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| Cyclone Zoe. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ File:Cyclone_Zoe_27_dec_2002_2255Z.jpg |
It's very interesting to hear people talking about this hurricane. I've been through a couple hurricanes, since I lived in Vanuatu for five years. In 2002, my family and I survived the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere: Cyclone Zoe, a Category 5 storm. The winds got up to 150 mph--and then the anemometer was blown off the national weather center after a gust of 220 mph!
We lived about a quarter of a mile away from the ocean. We only had two inches of water on the floor, so we were fine, but the people who lived in coastal villages were devastated. Zoe doesn't make any of the "worst storm" lists because in terms of dollar amounts, Zoe didn't do a lot of damage. The reason for this is that Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands are third-world countries; there aren't a lot of expensive buildings, electricity, or transportation systems there. Also, no one died during Zoe. The local people know exactly how to get through a storm like this. They've been doing it for 4,000 years, so they had to learn to survive.
A day after Zoe skirted Vanuatu, we walked down to Takara, a village on the beach about a mile away. We had friends who lived there. They showed us how there were fish up in their gardens that had been carried in from the storm surges. They took us to their well, the only source of fresh water, and showed us how the sea water had washed into it, so it was contaminated and undrinkable. Their gardens were destroyed. The avocado crop was almost ready to harvest, and there were green, almost ripe avocados just lying on the ground. There were coconuts and mangos everywhere. Also, their houses were gone. The thatched huts didn't stand a chance against this kind of storm.
The Ni-Vanuatu in the villages have this saying: "After the storm comes the sickness." There is always food right after a storm, because all the fruit has fallen from the trees. But their fresh water is contaminated and after all the fresh fruit is gone or starts rotting, there is nothing else to eat. Then people start getting sick.
Sandy is a serious storm; it's already cost around five dozen people their lives. We need to remember, though, that so much of what we are going to lose in this storm is just stuff. We will have food. We will have water. Some people might lose their houses, but entire communities will not be in danger of dying off. I'm listening to people on TV talking about how to keep your food frozen, how to keep your car from getting flooded, how to make sure you go to the store and buy all the food you can, etc. None of this is a problem in third-world countries because they don't have electricity, cars, or money to begin with.
Keep everything in perspective. Tell your family you love them. Ride out this storm by playing cards, reading books aloud to each other, singing songs together, and laughing. I've done it a few times and doing those things helps you realize what really matters.
Please donate to help the possibly 50 million people who could be affected by Sandy. The Red Cross is taking donations. This is going to be incredibly hard for the eastern part of the U.S. to get through. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
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