Vocabulary Lesson

Before I go any further with this blog - The 4-H Center is fine. It's battered, but not broken. Others in the county, however, did not fare as well as the Center.

As easy at it has generally been for me to put pen to paper and elaborate on stories I have seen, this one leaves me a little puzzled, humbled, and curious. Hurricanes and other natural disasters look different on TV, than in person. They sound, smell, and feel different, too. And if I wanted to stretch this a bit, they even taste different, than they do in front of a television screen. The easiest way to relate the story of Irene is to help you understand the "sounds" of the storm. I'm not sure what CNN or NBC have said. My connection to the newsworthy world has been local public and simulcast radio...

This ordeal has been curious to me because it's very strange how neighbors fared better than the one's next door. Counties fared better than the ones next door. States fared better than the ones above and below. There will be lots of news cameras and helicopters come and go, but not in Tyrrell County. Or Hyde County. Sorry, you just can't get in Mr. Media. But hey, if you can't help, you can't visit. We don't need cameras, we need compassion, thank you very much. If you want a story, I can tell you about the local farm-to-plate farmer who watched his family pumpkin crop float away with the storm surge. I can tell you about the rural family who could not be reached when the storm became unpredictable. I can also tell you about the families who threw out furniture, carpet, and family pictures.

Anyway, as I grew up in Alabama, we too, were the recipient of frequent tropical weather...usually tropical storms, depressions, or disturbances...and a couple of hurricanes, like Opal. There was and is something very special about the home I grew up in. Mainly, I think, was that it was run by my father and mother...both special in their own ways. The house was a home. We never evacuated. Ever. Tyrrell County is now home to me and it all makes sense, even if it doesn't to anyone else. Me and 3500 other people love this place as much as we do our own families. It's a big home for all of us. There are three seasons for me and most of my friends in Tyrrell County: Summer Camp, Waterfowl Season, and Hurricane Season. I love two and hate the other one because of this. I remember only Tropical Storms Erin, Hanna, and Nor' Ida.

Still, after all of that, I never imagined that it could get much worse. As the insurance companies would have you believe, this is certainly an act of God. No person, or group of 'em could alter the landscape of life so quickly. Cleaning up, too, is an act of God. And us.

So how bad was it? Here's your vocabulary lesson for Hurricane Season 2011...

Outer Bands - Nope, not the opening act at a concert. The first squall lines of rain actually. With these bands came the first of 30 hours of non-stop 39 mile per hour winds or better. I imagine that we had several gusts of 85 miles per hour.

Storm Surge - This is the "wall" of water that comes with a tropical weather maker. Straight from the Cape Verdes off of Africa came 7 feet of extra water. Most of it has stayed behind in low grounds of Columbia.

Welfare Check - Naw, not that "welfare". This term was used to often by rescue teams looking for storm victims. A welfare check is simply checking to determine whether or not someone is well and living.

Curfew - A curfew is serious for teenagers, but for storm-stricken towns, it could keep you out of the jail or hospital. Columbia had and has a curfew. Who wants to walk around in waist deep wastewater in the dark anyway?

EOC - Emergency Operation Center. This place was manned by emergency management and volunteer rescue services. The Tyrrell County EOC ran like a sewing machine, and I am very proud to know the people who run an efficient and empathetic EOC.

CUFN - Closed Until Further Notice, that is. Few things close under this auspice...usually after a fire or other disaster. Tyrrell County Schools are closed until further notice. That means that they have absolutely no idea when families and children can move out of the school and bathe, cook, clean, and live normally. Oh yeah, did I mention the school is the shelter. Yes, I did.

Power Outage - Think two or three hours without power are ridiculous? Yes, you do. I'm going on 56 hours. That means no AC, TV, dishwashing, hot water, internet. But still,I unconsciously turn off light switches when I walk into a room. And unconsciously flip them off when I depart. In the daylight, however, I have been able to help some great friends...and when possible share terrific cups of instant coffee over a barbecue grill and read some terrific books by writers named MacQuarrie, Hochbaum, and Rutledge. Lucky me.

Can Opener - buy yourself one and learn to use it. If it has a plug, you got the wrong thing. Tuna, ravioli, black beans, and more. These are the things that make up the hurricaner's buffet. Oh, and Swedish Fish and granola. And one snickers!

Ice - Yes, it melts after a while.

Red Cross - How surreal is it when you see them in your town? Very. I thought they only went were CNN went.

Salvation Army - Yep, they are here, too - and not to peddle gently used goods. They are giving hot meals away to people who CANNOT find and prepare their own food. It's serious.

Access - This is what you must obtain to reach certain locations in the region. You don't "have" access...you "get" it from someone else. Tourists, locals, and even National Guarders have been denied access from time to time for a variety of reasons. The only thing that stops the Guard, though, is geography. The new inlets on Hatteras Island make road travel tricky...

Flotsam - flotsam is basically floating trash. Bottles, driftwood, plastic parts...this storm has turned jetski's, cars, vinyl siding, cypress trees, pound nets, pumpkins, and piers into flotsam.

In the past 48 hours, I have heard that people lost their: Trees, pets, power, internet, crops, hats, telephone, boats.

Too many people are solving these problems in the next 48 hours: Where will our family sleep tonight? What time is the Salvation Army serving meals? When is the tide going to wash out? Do I have flood insurance? Where do I put my old carpet and furniture?

In the next 48 days, folks in Columbia all be cleaning out, hunkering down, and looking up...come help.

Enjoy the day...