Hurricanes cause huge amounts of destruction and danger. With Houston fresh on everyone’s mind and then Hurricane Irma breaking records for strength and size, people in Florida (including me) started to freak. These are serious storms that cause serious damage. However, I can’t help but give a shout out to the positive effects Irma had on our community and our lives. Here are 5 positive effects from one of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit our country.
1. Being inside to ride out a storm gave me the opportunity to spend time with the most important people in my life, family. We played games, ate meals together, and camped out.
2. Irma brought our community together. In a politically divisive climate with people fighting each other on the streets because of their views, it’s refreshing to see how fast we put aside our differences in support of each other during a crisis. It’s like the hurricane blew the humanity back into humans, while restoring my faith in our strength as a community.
3. Going through scary sh*t makes me appreciate my family, my town, and our emergency responders even more. I get so caught up with day to day routines and getting things done that I forget to give thanks for the things we take for granted.
4. The more hurricanes we experience, the better we get at surviving them. Going through these huge storms gives us experience with preparation, what to expect, and how to react under time constraints. And because I went through this 12 months ago, this time I put on my shutters faster than a cheetah drinking Red Bull.
5. Irma forced us to clean and de-clutter. I found myself removing and going through items that were previously untouched for a long time…well since the last hurricane. Whether it was because family was staying with us or the threat of items on my patio blowing all over the place, I did inventory and went through everything.
To help me endure during a time of crisis, I try and find the positive side to the situation. Not everything is what it seems, or what the news might have you believe. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who was effected by this storm and I know as a community, we are much stronger than anything the Atlantic or Gulf may throw at us. Thanks for reading! For more articles and helpful information, please follow me on Facebook and subscribe below.
