Forgotten Again - Part 1
The news is all a buzz with information about the latest
hurricane, Wilma, and its destructiveness. It wreaked havoc in
so many areas of multiple countries. Prior to this there was
Hurricane Katrina who again left a lovely path of destruction
through many areas. It seems there is no end to the number of
destructive storms in 2005, but lets not forget 2004 with its
bit of wind and rain as well. Hurricanes galore swept through
the US and other countries, bringing with them billions of
dollars in damage and many lost lives. Yes there has been a lot
of news coverage about these storms over the last two years, but
wait! Something is missing!
Now you may be reading this and going how can something be
missing. They talk constantly about the storms before, during
and after they happen. All over the world in fact. OK, each area
make do their own take on it, trying to boost their ratings or
circulation, but everyone seems to be covering what is going on.
Or are they?
Now granted every year there are storms that strike all over the
planet causing massive devastation and many of them do not get
the coverage they deserve. They become blips on the screen, or
small mentions in a weather section of a newspaper, never to be
thought of or mentioned again, except by those that were
affected by it of course.
This is even more common here in the states. Especially if it is
something that strikes outside the countries borders. Global
consideration and compassion can be quite lacking in this
country, at least on political, government and corporate levels.
There are also those people who are not aware enough to look
past what they are told and therefore don't pay attention
either. However, I do not believe them to be the majority and
for their actions I apologize. That, however, is not the reason
for this article, although it might make a really good one.
I could also go on about the storms that rip through different
little towns, counties, states and lives every year, leaving
behind anger, fear, determination, loss, need, and usually a
lack of understanding from the rest of the world, who did not
hear about their situation. This again would make a great story,
but I have a focus here, and yes I am about to get to it.
All these things are true. They happen and are sad, yet they
only happen, in most cases, one time. They may even happen 2 or
3 times over a long period, but this is nothing new. There is,
however, an area of this country that in the last few years has
gotten hit multiple time by tropical depressions, tropical
storms and hurricanes, yet when it comes time to talk about what
happens to the area, it seems to always get lost in the
background noise of someone talking about another area. All the
devastation, pain, suffering, loss and need get lost behind the
pushy self serving media outlets, be it newspapers, television,
radio, etc., who seem to find it so easy to gloss over, so it
gets forgotten, what happens to this area.
Now some of you are probably going, what are you talking about
or would you just get to the point. I am I am, but you must know
what is happening on the glossy media covered areas before you
can know what is going one behind the curtain.
This area has been ravaged over and over again by a multitude of
storms that either hit it head on, came through after hitting
another area or side swiped the area with heavy winds and rain.
Yet this little area of the country goes un recognized because
it isn't a major city, a major area that they can drag lots of
gripping news out of. Even the most recent storms national
coverage proves this is the case. Why you say? The reason, the
coverage was massive about the storm itself, sure, but not about
the area where it went, just like every other time. The area
focused on during and after, by the media, the larger city that
was hit later and with lesser effects.
You saw with Katrina how they left out all the towns and places
that were also ravaged and ripped apart, in favor of coverage of
what went on in New Orleans. Yet all those little places were
harmed, and in some ways harmed worse. If you do the math that
is. A little town of 500 that is destroyed my seem small in
comparison to a city of thousands getting harmed, but then again
does it really? That little town is 100% damaged and devastated.
Yet that big city is what? Perhaps 60 to 80% damaged? I don't
know about you, but in my book that is much better odds.
Yes what happened in New Orleans was horrific. My heart goes out
to every person it touched and their families. However that is
no reason to ignore all the others impacted by that storm, the
storms before it or the storms that have come since.
Ok, ok, I have dragged this on and on. Keeping you in the dark,
that is if you haven't figured it out already, where I am
actually referring to. Where is it you ask? South West Florida!
All the cities towns that non one has heard of, unless they have
been there or know someone who has. What places am I talking
about?
Places like ... North Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres, Port Charlotte,
Naples, Englewood, Matlachea, Pine Island, Fort Myers Beach,
Sanibel, Bonita Beach, Vanderbilt Beach, Boca Grande, Grove
City, Estero, St. James City, Bokeelia, Punta Rassa, Fort Myers,
Punta Gorda, Venice, Bonita Springs, Marco, Goodland, Alva,
Cleveland, Bayshore, Tice, Olga, Golden Gate, Everglades City,
Royal Palm Hammock, Copeland, Ochopee, Myakka, Gulf Cove and
Captiva,. Just to name a few.
And that isn't even mentioning towns father into the state.
These are just the ones near the coast. There are dozens of
towns just a little farther inland (Remember Florida is not a
very wide state). They get slammed when the storms hit the
coasts, but you don't hear about them either. All these places
seem to get lost behind the stories of storms that, although
they ripped through or harmed these areas, are ignored in the
rush to list only certain stories about certain places.
A huge hurricane just ripped through this area, Hurricane Wilma,
yet it isn't us you see covered on the news. It is Miami, who
got hit after us and got less destruction. Why? Because that
seems to be what happens when storms come through here. We get
ignored.
In the last few years there have been many storms that have come
through, or near south west Florida, leaving behind damage. Yet
you don't see them doing all the lovely send them help messages
for us. No they leave us, other than the little that the
government and some agencies actually send, to fend for
ourselves.
This has to stop. It is time people actually knew what goes on
down here. How much devastation there is and has been.
Example, last year one of the years major hurricanes, Hurricane
Charley, came through this area, causing all kinds of damage.
The eye came ashore not 20 miles north for where I was living at
the time. Twenty miles for a hurricane is nothing. The damage
was horrific where I was, so I know it was 100 times worse where
it the eye came ashore.
Not long after the hurricane passed, many organizations that
send help started to show up to give what relief they could to
the people of the area.
Do note, however, that we still didn't get major news coverage
over this storm.
Shortly after, less than 2 weeks, storms hit other parts of the
Florida and a few neighboring states as well. Right before they
hit, the organizations that were giving us help left. This I can
understand. They don't want to put their people and resources in
harms way. This is reasonable. The problem is, they didn't come
back. They forgot about us and moved on to help the other areas,
before they even really did much of anything here.
Where does that leave those here? Who do they turn to and get
their help from? Others in this same area who survived and could
help, as usual. We were forgotten, if we were really even known
about, again.
Did you know there have been 11 named storms (hurricanes and
tropical storms) to come through and/or have an effect* on this
south west Florida in the almost 8 years I have lived here.**
Not to mention the storms that went by Florida on the Atlantic
side of the state, but were so large that they had an effect
here as well as there. And this years hurricane season is not
actually even over yet. No one expects there to be more storms,
but then again, no one expected this many hurricanes this year
period.
Did you also know that Hurricane Katrina hit the Florida keys,
or that it caused wind, rain and other damage in the south west
of Florida? More than likely you didn't. The news didn't really
mention the places hit before New Orleans, just like they didn't
mention the places hit after or with New Orleans either.
It is this information, or should I say lack of it, that has me
disgusted with the media and all the so called helpful
organizations who seem to forget us every time a storm comes by.
But wait... there is more.... continued in Part
2