DU Hurricane Survivors...Do you remember how the hurricane you survived

changed an election? Or, did it. What did you feel towards Red Cross, FEMA and other agencies a year after your experience (after you had some perspective about your experience). Which agency helped you the most after you picked up the damage you could out of your pocket.

Did your Insurance Company cover most of it? Were they helpful? Did it change how you look at "natural disasters?" Did you and do you still suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome from what you went through in your individual Hurricane Experience?

I'm a "Hurricane Fran" Survivor, and by "default" a "Hugo Survivor" because of relatives that went through that one, and trying to get involved in clean up from it.

But, I've been evacuated by another Hurricane and really get hives when I hear "hurricane" mentioned because of stress over them since I was a child and one went through SC and we had to listen to the "howling wind" and watch the trees falling down and the terrible destruction...and the beauty of the "eye" before the last of the storm finishes off the destruction. So, it's childhood trauma prolonged by other experiences with them..that haunts me.

Stories? Experiences?

I've been through a couple (most recently I was sent to a business meeting in Orlando on Friday and got stranded in my hotel, but nothin happened), but i've never been more than inconvenienced.

I guess it is a good time to reflect on how the federal government does benefit us. I mean it's easy enough to pretend like the federal government is useless until you actually need it. But since i'm generally liberal anyway I already appreciate that the Federal government does have the power to do good.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

Just reposting it here.

chefgirl (711 posts) Sun Aug-15-04 10:04 AM
Response to Original message
20. I was in Charleston for Hurricane Hugo- Sept. 89
Edited on Sun Aug-15-04 10:08 AM by chefgirl


First of all, let me say, what an experience that was!! I had lived in Florida for about three years before S.C. Lived in Punta Gorda for a while, actually. I went through 4 hurricanes while I was in FL and nothing had prepared me for Hugo!
Hugo was a bigger, nastier storm than Andrew, but you don't hear as much about it because the damage had a lower dollar amount than the damage from Andrew. I didnt know anyone who didnt lose something in that hurricane.

It took fully a week before Washington had ANYTHING at all to say to the people of S.C., then all of a sudden there were National Guard crawling all over the place. No water or food yet, mind you, but thousands of NG troops with machine guns, etc...
My son was only 4 months old at the time, and on the same night that the troops moved in, I decided to move out. We had no water, no power, no grocery stores, and no gas stations open and I had an infant who I had to feed.
My parents drove down from N.J. to get us, and luckily, they were able to find a gas station in North Carolina where they filled up. They made it to Charleston and, by some miracle, had just enough gas to get us back to that little town in N.C. where we could fill the tank again.
Martial law had been instituted and there was a 7pm curfew. My parents had gotten there just before then, and by the time we got everything packed in the car to leave, it was about 10pm. I had NO formula for my son. We didnt even have anymore bottled water, so it was impossible for us to stay even for another night. In the time it took us to drive about 5 miles through my little town to the onramp for I95, I had to fight with three NG troops, with their guns pointed in my face, NOT willing to let us leave. I was so harrowed and just plain pissed off by the time we were stopped by the third guard, that after telling him my whole story, (infant to feed, no food, no water, etc...)I finally said, "Look, if you think I'm a looter, shoot me, but I intend to drive to that onramp down there, and leave this hell hole." I was scared to death, shaking, and more pissed off than I can ever remember being, but he backed down. He just shook his head at me and moved away from the car. I ended up staying in N.J. for almost a month because it took them that long to restore power and water.

Out on the barrier islands (very wealthy people) the NG, were NOT letting people back into their homes, and in fact it took almost a month of people shouting from the rooftops before they let them return. When they finally did, they found widespread evidence of looting, which resulted in much more shouting and complaining, all to no avail. Nothing was ever done about it.

Finally, Poppy got wind of it all, and decided to swoop in and make a grand entrance at a house right down the street from mine which had literally been cleaved in two by a huge oak tree. As I remember it, these people were so hopeful that once he saw the kind of damage that had been done, they would finally get some kind of help from the govt.
He stayed for about 15 minutes, had his photo op, and never once offered help to these people. Amazing.

I guess my point is, I don't think it much matters whether the NG, the Governor or the President are there or not. From personal experience, they did more harm than good, and only served to piss people off even more than they already were.

A LOT of what happened down there could have been avoided if we had been given better information and if Poppy's govt. had cared enough to be prepared to act immediately. I mean, we had DAYS of warning, there was simply no excuse for their inaction.
Thats why I think Jeb and Georgie are trying to portray themselves as being on top of it so quickly, but if I know the Bushes like I think I do, when it comes time for the funding, those poor people down there might as well be whistling in the wind.

-chef-

"For a person to believe he can be ignorant and free is to believe that which never was nor ever will be." Thomas Jefferson

http://members.aol.com/keninga/hugo.htm

LESSONS LEARNED FROM DEVASTATING HURRICANE HUGO

Most of the 200,000 plus people affected by Hurricane Hugo were totally unprepared and many did not evacuate when given the warning.

For example a single parent in Goose Creek, South Carolina, who ran, with a child in her arms, from room to room as falling trees crushed different parts of her mobile home.

One "lucky" man in McClellanville had a persistent girlfriend who had begged him for three days to seek safety inland. He finally "gave in" and evacuated 15 minutes before the hurricane made landfall. When he returned, his home was gone and he was fortunate to be alive.

These victims did not realize the forces that nature can unleash. Before Hugo, a wind so strong that it would strip siding from a mobile home was beyond their comprehension.

Hugo's damage was more widespread than even the experts had anticipated. Rather than being localized as most hurricanes are, Hugo gained momentum at landfall and ripped a path of destruction several hundred wide miles from Charleston up to Charlotte. In some places, the force of the wind caused 80 percent of the trees to go down. Many homes collapsed under the impact of large falling trees. Numerous other houses were literally cut into slices by the onslaught. Streets and highways became obstacle courses of tangled trees and twisted power lines. The massiveness of the area covered and the magnitude of the storm's force intensified the logistical problems and delayed the recovery process. At first, transportation, emergency aid, electricity, and communications were generally nonexistent. The effect lasted for weeks in some places. One area north of Charleston had no power or telephones for four weeks.

MINIMUM SURVIVAL SKILLS

Survival skill was demonstrated sadly, in range going from those of the few who were only inconvenienced to those of the majority who did not know which way to turn. Some lost their lives because of either ignorance of survival principles or negligence based on the assumption "It will never happen to me."

It is interesting to note now, and it was appalling to observe then, that after Hugo made landfall, the majority of the victims were demanding that the "government--or someone--do something." The prevailing rationale was that the victims were not responsible for their own safety and welfare. Unfortunately, the magnitude of this disaster shut down an already cumbersome governmental support system upon which they were depending.

Some victims who had lanterns, cook stoves, and stored water did quite well and were able to share with neighbors. And some who were "prepared" before the hurricane lost all their possessions, including their outdoor equipment, and had to revert to primitive survival skills. Most of the victims had no survival knowledge to rely on; thus, completely helpless, they had to wait for assistance provided by others.

SHELTER

Due to loss of many homes, lodging in the storm area was scarce. Motels and apartments that had not been damaged were immediately rented, high rates notwithstanding. Initially, motel management was eager for new business due to reservation cancellations, but as the demand for housing rose, so did the rental fees. My motel room charge went from the initial $55.00 per night to $75.00 and finally peaked at $125.00. Many of the motels were totally booked by utility companies or civil authorities as a base of operations. Room rates climbed with the arrival of disaster support people, and the local population needing housing had to move out as few of them could afford the prices.

Local people along with out-of-town construction and rescue workers slept in vehicles or personal tents. Plastic sheets and tarps were at a premium. Victims spent many wet nights under sheets of plywood, and a dry blanket was hard to find.

As support operations began to improve over a two-week period, main arteries became passable, but side roads were a different story. As people tried to return to their homes, they met many frustrations. A man who lived one block off a main highway spent three hours with a chain saw to cut a path to reach his house. Many residents couldn't return to their homes for over two weeks due to bridge damage and/or clogged access routes. Delays in their reaching home made the losses even greater since possessions were, therefore, exposed to the elements and looting as long as the owners were away.

SHOCK AND DEPRESSION

After the winds died down and water levels dropped, those survivors who had not evacuated were in a state of shock. They were grateful to be alive but overwhelmed by the destruction. I recall one survivor who had wandered out of a mobile home park in Awendaw. He just kept saying, "Don't go in there. Don't go in there, it's all gone." Indeed, he was right--the whole park was gone. What wasn't washed away by the water surge was rolled and twisted into worthless junk.

Farther down the road, residents were in their yards beginning to clean up. Many exhibited disorientation. For example, I saw one victim repeatedly pick up a certain piece of rubble and carry it to a pile; then he would pick up the same piece and carry it to a second pile. I knew that soon the reality of the losses were to settle in, and major problems of depression would overtake most of the storm victims.

CASH

Cash was "king" when all the banks were closed. Since lack of electricity meant no electronic funds transfers or interior lighting for the banks, cash was the only method of purchasing in many areas. There was a surprising number of people who had goods to sell, and they did not accept credit cards or personal checks. For several weeks, victims could not even get their paychecks cashed.

TOOLS

Chain saws sold for as much as $1500.00. They and chain saw blades, oil, and files were in short supply. Unavailable were axes, hand tools, tree saws, and shovels, or basic carpentry and plumbing tools, and propane torches for water line repair. Nor could one get lumber such as 1X2's for holding down roof waterproofing materials. Due to the major roof damages, roofing nails and weatherproofing items such as tarps, roll roofing, and plastic sheets, were in greatest demand. A large portion of personal property loss occurred after the storm had passed due to interior exposure of the homes to the heavy rains. Such phenomenon is usually the case in a weather disaster, and additional damage to the structures and personal property continues with each successive rainstorm.

FIRST AID

After Hurricane Hugo, there was virtually no demonstration of local first aid knowledge except that provided by paramedics and the fire departments. Both these institutions were extremely overworked. Many residents experienced total helplessness in trying to deal with injured family members and neighbors.

WHAT DID AND DID NOT WORK

A local newspaper provided an effective summary of major human engineering incompetencies and frustrations experienced during Hurricane Hugo:

- Damaged bridges stopping traffic.

- Evacuation traffic bogging down .

- Help slow in getting to rural areas.

- Underestimated seriousness of potential damage.

- Heavy red tape; too many forms for federal aid.

- National media focus on main cities and ignoring of badly-hit outlying areas.

- Insurance construction estimates out of sync with contractors' estimates of damages.

- Elevation of construction repair prices by 400 percent and staying high for months.

- The dilemma of whether to pay outrageous prices of repair or lose all personal possessions due to rain damage and looting.

The following suggestions were made about how to prepare for "the next time":

- Move heavy equipment, in operational readiness, into isolated areas.

- Cut federal red tape.

- Arrange for emergency centers and operators and procedures in rural areas.

- Select aid shelters at least two stories tall and well above flood level.

- Before the storm, open all outbound lanes except one on I-26 for inbound traffic. After the storm, reverse the procedure.

- Focus national appeals on money, not goods.

- Provide maps showing where gas lines pose potential hazards.

- Announce alternate phone numbers outside the area for relaying messages.

- Establish a family meeting point to be used in cases of separation.

- Sleep fully clothed with shoes on in order to make quick escape if necessary.

- Park automobiles away from large trees.

- Stock canned food, baby needs, water, gasoline, and basic building materials and sheet plastic to protect them from later rain damage.

- Arrange for alternate transportation such as moped or bicycle.
http://members.aol.com/keninga/hugo.htm

and you're dead on--

what the hell I'm talking about. It IS Political...and Environmental...and well....those who've been through it will understand.

HURRICANE ANDREW'S OTHER LEGACY
By Mauro, James -- Publication Date: Nov 92

Summary: Presents an eyewitness account from Charles Gibbs, a clinical psychologist and chairperson of the Crisis Response Task Force in Dade County, Florida. Survivors' emotional problems; Anger; Family violence; Child abuse; Victims' mental anguish and treatment. INSET: Memo from the Medical University of South Carolina.;Part two: Rec.



AFTER THE STORM

Psychologists on the scene describe the victims' mental anguish and how they are treating it.

Imagine the enormity, to stand in one place and everywhere, as far as you can see, there is damage. There is a loss and bereavement over everything, from tangible to intangible, from a dream to your leg. The scope of this disaster is a major issue, that everyone is going through the same thing. It's loss on a grand scale."

This eyewitness account of the devastation left by the destructive force of Hurricane Andrew is from Charles Gibbs, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and chairperson of the Crisis Response Task Force in Dade County, Florida. He is one of the many mental-health professionals sent to the Homestead area as part of a joint effort between the American Red Cross and the American Psychological Association.

"I remember looking up and seeing body parts flying around me," recounted one survivor to Gibbs of his experiences during the storm. "The walls fell down and then the roof caved in on us:' reported another of the first Force 5 hurricane to befall an American city since Hurricane Camille struck Biloxi, Mississippi, in 1969.

Dubbed the Disaster-Response Network, the volunteer mental-health program was conceived as a 100th birthday gift of the American Psychological Association to victims of disaster everywhere. The network includes not only psychologists, but counselors, social workers, and psychiatrists. The idea was simple and a good one: the Red Cross provides physical treatment; the government, in the form of monetary and military aid, provides the basic necessities of life; and volunteers such as Dr. Gibbs offer their psychological services to ease the burden of adjustment into an entirely uncharted and unfamiliar way of life.
n the aftermath of the storm and its relief efforts, from the politicians' "help is on the way so chin up" speeches to the army and Marine invasion of support and aid, how are people reacting to the incredible loss they have suffered now that their basic needs are being met, now that the tents are erected and the kids are back in school?

"The survivors are suffering a myriad of emotional problems," reports Gibbs. "There's a lot of anxiety, restlessness, and an increase in anger and irritability-all of which is a perfectly normal response to a disaster of this magnitude. Many of the children are suffering night terrors. They see 'Andrew' as a real person and they're afraid he's coming back, that he's going to kill them. People feel like they're in a war zone down here-there are 18,000 troops, and the air is filled with helicopters. I know of one family of 65 people, all living in the same shelter, and they're angry because they no longer have control over their lives."
http://www.psychologytoday.com/htdocs/prod/PTOArticle/PTO-19921101-000020.ASP

This will age me. (1970) This was a "small" hurricane by world standards, but it destroyed my small town of Ingleside, TX., so it was huge to those of us who lived there. I had friends that held up in a local supermarket that was destroyed during the first half of the storm and they ran to a restaurant across the street where the owner had stayed to "protect" his building. It went during the second half and they spent the remainder of the storm in the walk-in freezer (about 10 people).

My family evacuated and came home to a destroyed house. This is when you learn what's important in life and quit sweating the small stuff. FEMA was wonderful. No politicians came for photo ops. The insurance companies paid off fairly. The Red Cross came through with food and ice for over a week, as there was no electricity in the entire area. I do remember that a Circle K charged $1 a cold soft drink, as they had the only generator in town. I boycotted that store thereafter, but I can tell you, it is still one of the few Circle K stores open in Texas and is thriving. Cokes cost about twenty cents back then. This was a different America. It was in the bipartisan America where both parties worked together toward the good of America. They didn't agree on many things, but they pulled together during catastrophes. Photo-ops were not the in thing back then. Voting records and the American worker's opinion were king.

this...to go back..we have more hurricanes today...in the last 15 years and that might be another thing to wonder about...but trying to get everyone's experience would be great!

I wonder how things work today compared to when America was "closer together."

all the way up in NJ. Like, branches almost grazed me and shit.

Of course, it had nothing to do with any elections for me :shrug:

I was in Columbia and we were only out of power for a week or so; the coast suffered horribly and FEMA was next to useless. Then Poppy shows up being even more useless. FUBAR.

my hurricane experience was one of those war zone types where we were all lucky there weren't any deaths.

It was in '92 and Hurricane Iniki(cat 5) devasted Kauai. Took 5 years to rebuild. But we had the NG, Redcross, and Fema helping us out and since it's a Federal thing..we can thank Clinton. Thank you, President Clinton.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http://starbulletin.com/97/09/11/news/wild.html&h=239&w=360&sz=85&tbnid=aBsrqP5eS3AJ:&tbnh=77&tbnw=115&start=52&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhurricane%2Biniki%26start%3D40%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DN



Lihue is the capital of Kauai!
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http://www.hawaiian.net/~videohi/iniki.html&h=207&w=218&sz=16&tbnid=xhrIG5UU0_4J:&tbnh=96&tbnw=101&start=12&prev=/images%3Fq%3Diniki%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DG

after Hugo and so did bankruptcies, etc.

The long story short - Living on a barrier island - had no car, no food and no money - and nobody to get me out (Labor Day weekend, everyone gone).

Found a friend's car keys and stole all the money from the office coffee donation can. All the food I had was a half a stalk of wilted celery and a (near) empty jar of peanut butter.

Ran out of gas on the causeway leaving the island. Gave a passing motorist part of my coffee money and he came back with 2 gallons of gas (whew!).

No food or water at the shelter. Used the wilted celery to scrape the jar of peanut butter and got a can of Coke with my last fifty cents.

The storm was horrific - I had never experienced anything like it before.

After they kicked us out of the shelter, I could not access the $25 I had in my checking account (banks closed). No power for more than a week. I subsisted solely on thawing fish from a research aquarium freezer (whatever thawed that day was deep fried that night).

My entire Master's thesis was destroyed - took me a year and a half to replicate it.

Hurricanes SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCKKKKK!!!!!!

:kick:

My town was heavily impacted by Tropical Storm Bill last summer, and FEMA refused to offer any help. Little Caligula refused to grant federal emergency status. We were on our own. My house alone had mid five figures worth of damage, and there were smashed up houses all over town. Now I had insurance. I wasn't looking for anybody's hand-out. But getting federal emergency status means lots of little helps -- for one thing, I had bought savings bonds a couple of weeks before. In a federal emergency, I can go ahead and cash them if I need to -- for instance, to help with my deductible and to cover expenses while waiting for my settlement. Without a federal emergency declaration, as many of you might know, you can't cash in your bonds for a year. Little stuff like that, creating hardship that didn't need to be caused because, quite frankly, our Glorious Leader simply doesn't give a flying cheney.

Will it change the election? Who knows. I don't know why anyone in Louisiana would vote for Team Bush, all he does is crap on our heritage anyway.

:kick: