Is anyone else a hurricane survivor?

Question

I have been on Yahoo! Answers since this month and am wondering if there are any survivors of a catastrophic hurricane, such as Hurricanes Andrew, Katrina, Camille, or Hugo. I personally survived Hurricane Andrew and it changed me. I'd like to know how it changed others and share stories of survival. I call myself a survivor and not a victim because I am alive in the aftermath. Can anyone else relate?

Answer 1

I don't know if I'd call myself a "survivor." To do so might belittle others who've been through far worse. But yes, my family went through Hurricane Isabella in Virginia. We lost everything. We lost our house, our car, our livelihood (not to mention our food, electricity and comfort while we sat through the fear).

All of this loss wrecked our credit and my husband never got another job for years...because of his CREDIT score, not because of his education, background, capability, or interview skills. Now, three years later, we are just getting back on our feet. He has a new job but it is back at square one, paying less than he used to make. We have spent a lot of time moving around the country trying to make ends meet and make things work. We also have spent a lot of time on public assistance, an experience that was at once both humiliating and imbued with a deep sense of my gratitude.

What's really awful is that there was no "awareness" at the time. I guess New Orleans has made people sit up and take notice of natural disasters more. There was no government assistance for Isabella. We had to pay to even have tree limbs hauled away, whereas nowadays a harsh storm results in free limb hauling.

We floated for years through the horror of the aftermath of such a disaster. The people who wrecked our lives by cheating us out of our house (we had to sell it at a loss) recently re-sold it for a profit of over $150,000. Of course, life is fragile and stuff happens. I am simply grateful to have my family intact and that we are getting back on our feet again. Indeed my life is much more positive than this post has made it sound--I just want to emphasize that the aftermath of such an experience leaves its debris in lives for years and years, and it's hard when there is little outside understanding for that experience.

Answer 2

I was living in Charleston SC when Hugo hit. The house I was in came through fine, and a day or so after the hurricane, I left town to spend the next week or so with relatives hundreds of miles away. I saw plenty of destruction, but I really didn't have to deal with the worst of the aftermath. Shortly thereafter, I moved to another state. I don't really consider myself a "survivor" or a "victim", I was just there when the hurricane hit, that's all.

I was actually struck by the fact that some 90% of the houses made it through with minimal or no damage. The pictures you see of destruction are always the worst-case scenarios - which did happen, of course, but hardly to everyone. Of course, power was out, and there were disruptions in supply chains, but most of the dwellings came through just fine.

I imagine things were different for Katrina victims in New Orleans, since pretty much the whole city was flooded. Hugo probably doesn't even begin to compare with Katrina's level of destruction.

Answer 3

isurvived hurrican ivan, almost went through katrina, but i was a bit more north. i was prepared to die. honestly! i had just started my sophomore year of college when ivan hit. the college students were put into what they called a hurricane proof building (i don't think so). at 2 in the morning, i felt the floor underneath me shift and saw the walls shaking. we were trapped in the building for three days. have to say i was never more happy to get out in the fresh air - i mean a few hundred people not showering or anything for three plus days and no air circulation whatsoever, it starts to stink. classes were cancelled for about a week until the campus was fixed up. needless to say, there was no air conditioning, no running water, and no electricity for a week and unfortunately i was stuck on campus along with a few others who lived out of state and did have a way of getting home. i guess you could say i am a hurricane survivor.

Answer 4

i went through katrina. im from the mississippi coast. my dads house was destroyed. my family split in two for the hurricane, me my mother my sister stayed at one house and my dad step mom and other family stayed at his house. we got a call about an hour into katrina, before the cell phone towers went down, it was my dad frantic saying the house just went, they were hiding in the utility room bathroom, the only part of the house with walls and a ceiling. well they didnt get hurt just scratched. and i was fine just scared. after the hurricane is what really sux. there was no water we had stored some water in the bathtub but the roof leaked water two inches into the house and the water got contaminated. we had some can food that we heated over a cinder block. it was a few days before we could leave because a forrest of down trees blocked us in a mile. we eventually got out and found some water at the red cross. other than that it was about a month before we got power and it was just really hot and stinky everywhere. my parents also went through camille, they said that katrina was worse. there was no communication so that really sucked. thats about it for me.

Answer 5

Hurricane Camile in 1969 it hit Florida. Also Blizzards and Tornados in SD, Typhoon in Hawaii, and Earthquakes in Ca.

Answer 6

You're welcome to reside in a condominium we are renting out, however it is placed within the suburbs of Philadelphia...which I do not consider might aid on your obstacle given that you are relocating to New York. Anyways, I want you pleasant of success!