Severe weather is serious business. No matter where any of us choose to live, we've all got our own host of issues to deal with when it comes to Mother Nature. My own biggest fears when it comes to Mother Nature are earthquakes, and tsunamis. Earthquakes because they happen so quickly there is virtually no way to prepare, and tsunamis for very obvious reasons (um water terror anyone?) When it comes to life in the Keys, we do have to give special consideration to hurricanes & tropical storms. I think I'm very fortunate however because although I respect any nature phenomenon, when it comes to hurricanes we have an advantage ahead of time for planning, unlike earthquakes.
Much has been made of the present storm called Issac. Issac remains a tropical storm, with potential to morph into a hurricane as it moves past my area. As I write, another squall line is moving through. Not too unusual is for me to meet someone who upon finding out where I now live will make a comment how they could "never live there" because of hurricanes. There are precious few times I think that a person cannot do something, instead I believe the possibilities are endless for us as individuals. Yes, it seems to me that some people have to work harder than others to achieve their goals, but I still believe anyone can do anything they set their mind to. An exception to my rule on that might just be those who say they could never live here. If you think you cannot do something, you're right. And, if you think you do not belong in an area where weather threats take over your worries, you do not belong there.
It's odd. Here I am living on a small island along a string of other small islands, but I have never in my life felt as safe as I do right now. I cannot believe how fortunate I am to have this peace within me. It's not because I am ignorant or in denial about realities of storms, but really the exact opposite. Never have I had the good fortune to live in an area that takes storms so seriously as to really plan ahead like down here.
I was born, raised, and spent the better part of my life in the northeast. A fair amount of that time was spent living and working in coastal areas, sometimes right on the water. No one up there prepared for storms like they do down here. When the other happy vegan and I lived in a coastal home across from a bay, he decided he was going to renovate the home and bring it up to modern standards. The biggest part of that plan was hardening the house. It included impact windows, a metal hurricane-rated strapped roof, and other expensive things that no one would notice from the outside, but can be priceless to those on the inside. With very few exceptions, when people found out what we were doing to that house, they were incredulous. "Why would you spend your money on that?" was a common theme. He was never surprised by that mindset, but I was every time. Sometimes we would take car rides up and down the shore, and onto neighboring islands to look at the homes paying special attention to new construction. Design and construction up there is pathetic when it comes to consideration for natural disaster. It seems to me that despite epic devastation in this country from historical storms, people up there are sold window dressing instead of solid construction, all given the stamp of approval by regulating authorities in the areas. We would always leave our self-guided tours remarking that one day a storm is going to blow through, and those towns will be completely wiped off the map. We hope we are completely wrong about that.
Here, Florida has just now passed the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew which to this day remains one of the most powerful and life-changing storms to hit this country. Andrew devastated South Florida beyond what words and photos could show. Andrew changed everything for South Florida, including building and construction codes for South Florida. I live in an area that has some of the most stringent codes for construction because of storm threat; I have no problem with that. In fact, I embrace that type of thinking. I wish this was the rule rather than the exception for all areas of the country. There's too many people I love and care about living in some very fragile areas.
So, here I live on this small island, surrounded by other small islands, very calm right now. We spent the better part of yesterday preparing for Issac. The other happy vegan is a very good planner. I cannot really think of anyone else I'd rather be with in face of a storm. One of the first things we did when we knew we were moving here was make our disaster plan. Actually it was even written down. When time came to begin Issac preparations, all I asked him was to give me a list of what I should do. I don't need to figure things out myself, and I don't need to get in his way. He's the one who has overseen all the hardening of this bed and breakfast, he's the one who has set up the emergency system for the B&B including an appropriately sized generator (which many of our guests have heard as it test cycles for a few minutes every mid-week.... music to my ears), and he's the one who will lead me to safety in case of disaster. I never doubt that. He takes storms seriously, and plans for them. That's the thing in this world. Maybe sometimes we cannot control the circumstances that surround us (i.e.: the weather), but we sure can control our reactions to them. And, with enough planning, you find yourself being able to live in a storm prone area and still have inner peace. That inner peace, along with a few cats sprinkled in, and I probably wouldn't ask for much more.
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