Hurricane 101
Pap and Gigi have been trying to calm our granddaughter's nerves over Hurricane Erika. We have been working on this since yesterday. At nine and a half, she is very aware of current events, but doesn't have the historical advantage (aka old age) to be able to put things into their proper perspective. We do, so we're trying to allay her fears.
We moved to Florida in 1985, from Pennsylvania. There, the "hurricanes" were called snow blizzards, as in tons of snow; no electricity; water pipes freezing then bursting, etc. (At this point, dear little girl overheard me mentioning this to Pap and jumped up and said, "Snow lizard? What's that?!?) Oh, gosh.
| A typical northern town in the winter - and the reason you don't buy a white car.. |
| A Snow Lizard |
Where was I? Oh, yes, perspective. I have been through such terrible blizzards, you couldn't open your car door from the 75 mph winds and your brake lines froze, leaving you stranded in the middle of the street. But a blizzard was the devil we knew. We did not do hurricanes.
I wrote yesterday about our first hurricane here in Florida. My husband reminded me we were in the process of moving - the next day to be exact - which was why he was out at midnight searching for supplies for his family. Anyway, we never even knew the hurricane had passed over us. We just looked at each other like, "Was that it?"
Subsequent hurricanes have brought other worries in the form of animals to secure. Now, I wanted to bring my horse home with me during the hurricanes of 2005. In the house as in actually in the house. Andy said no, so we had to secure her in the century old barn where she was boarded. I tried to draw comfort from the fact the old barn had stood through many a storm, but I couldn't help wondering if this was its last. I remember driving over there in the middle of the night to make sure she was okay. All I could picture was her under a pile of rubble. She was fine.
The thing is, horses actually prefer being out in the open during a storm. I suppose they would rather see what's coming after them than get caught by surprise. There was no barn where the rescues were being kept. The ten remaining mares formed a perfect circle around their babies and rode out the storms that way.
In my opinion, horses should be indoors, mainly due to flying debris and lightning. Poco's foal was killed by lightning during a storm. It was so sad. So, Poco was kept in the barn, and we prayed the thing would hold. It was literally a matter of relying on "duct tape and baling twine."
These days, my hurricane survival plan centers around the logistics of transporting an odd variety of animals. Jack and Rooney weigh a total of three hundred pounds and take up a lot of space. I did not factor this into the decision to get Bullmastiffs. The five cats would have to bunk together - well except for Fancy, who needs his own space, and Dash who would drive a roomie crazy. Then there's the rabbit; another cage. And the hamster - hmmm.
I'm pretty sure I'll just ride out the storm, if it doesn't fizzle out, right here in the laundry room, surrounded by all my babies. Our granddaughter is well versed in where to hide in their house. We want her to prepare, not panic. Tough order for a little worrier.
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