Lessons from Florence

Flooding in Asheboro from Hurricane Florence

Four days stuck in the house after four days of fretting over predictions of a potentially catastrophic weather event provided the opportunity for reflection. 

Here's what I learned from Hurricane Florence:

Don't get carried away cleaning ahead of the storm. The amount of mud, leaves and pollen that will track inside as we go in and out to take photos worthy of Instagram and Facebook is enormous. Once the storm and social media posting subsides, there will be plenty of dusting and mopping to do. 

Maintain emergency supplies. Don't be that person who heads to Walmart right before the storm and has to settle for canned ham-like substances because all the Spaghetti-Os are gone. And there will be no D batteries in the hours before the storm hits. You'll want to already have those. And water.

The radio is NOT obsolete. You might only use it during power outages caused by catastrophic storms, but until there's a better means of public emergency communication that doesn't require an electrical outlet to re-charge, have that radio at the ready.

Worrying is exhausting. We had to stop watching the news and Googling the storm. Not because we didn't want to know what to expect, but because there was SO MUCH information out there being constantly updated, that we worried ourselves sick over what could happen. Just be prepared (see above about those supplies) and evacuate if they tell you to. Otherwise, what's going to happen is going to happen. No need to worry.

I will miss this butterfly bush's purple blooms.

Beware the integrity of the small trees. The big ones are likely going to be okay. We worried needlessly (see above about not worrying) over a giant oak tree in our yard. What were felled by the storm and the ensuing saturated grounds were a large butterfly bush and a maple tree that was much smaller than the oak. 

The post-storm dog walk is the best. After being cooped up in the house with dogs that don't like to relieve themselves in the rain while it rained and rained and rained, we all needed to get out. That first walk around the block with the beagle and pug was wonderful. We all thoroughly enjoyed the fresh air, stretching our legs and seeing the neighborhood. 

The post-storm world seems brighter, lighter and filled with love and gratitude. People really do come together to help each other when disaster strikes. It was a scary, devastating storm. Many people lost everything. And that's when many more people generously step in to provide relief, comfort and support. The stories of compassion and hope are my favorite.

Michele "Micki" Bare, mother of three, wife, daughter & marketing director, is the author of Thurston T. Turtle children's chapter books. 
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