I learned something last night.
It’s one thing to watch a disaster from a distance, in the safety of your own home, when you have no personal stake in what’s happening. It’s another when your 20-year-old nephew has decided to stay in New Orleans and wait out the hurricane.
I watched the Hurricane Ida coverage last night as much as I could, but it was so stressful imagining what my nephew would be going through and not knowing where he was. I have no idea where he stayed, except I know it’s not in the house he now calls home. He’s a student at Tulane and perhaps the university had a place for the students to wait out the storm. At any rate, now he’s safe and home, but communication is difficult and will only get worse. After all, how do you charge up your phone when there’s no power?
No word yet on what Tulane will decide to do. The semester just started. It would be hard to conduct classes with no power, not to mention how the students would take care of themselves without it. The last I heard, it could be weeks or even months before power is restored to New Orleans.
I pray for my nephew and all the people affected by Hurricane Ida. It will never be the same watching hurricane coverage again, for no longer will I be able to separate myself from what is going on. I always believed I had a great deal of empathy for people in those situations, and perhaps I did, but this adds a whole level of understanding.
Image credit: copyright EvgeniyQW–stock.adobe.com
I’m glad to hear your nephew is safe, Belinda. I’ve been through Cat 2 and 3 hurricanes, but not a 4. Tulane is such a beautiful campus…no telling what’s gonna happen.
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Category 2 and 3 would be enough for me!
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This sounds like a nail-biting situation, Belinda. I’ll be holding onto positive thoughts and prayers for your nephew. Please update us when you can.
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Thanks, Judy. He’s safe now and I don’t know that I’ll much more for awhile since communication is so difficult. But I will keep you updated!
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I hope everything turned out well for him. It is much different going through a situation, as opposed to observing one ❤
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Sometimes our understanding is limited by the distance. Things take on a new perspective when it hits close to home. I am glad that your nephew is alright. The world we live in now is serious. From the natural disasters to the pandemic, we cannot take anything for granted.
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You couldn’t be more right.
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