--- In SkunkworksAMA, "aunknownuser" wrote:
> The whole point of Kiffa's argument was that you were
> implying that a hurricane is "fun."
>
> I've been through one. Hurricane Erin. It was minor, but
> it in itself wasn't fun.
I won't insult those who were injured or left destitute
by the hurricane, Aun, but there IS one thing I'd like
to point out.
Years ago, when Andrew hit Florida, ABC, NBC AND
CBS all devoted a full twenty minutes each to an
elderly couple who lived in the Keys. The hurricane
nailed them straight on.
Yet they ENJOYED it, and stated so on camera.
Why?
They finally had _vindication_.
Y'see, when they retired to the Keys, they built
what they liked to call the Ultimate House.
Solid concrete walls. Three feet thick on the
outside, six inches thick for the interior walls.
Solid concrete, not concrete blocks.
Mountings inside and out over every window and door
for thick steel plates. Gas powered generator.
Kerosene powered freezer. Water purification system.
And so on. You get the idea.
Their house could have survived a nuclear exchange,
and it was UGLY. Their neighbors thought so, and
let them know it, loudly and often, complaning that
it brought down property values in the neighborhood.
When Andrew hit, they simply invited a few of those
neighbors over, sealed the place tight, rode out
the hurricane, then held a party with fresh food,
fresh water, electricity, and even television.
(They also had a portable satellite dish that they
put up after Andrew had passed.)
During the interview, they commented that the only
thing they'd really missed was mail delivery.
They _were_ polite about it, and tried not to
smirk, but you could tell they were feeling
both vindication and triumph.
After Andrew passed, they helped support those
of their neighbors who'd been hardest hit. And
later, those same neighbors assisted them in
planting ivy over the house to disguise its
(admittedly) ugly outlines.
I don't know if they're still alive, they were
rather elderly at the time. But if they are, I
strongly expect that they felt this hurricane
was - for lack of a better word - "somewhat
refreshing."
It's not the hurricane that hurts you, it's
the lack of cash to properly DEAL with the
hurricane. If you have the money, you can
build a fortress that can take ANYTHING
nature can throw at it short of an erupting
volcano.
Trouble is, 99% of us don't have that cash.
*shrugs*
In a perfect world, we would.
Ed Becerra
Received on Tue Aug 17 2004 - 23:49:01 CDT