Tales of a pluviophile living in Hurricane Land

When I was a little girl, tropical storms and hurricanes were, inevitably, an annual occurrence and a topic of discussion in my community. You see, I was born in the Caribbean. Fair enough?

Talks of potentially being hit by a hurricane excited me. And it may sound wrong, but children are so innocent about these things that we sometimes forget about it or don’t know the right way to make them aware of it. I know that as much as parents and educators try to teach kids about the dangers of natural disasters, some children are simply still incapable of fully understanding their impact. It’s not insensitivity in their part; it’s unconsciousness. 

But as it was in my case, a developing unclear fascination with stormy weather, and a lack of experience with natural disasters, led to a  romanticized view of what a powerful tropical storm, and prepping for it, really meant. I blame it on the fact that every time there was an evacuation order, the family would get together and have a, well, lovely time. I would get to spend time with my favorite cousins and neighbors, while my mom was too distracted to mind any “misbehaving.” A kid’s dream. 

Things changed, eventually, and it would take years for me to experience anything close to a hurricane again. That year was 2011. Now an adult, tropical cyclone Irene came around when I was living in Jersey, somewhere on the path of the hurricane — and a first for me since childhood. Thankfully, it was just light rain and strong winds in the Northeast. 

I did get to go outside and I got my camera out to “catch some action” in the middle of a storm. Again, I was romantizicing it. 

By the time I had to face another serious encounter with Mother Nature, I was living in Florida. This time, it was big: Irma, a category 5 hurricane. I fled the State right after my birthday celebration that year. I wasn’t planning on leaving, but last minute news update shook me up. This was the first time I had to make a quick conscious decision about the weather on the spot. 

The hunt for an available last-minute flight out of Florida is a story for another day, but I’m glad I followed my instinct. Electricity and internet were out or not properly working for weeks in my Miami area, I was told.

Today, in 2024, as a local “state of emergency” is being declared for several Florida counties, including Miami-Dade, I ask myself the same 2017 question again: should I leave? Should I stay? My pluviophile tendencies might want to downplay situations like this, as well as my fight-or-flight response, but my consciousness knows better here. No need to worry that I will make an effective decision for my safety. 

Living in a hurricane-prone area does force you to think on your feet. No, I didn’t calculate this step when I decided to move to Miami, but it’s been years now and I’ve gotten better. I know that anything can change at any moment and I have to be ready to fleed. I’m lucky to be a one-person crew and I think evacuation would be a breeze (no pun intended), should I need to. But everything seems calm right now, weather-wise, as it happens before any storm, and I feel safe. I do hope everyone is staying alert and ready — not just today, but every day during hurricane season because Mother Nature plays no games.

Be safe.