Living in the South, I grew up with natural disasters being a normal part of my life, in the form of hurricanes. From June to December, hurricanes are a constant threat. I've rescheduled birthdays, delayed the start of the school year, evacuated for weeks at a time, and have tracked hurricanes from start to finish.
Since then, I've experienced other natural disasters such as a historic flooding event. For anyone who has experienced a natural disaster, they may experience or understand these 7 things:
1. You are extra cautious.
You see a tropical wave off the coast of Africa and it's immediately on your radar. Sometimes a very bad rainstorm can even worry you because something similar has caused a major flooding event in the past. No matter how much time has gone by since your experience of a major natural disaster, you're always cautious.
2. You know how to prepare.
Local authorities tell you to prepare for 1-2 days of bad weather and you gather a week's worth of supplies for you and your whole family. You would much rather be safe than sorry, especially if you have been in a dire situation before.
3. You've got a plan.
You know where you'll go if you have to leave. You know what you'll bring, when you'll leave, and how you'll get there. It's always a great idea to have a plan.
4. You are irreplaceable, things aren't.
Something you hear people saying after natural disasters is "we lost everything". Sometimes it's also met with, "but at least we have our lives". You might have lost everything in your home or just have had to replace furniture. You've come to realize that you can always replace your "things" but your life is so precious.
5. Dates on a calendar become much more than simply that.
The dates of previous disastrous events in your past are embedded in your mind. For some, it might be August 29, 2005, others August 12, 2016... and so on. They don't just mark an event in your past. They mark how far you've come, how much you've grown, how much things have changed- for better or for worse. They're a reason to reflect- they may bring up a plethora of emotions and tears. It can be something to look forward to or dread.
6. Any time there is a threat of the same natural disaster occurring again, you become nervous.
It's something you can't help. Even if you try not to get nervous, it's normal to feel some kind of fear. You hear things such as "history repeats itself". You try to think about where you or your city went wrong before. Most of the time, there just isn't enough time to prepare, and even if there is, many natural disasters are unpredictable.
7. You help others in their time of need because someone once helped you.
Someone went above and beyond for you. You might have been rescued from your home or car, someone donated clothes and they ended up in your hands, people helped you rebuild your home, someone donated furniture- whatever it was in your situation, someone helped you. We all need help sometimes. What you've learned is that it is so important to give back to others when you're able to.
Natural disasters have a way of shaping us. They might be one of the only things in our lives that greatly contribute to our character and morale, for others it might be another bump in the bumpy road they call their lives. No matter what, natural disasters do not discriminate. They affect everyone involved, they affect entire states, and the entire nation as a whole.
My thoughts and prayers are with all of those who were affected by Hurricane Katrina 12 years ago today, August 29, 2005. I am also thinking of all of those affected by the catastrophic Hurricane Harvey which made landfall in Texas in August 25, 2017.
