Forgotten Again - Part 2
Missed Part 1? Click
here to read it first.
I was thinking this morning that maybe this time they would pay
attention. It was a serious storm that ravaged another country
for days before coming here (2 countries actually, but we didn't
hear much about that did we. Just the same old news bites.) You
would think that they would finally actually talk about the
devastation in this area and perhaps how it isn't the first
time. Then, when I went to go read the news online, I found that
they did it again. They completely forgot us and were talking
about Miami and other areas on that side of Florida.
For the record, Miami got less damage and destruction than the
south west coast of Florida did, but they are a major city so
they are the ones that the media will be focusing on. Again,
true to form, we will get lost in the scramble to have a big
story. Even if it means ignoring the real information. What, we
aren't big enough for them? People losing their homes,
belongings, flooding and lost lives isn't important enough to be
news worthy?
My mother's home was damaged by this latest storm. Hurricane
Wilma. Serious damage actually. To add to it all the fun, about
10 days before the storm hit, her husband was hit by a car. He
was on his way back to work, after his lunch break, and a car
hit him. Now he has a broken pelvis, cracked skull and two
broken wrists, but he will live and is healing. They sent him
home Sunday morning, the storm hit Sunday night. How is that for
a fun filled couple of weeks?
My daughters and I have suffered our own losses physically,
financially and emotionally due to the hurricanes effects on us
and those close to us. It is a long list, so I won't go into it
here.
I was one of those people that sought help from the Red Cross
last year after Hurricane Charley. Did they help me? Sadly no. I
am one of the many people they put on a list for an appointment
to get help and then they forgot about when they left the state.
I am not a person who easily asks others for help, so you can
imagine how happy this made me. I do my best to handle my own
life. So we struggled along. Doing what we could.
Some people say, well why don't the people who live in these
areas move? Ok lets be logical here. If every person who lived
in an area that suffers from natural disasters moved, where
would over one half of the country live?
Natural disasters, a.k.a., hurricanes, tropical storms,
earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes, snow storms, ice storms, rain
storms, hail storms, drought, forest fires, shall I go on? So
you tell me? Where do they have none of these or any other
things mother nature can dish out? Hard to answer isn't it? The
planet is alive and it likes to remind us that we aren't in
control of it.
You would think this all would keep us down, but it doesn't. The
stress on all of us can be overwhelming sometimes, almost to
much to bear, and things almost get out of hand, but then we
stop and start over. Trying to look at things from a more
positive point of view. We haven't given up. We keep looking
forward to a things looking better and situations improving.
Then something else comes around trying to push you down again.
It is then that I remember my grandmother. She would get upset
when something bad happened, never hiding from it or pretending
like it wasn't there. She said it was important to tell the
truth and admit when something was wrong. That was the only way
you could fix it. She would do her best to find a positive in
the negative. I learned that from her and for it I am ever
thankful.
I am grateful to have two wonderful daughters who, even if they
are moody sometimes, care about others and like to help. They
are intelligent, compassionate, artistic individuals. We do our
best to positively touch all lives we come in contact with. Even
if ours isn't going so great. Now if we could only start a trend
and get more people to do that, what a nice place it would be.
So next time you hear the news casters, or someone else, talking
about helping victims of a hurricane or storm or whatever (be it
the current Katrina and Wilma drives, or any other one in the
future) really look at where they are focusing their efforts.
Are they focusing on the bigger places (like New Orleans and
Miami) and avoiding the little places so devastated and not
making the news? Sadly they will probably, yet again, be ignored
and the funds will go towards the bigger advertised incidents.
Just maybe, instead of following along and donating to the big
advertised cause, you could take a moment and look for those
places that are also in need and being ignored. See if they have
funds set up for them, listed outside the regular well
advertised ones, because you know the funds from the larger well
advertised drives are not going to go to those other communities
and people. They will go to the larger advertised ones.
Don't believe me? Just remember what happened here last year
after Hurricane Charley and how the Red Cross (along with other
organizations) baled on us after the new storms hit elsewhere,
and well before they actually did any good here.
Search the net or look elsewhere to find out if there are other
ways you can help that will actually go to those impacted.
Rather than just going to fund an organization itself or only
some areas.
I almost forgot, be careful how you write out those checks,
money orders and make other donations. Writing "for hurricane
victims" or something else like on them, isn't always a wisest
thing.
Did you know that if you donate to a place, writing that on your
check, they can not use those funds to help anyone effected by
something other than the hurricane? Now that may not seem like a
bad thing, but not everyone who needs help is going to be in
need due to that hurricane. Even in a hurricane damaged area.
If someone comes in for help because they had a house fire, your
funds can not help them. Yours may actually be the only funds
there, or yours and others designated for hurricane victims, but
they still can't be helped because your funds are for hurricane
victims only. So be careful what you write or designate your
donations for. It may well leave someone in need, still needing.
I hope this helps shed some light on the plight of those here in
south west Florida and gets those here some much deserved, and
over due, help. In what ever form it may come. It is time that
we actually got the attention we deserve, and not ignored
because some other area seemed like it would get more attention,
higher ratings and more air time, even when it wasn't as
damaged.
I am going to try and get my family the help we need from
organizations again, but I have to say their track records are
not looking so good in my eyes. FEMA included. So many people,
sadly, go to them and lie. This makes it so that what little
funds they had to help people with wind up disappearing before
those who actually need it get it. I have seen this more than a
few times as well.
I saw a woman in a store last year, who I had just seen get help
from one organization (which shall remain nameless) buying
herself a big wide screen television with the funds she got from
this organization. Now she had just been telling them she needed
it for her and her family, giving them this long story about how
she needed it not a few hours before (I happened to be there as
emotional support for another person who was also seeking
assistance at the time, note they didn't get it and they
actually needed it). And here she was buying herself a new wide
screen television. How right is this?
Then there is a former neighbor our ours who lied to FEMA last
year and told them the damage to her home was from a particular
storm that had just passed. It wasn't. Her home was damaged by
her, her children, and some other not so nice people the went in
and out of it regularly. But did they check out her story? No.
She got quite a lot of money from them actually. Within a few
weeks of her applying and lying to them, you saw her driving
around in all these different cars with dealer info on them. Her
kids had all kinds of new clothes and gadgets. They were
spending like they won the lottery. Did they fix the house? No.
Shortly after seeing all this, a very nice person I know, who
said she could not in good conscious sit back and watch them do
what they did, reported them to FEMA for fraud. I can't say if
anything was ever done, but as far as I know the family still
lives in that same messed up home, in that same neighborhood. So
you tell me if you think anything was done about it?
And, Yet again, at that same time there were tons of people that
couldn't get help when they needed it.
I hope this helps shine a light on the way some areas, even when
they are in dire need, are ignored, on purpose, by the media.
How so many go without and have a hard time because no one
thinks to help them. Since they aren't mentioned on the news,
there are no big places pushing for you to help them plastered
all over the net, they don't get noticed and they don't get
help. Please think twice before helping the big advertised
causes, or listening to what the media (the news included)
telling you that someplace is the one that got hit the worst or
the most. It usually isn't the truth.
Consider helping those who actually are in need, instead of
those that are advertised.
Thank you for taking the time to read my article.
I hope it opens some eyes, and gets all the people who are hurt,
like my own family, and are not advertised all over the news and
the net, some help when they are in need.
Want to really help families in need? I would suggest that you
donate to local south west Florida organizations that help south
west Florida residents, rather than to the large groups that
actually forget us and go elsewhere.
* Please note that when I say have an effect, I mean that they
traveled in an area near enough to this part of Florida to have
an impact on the area. Take Hurricane Mitch for example. It
didn't hit the south west coast of Florida directly. It did,
however, come close enough to cause enough wind, rain and water
damage to the area to be added here.
** If you would like to check the information I have listed
here, I would suggest you visit http://www.wundergro
und.com/tropical/. There you can find information on
storms from 1886 to 2005.