I didn’t even know the term “hurrication” until I decided to refresh my Instagram feed during Hurricane Irma. I saw picture after picture of people smiling with their friends with a caption that was similar to “Happy Hurrication”. I understand that you are happy that you get an unexpected vacation, but just because your life is not affected by the hurricane doesn’t mean that no one's is.

I have lived in Florida my entire life, so I am used to blowing off the dangers of hurricanes and laughing at “over-dramatic” meteorologists. However, this was my first hurricane not at home, unable to help any of my family members, friends, or neighbors. Also, Hurricane Irma was not just any storm, it was incredibly deadly and ruined hundreds of people’s lives. In the state of Florida alone, the death toll is at 6 human lives who had families and friends that will miss them very much.

I’m not usually the kind of person that gets offended easily by little words, but “hurrication” goes too far. You should feel completely blessed that your house was not completely destroyed by the hurricane or lose power for almost a week. But that’s not how you should show it. It’s no vacation to watch your home on national television get coverage for hours because of unprecedented flooding and massive damage. My version of holiday does not include calling my grandparents every few hours to make sure that they still have power so my grandfather’s oxygen machine will still work.

“Hurrication” is not even the worst I have heard. Some people call people that didn’t evacuate “idiots” or even worse, they call people that did “not true Floridians”. First and foremost, if you have never experienced the true effects of a devastating hurricane do not comment on people’s decision not to evacuate.

The decision is not always one with multiple choices, for example, my grandparents could not evacuate due to the lack of gas at every gas station. Staying inside their old house was safer than them being stuck 1 hour north hiding in their car on the side of the road because there was no more gas. And the Floridians that bash their neighbors for evacuating by calling them "fake Floridians" is appalling. The definition of a true Floridian is not about who can stay in their house the longest during a natural disaster, but instead someone who realizes the statewide impact of this hurricane and is ready to work with their community to rebuild. That's my favorite thing about being a Floridian, it doesn't matter if you are from Key West or Pensacola, you are a Floridian first and foremost.