Devastating Teardown of Hurricane Matthew 2016

Hurricane Matthew 2016

From Haiti, to the Bahamas and right through Florida then up the coast with intention of total destruction.

I was on Facebook when the announcement came through of this Matthew thing brewing, ready to alter so many lives; If they made it through it.

A hurricane in Florida isn’t the same as in Boston, Ma.

Now I have been through a few hurricanes as a child. My hometown of Boston had a couple of big ones. I remember there was a huge tree that had some roots so large they spanned a big distance and some were covered in concrete. This tree was uprooted completely out. Other hurricanes and winter storms couldn’t do that. That was just one memory and experience with hurricanes.

Have you been through a hurricane or other natural disaster in different climates? I would like to hear about it and add it to this post, you can do that here: Hurricane Matthew Story, Tips, Tricks, etc., Submission Form

Knowing about and understanding basics of hurricanes helps you prepare for it

I knew what a hurricane was capable of because of a few personal experiences. I also did research about hurricanes here in Florida. I knew moving here, there were bound to be a few in my lifetime. I think researching, asking questions to natives and educating myself helped me and my family stay calm. I was calm and collected from prep to finish. Though others anxiety and nerves were on edge, mine were too but keeping in control as much as possible means a world of difference.

My family stayed glued to the news while we watched this massive hurricane brew and grow all while coming right for us; as a direct hit at a category 4! I have been through a category 4, up north, never in Florida. Hurricanes here are different for sure.

[clicktotweet]Families are really a team that relies on one another; Like a puzzle piece[/clicktotweet]

We all had a job in the family, same as a puzzle piece. Some of mine were to ensure we were stocked with food, water, supplies, keep everyone calm, make foods that were healthy but can last on ice for a day or two, get the inside of the house ready, get the kids ready and informed of what to expect. My children have never been through any storm such as a hurricane, just a few minor snowstorms.

Location is important when it comes to a hurricane; Knowing where all bodies of water and how they react is a factor in hurricane preparation

We live fifteen maybe twenty minutes from the beach. It depends on which parking lot you can find parking. We also have a canal that is about two feet from our backyard, it is a really huge one at that. I already knew that the canal and streets flood very quickly. So it was a huge concern. It is filthy water that would be coming into the house, depending on how flooded it got.

This is what I was preparing for:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Just seeing and knowing this occurred on a normal and typical rainy day made me quite nervous. If three hours of rain did this, imagine what a hurricane can do?

It was very upsetting that sandbags were not at all available to residents in my city who had this issue. We were told last-minute to go to the beach and get sand from there! Except we didn’t even have time to do that.

At that point I decided to come to terms with filthy water in the house, brace for two of the children to get really sick. The baby and my other one with a very weak immune system. It would mean life or death for them.

I also began to come to terms with two of our cars being a total loss. They are project cats and currently can’t be moved as they are in the middle of modifications. Though I know my husband and children wouldn’t agree with me. It would be more of a greater loss to them.

It was a really huge struggle getting things prepared for something that we were never prepared for!

As this massive Hurricane Matthew started to completely demolish Haiti and moved towards the Bahamas all we could do was get prepared as fast and as much as we could. We each had so many thoughts and emotions going on.

We all stood there at one point staring at the screen watching this thing destroy hundreds of peoples lives, not knowing if they would even make it.

Humanity For All:

It did bring tears to my eyes knowing people weren’t just going to die from it, it is the WAY they were going to die from it that intensified emotional reactions. None of them deserved that way to die, at all.

They were innocent people, who didn’t have a chance. They couldn’t fight back, they had no say, they didn’t provoke it and they could never prevent it!

Hurricane Matthew Preparation:

As Hurricane Matthew moved along in its intentional and purposeful tear-down we continued to prepare. We were emotionally preparing, mentally preparing and physically preparing, not just ourselves, but the children too. The dogs were a mess as they knew something was about to happen, they just didn’t know what.

I gave each person specific instructions on certain things to do in case of random scenarios as we prepared. I had them repeat it back to me to make sure they understood.

READ  Sharing some fun holiday activities for the holidays

Then came this particular instruction to my two older sons aged twenty and sixteen: They each were given the responsibility of taking a dog each. We immensely LOVE our dogs. But it came to this:

[clicktotweet]That gut-tearing moment when I told my kids to use their weapon to swiftly euthanize a dog.[/clicktotweet]

Our female dog is an American Bulldog, she came to us with the original intention of being my sons aid as he is partially deaf. She is now seven years old and still hasn’t gone through any medical aid training’s, so we can’t officially consider her a service dog.

happy family blog sunshine party Marshmallow Suns

Picture 1 of 1

Cristy talks about what her family did during Hurricane Matthew 2016. She made some fun foods and had fun with decorations for their After Hurricane Matthew Party | Thank you Cristy for your contribution!

Hits: 497

There is one comment

I need to hear what your thinking about this..