A recap of stubborn, difficult-to-predict Hurricane Matthew’s tormenting of Florida
ORLANDO, FL –
On Tuesday, I posted my personal journal on Hurricane Matthew’s advance towards Florida, where I live. My last entry here was from the evening of Monday, October 3rd, and in it I mentioned that, though the storm was expected to move on a northward track, eventually into North Carolina, I would keep a lookout on it anyway, “just in case.”
Well, it’s a good thing I did! On Tuesday, the hurricane embarked on a more northwesterly course, bringing tropical storm-force winds right to my doorstep Friday morning. In fact, tropical storm-force winds blew further inland than previously expected Friday, from Ft. Lauderdale to Jacksonville — including my home base of Orlando.
Major hurricane-force winds encroached on the north-central Florida coast from Vero Beach to St. Augustine. The damage in those areas are, of course, of a more serious nature. All of this, when it seemed on Monday that Florida would be in the clear.
These are times of bigger, stronger hurricanes with fiercer eyes. They demand your attention, because of their size, strength, and ferocity. We would all do well not to underestimate their destructive powers nor become complacent in expectations that “It’s not coming our way.”
Certainly, Savannah, Georgia did not expect to be struck by a hurricane, yet it’s now likely to be the worst-hit area in the U.S. so far. The key is to be prepared with your basic disaster supply kit. This includes a full first aid kit, all battery-operated wares, food for three to seven days and a gallon of drinking water per person per day for the same time period. Check Ready.gov for a complete list of supplies and communication aids.
While we take all the proper precautions, we can also think about our roles in creating the atmosphere for larger, more frequent, and more violent storms.
How many times a day do we see massive vanity trucks and SUVs on the road. At least here in my area, through my scientific curiosity (a euphemism for nosiness), I see these gas-guzzlers carrying nothing and no one but the driver! Yes, it’s a “free” country, and that’s exactly why each citizen must take at least some responsibility for reducing carbon emissions.
We must ask ourselves at what cost do we choose the biggest, heaviest truck on the lot, when we intend to use it as a personal, non-work vehicle. It’s just not right that we destroy our planet and put our soldiers in harm’s way to secure oil that gets burned up by vanity or “keeping up with the Joneses!”
Finally, I haven’t forgotten about the roles our corporate “citizens” play in climate change (a euphemism for global warming). That’s a much larger fish to fry, and curbing their cynicism and irresponsibility will take tough-as-nails government and grassroots action. Meanwhile, we can begin at home – and especially in our garages.
My upcoming novel, ULTIMATE ERROR, is about fatal mistakes on a global scale. Daily, we tread the line between self-preservation and ULTIMATE catastrophe. Will our great awakening come soon enough for life, or will it come just in time for death?