Riding Out The Storm

It depends on how you look at it: I've been fortunate enough to ride out two hurricanes or stupid enough to do it. The first time was Hurricane Rita. Nobody was taking the evacuation efforts seriously. We had experienced hurricanes before on the Texas coastline, so many thought it would be the same scenario.

They were wrong. I stayed behind because of that misled thinking. I was also unprepared because of that misled thinking. I had no food source other than what was normally in my pantry. My water supply was limited to what I had on hand before the storm hit. I had no plan. I was winging it every moment. It was horrible.

So, I learned from my mistakes. When Hurricane Ike hit, I was ready. This time I stayed because I had to because of work, but I wasn't left without a plan, the skills I needed, or a plan. After the storm, I was able to help others who stayed because of the knowledge I learned before the storm. Many of these people were elderly and did not really have what they needed. I was glad I was able to help them and myself because of how I was prepared before the storm hit.

 

My first bout with floods is memorable to me. When we rented a 2-story house, we were already warned by the owner, who is a family friend, that we should be aware of the flooding. But when the flood suddenly entered the house and filled the ground floor with knee-deep waters, I was in panic. My husband and I were in the stairs to the second floor, watching the water drenching our furniture and appliances. I was praying for the rain to stop but it kept on pouring. I saw the water kept on rising.

When finally the rains stopped somehow, the water was waist-high. It was around 2pm and the flood started coming in at around 8am. We ate crackers and pate on the second floor. My husband had submitted to the situation and he told me to cheer up and let it pass. That night, there was water downstairs but we were quite comfortable in our bedroom on the second floor. When morning came, it was time to clean up the living room and dining room.

 

I come from the tropics where flooding can occur during the long rainy seasons. There are times a small river swells to fit the size of a dam wreaking havoc in its wake. In some urban areas, there are flash floods and people have been carried away to their deaths. The best way to survive such emergencies is to have a life jacket and a rope. It will enable one to float and the rope will enable a person to cling to a stationary object and climb for assistance to come.