So, like I'm laying here looking at radar and stuff of this tropical storm. Got to thinking, I wonder how many hurricanes I've actually been through in my life. I can remember most of the big ones, but I know there's been dozens of smaller ones and tropical storms that have come and gone and weren't even interesting enough to leave a memory.
Won't even count tropical depressions because the count would be insane. Heck I've been having a tropical "depression" most of my life!
So let's think back a sec and remember some of my most miserable moments.
First to come to mind would be Katrina. Hurricane Katrina, 2005. This was also probably the worst for me just due to my health at the time and the fact that this house, as I've mentioned many times in many places, is old, very, very old. Not old enough to have been built out of coral rock or something that would stand the test of time like some houses in SoFlo and not new enough to have had to endure the Florida hurricane building zoning codes they added after Andrew in '92. So, it doesn't take much to screw it up. Katrina is a prime example. Knocked out our power, phone, water, everything. The first week I was living out of the car(s) with my mom, her dog and cats, and my cat at the time (he died since /cry). Florida Power & Light had people in from all over Florida and out of state to help restore power and get lines off the roads. One of these random people was sent to my block to restore power. Well, they did, without checking the lines to the houses first. They started a huge fire in our power box that led to us not having power for a second week. After this happened FPL refused to come out to fix it because they said they don't handle the electric at the house only up to the pole. Even though THEY started the fire and could've burnt the whole house down. This led to us contacting the news and papers. Which led to all kinds of chaos I don't want to get into because I don't want to remember how much it sucked. At the time I had just been out of the hospital. Had an colostomy bag then and couldn't even shower cause no hot water, no water, no electric, nothing. It was a nightmare. I think I'm permanently scarred from that one. Ever since then I have bought several emergency weather radios, solar and hand cranked rechargeable flashlights, radios, fans, and things to charge other things like mp3 player, phone. I think I own about 20 small battery powered fans now. Pretty sure that's mental damage from trauma...
Hurricane Andrew, 1992. Another lovely story this is. Me and my ex living in the single worst possible place during the entire hurricane which was one of the worst in history. Yes, we were in a trailer. A non-anchored, towable type, 40 foot mobile home trailer. Amazing that we survived. Funny part is, everything around us got totaled pretty much. Houses missing roof tops, massive, ancient trees ripped out of the ground and tossed down the block, my mom's tool shed behind her house vanished entirely, we never even found any of the parts to it, yet everything that was inside was still there in a pile on the concrete slab. Funny the way these storms treat things. Afterwards we were a national disaster area for months and months. No power anywhere in most of SoFlo for weeks to months. Entire city of Homestead basically wiped out. People STILL to this very day have blue tarps over their houses from roof damage they couldn't afford to have fixed 18 years ago. Meanwhile, while the world around us was in ruins, like curfews, national guard, like a war zone it was and in the middle of it me and my ex in a mobile home that had maybe 3 dents, windows were fine, we had power from gas, water, TV, we were in there playing Nintendo (yes the original 8bit NES with the box like controllers, the little hatch for the huge cartridge that you had to blow on to get it to work lol). And I happened to be on crutches at the time as well. Due to an on the job accident I had while working with the City of North Miami briefly.
Hurricane David, sometime in the '80's. I was young, it seemed exciting to me, everyone was in a frenzy, got to go shopping all over for supplies. And most importantly there was no school! I don't remember this as being as bad as it was. Seemed like the really rainy bad part went on forever though but I don't remember anything being damaged significantly. Oddly this sticks in my head as the first one I really remember going through.
Hmm, can only remember 3. I know I've been through a LOT more. But those are the 3 that stuck with me. Would really take an earth shattering storm to top or even compare to those though.
This storm, Bonnie, it won't be remembered by anyone. Despite all the news and hubbub going on both on TV and radio right now.
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