Hurricanes I Almost Knew, Part 2

After living a while in Florida, I learned to shrug off anything less than a Category 3 hurricane. Tropical storms were just really, really wet and kind of windy. Tornadoes in Florida are usually mini-tornadoes, but I think I have some gene switched to 'on' in my brain that makes me terrified of them, large or small. This is one reason why I don't live in Kansas. Or Oklahoma. Or Texas. Or Alabama.

In general, people in central Florida didn't really start paying attention until whatever was approaching was a Category 3 and aiming straight for Orlando. There were a couple of times when the feeder bands would whirl overhead and drop tremendous amounts of rain. Usually, the worst that happened was a flimsy metal garden shed would get sucked away or pool enclosures collapsed.

But when Hurricane Andrew took aim on Orlando, everybody perked up. I got the hurricane kit together and lined up the cat carriers, but I knew I wouldn't go to a shelter because at the time, shelters didn't accept pets. I'd just get in the car and drive as far north as I could.

Andrew made a quick drop south and instead hit just south of Miami, wiping out Homestead.

The people of Orlando proved themselves, knowing it could have happened there.

Everyone mobilized. The local tv stations started a drive for supplies, since it seemed to be taking forever for aid to get to Miami. They'd hired two dozen 18 wheelers and found volunteer drivers, and asked us to fill them up.

I went next door to my neighbor Linda and said, "You know the people will be taken care of eventually. But what about the pets and the animal shelters?"

She said, "We'll take my van. It's bigger."

We went to every grocery store, feed store, and pet store we could find and approached the managers. We explained we were collecting pet food and invariably, we were given - no questions asked - more bags of food than we could carry.

When Linda's van was full, we went to the truck depot and dropped off the food. We did it the next day and then the caravan left.

But it wasn't like we were oh so wonderful for doing it. Everyone was doing something like this. There were people who went to overcrowded hotels and volunteered to take families into their homes. People took their vacation time and went to Miami to clean up, offer comfort, and rebuild.

There are times in Jersey when everyone is so busy being such a turd to each other that this is hard to remember.

There are more good people out there than I usually think.