Monday, September 1, 2008

Don't Mess With Mother Nature


Memories of Past Hurricanes. Hurricanes have always been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Since my mother grew up near Myrtle Beach and my dad has lots of family in southern Mississippi, I have always kept my eye on hurricanes that might affect family members. As a teenager and college student my Dad worked for FEMA, so a hurricane headed towards the east coast meant Dad would be gone for several weeks. When I moved to the coast of Virginia I was a bit excited to have the oppurtunity to be close to Mother Nature and her power. After learning more about the history of this part of the east coast, I'm not too worried that a huge hurricane will ever wipe Virginia Beach off the map. I love to watch a stormy surf, but I'm not stupid, there does come a time when you need to leave a storm area. I have a cousin in South Carolina that always has a extra bed for me and calls everytime there is a storm headed my way. That's a good feeling to know that the cat and I will not be stuck in a shelter.


When I think about hurricanes, I can't help to think back to Hugo. It's been what, 18 years since Hugo(1989) hit the coast of South Carolina. My brother, Sam, and his wife were newlyweds living in Charleston. I had 14 family memebers in the direct line of the storm. I'm happy to say that everyone came through the storm very well. Sam and Tammy left Charleston just hours before the storm hit. They returned to find their previous house gone. After Katrina, I once again saw people that I knew and loved doing what people had done for centuries. Picking up and carrying on. If you live by the coast, you have to be aware of the threat of hurricanes. What can you do to stop one? Nothing. The people of the southeast coast are used to hurricanes and made tough. I'm thankful to know that all my loved ones are safe tonight. No telling what will come in the future, but we will always carry on. That's what you do when you live somewhere you love. The wrath of Mother Nature is just part of the adventure.

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