of a loved one long passed, now nothing but a soggy and unrecognizable piece of paper. Little feelings can compare to the one shared by someone who watched the product of blood, sweat and tears be reduced to unsalvageable wreckage.

If you are reading this post with the feeling that the world around you is collapsing, that the life you knew is now as unrecognizable and as uncertain as ever, you are not alone. You are neither wrong, nor are your feelings inhumane or selfish. As a young professional, just starting to see signs of a brighter future, it feels like I am reliving another reminder that my accomplishments do not mean squat. Frankly, it is not fair. Why do I need to loss so much when I can barely afford it, while richer people seem to be lucky enough to keep much of their belongings intact?

Perspectives are a funny thing though. In the worst of times, we take the better circumstances of others as standards to measure against our considerably worse circumstances. Even in the most difficult  of times, many of us still have our good health, familial and/or communal support and a financial situation (though considerably tougher, no thanks to the hurricane), that is still reparable. That is more than I can say for the men, women and children who lost their lives in these latest series of disasters.

I am not going to tell you how to rebuild your lives or what way is the best way to pick yourself up from tragedy. Plenty of information is floating out there on assistance (e.g. Red Cross, FEMA to name a few) and each solution comes with its level of relief and headache. All I ask of you is to stand. Use the strength of the survivors before you and the survivors around you to pick yourself up and build your life, piece by piece (like I’m trying to do). To all people keeping strong in all these hurricane-hit areas (i.e. the Texas coast, Louisiana, Florida, Haiti, Cuba, the Caribbean Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands), continue fighting and do not give up hope.

To help you all continue fighting for a second more, here is one of the songs that I have on my playlist to keep my spirits up. May you emerge from the rubble stronger than you have ever been. Prayers and blessings!

Aloe Blacc - The Man (Official Lyric Video)

Special thanks to Aloe Blacc for sharing this wonderful video. Also, special thanks to all the men, women and children who provided (and are still providing) their time, effort and show of support through these tough times. Whether you are Black, White, Asian, Native-American or a part of the LGBTQ community, your assistance and show of selflessness is inspiring and has not gone unnoticed. Thank you! You are my heroes!


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