This week I was in Saint Lucia where I was surprised to see people glued to the TV and online keeping uptodate with the passage of hurricane Irma long after it pretty much destroyed all the Caribbean islands it landed on.
It was an emotional coverage for me for many reasons. Having experienced Allen in August 1980, Tomas in October 2010, and Tropical Storm Erika in August 2015, it brought many flashbacks where I could see myself exactly where I was, remembering how I felt at those times…being brave for those around me, being without water and electricity, loosing all my filming equipment and clothing, and the feeling of being close to death and having visions of the happy moments with my loved ones and thinking about what they’d go through if I’d perished during the storms.
I watched the extensive coverage where media delivered alert after alert telling people to remain indoors under strong structures and nominated shelters — and some people venturing outside until the storm was literally upon them.
I watched journalists reporting outside in storm conditions for too long, which seemed irresponsible to me. Yes, there are pluses and minuses to every point one can raise about this, but my main thought was Irma’s aftermath. Not just the destruction of the islands, utlitity services and economic repercussions – but of the many people Irma affected. Especially those who didn’t have much before, or scrapped to live before. How would they fare emotionally, and otherwise?
I’m looking out now for a comprehensive report on how emergency services are draining all the flooding.
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