Living on the shore

I don't know how many of you live on the shore or in areas hard hit by mother nature, but I can tell you there is something about the poeple that have lived here their entire lives. Perhaps part of the reason I cannot blame poeple for not leaving is because I have ridden out every storm to hit this area since my birth. There is something about beig a thrid generation shore girl. When a nor'easter or hurrican is headed our way we do prepare. We have our water, canned goods, propane, generators batteries ect... but almost more importantly we buy out the local liquor stores, gather together and have ourselves a good old fashioned storm party. We tempt mother nature with our brazen arrogance, toast to the winds and waters as they pound at the door and laugh inteh face of flying boardwalks. Is it smart? NO Is it logical; or safe? NO but we do it anyway. Shoud a catagory five ever head our way, you will see the newbies, the old and those with small children or crap houses RIGHT on the water flee to the next town over, but the majority will stay, hunkered down behind boarded windows, beer in hand, a good supply of smokes, enough batteries to play tunes till the power comes back on and plenty of board games to be transformed into the hurrican of choice drinking games. I know it makes no sense, but it is the way it is when you live on teh shore. I can't count how many times I gathered with friends to ride out a good old storm in a literal SHACK not 150 yards from teh ocean and litteraly up against the inlet. We were invincible, protected by the gods of the wetlands, drunk often high (seriously stupid) and I can honestly say that if the shack were still there i would probably do it again.

 

Call me crazy (I won't disagree) but it is the way of life for us.

And Tizz...You expect people should drop what they are doing and give you food, water, shelter when everything around you blows away?

If you know something horrible is coming you LEAVE. I understand about living off the shore..I live 50 miles from the ocean. But if there is a hurricane that is able to blow my house away i know its gonna blow me away and my kids.....We have storm closets in our houses here on post but i am not about to hide away in that with 4 babies for days on end when i could have prevented that suffering

You would think that is what people would do but it is not what happens. The area has it's own tradition and culture in regards to storms. You live 50 miles from teh shore? You might as well live in nebraska. Anything more than 2 miles is inland to us. Once you get past that life changes. I can't explain it, it is just the way we have always and will always be. If a person gets into an eccident because they were speeding, are you going to pass them by because they don't deserve your help? Same thing. I can also assure you that when things happen to others, a shore comunity (being as close as it is) will be right there ready to help no matter why people are in trouble. Perhaps we are different, we don't ask WHY you need help we just offer it. Perhaps the salt water has made us nuts who knows, but I like it this way and I am greatful to have been braught up in the atmosphere, storms and all (nothing like staring at the sky, or alowing the force of the ocean to literally hypnotize you as a nor'easter trucks through)

gather together and have ourselves a good old fashioned storm party.

 

Souds like they had an "old fashioned storm party" down there at the Convention Center to. Anybody ever get raped or stabbed to death at your hurricane parties?

 

the majority will stay, hunkered down behind boarded windows, beer in hand, a good supply of smokes, enough batteries to play tunes till the power comes back on and plenty of board games to be transformed into the hurrican of choice drinking games.

 

Well swim your ass out then and dont bitch if we dont get there fast enough.

 

I know it makes no sense

 

Got that right!

 

We were invincible, protected by the gods of the wetlands

 

Its too bad the people in New Orleans didnt have the "gods of the wetlands" to protect them from the many savages. And why do you need anyone elses help if you have the "gods of the wetlands" protecting you?

 

Call me crazy

 

CRAZY.

 

I can also assure you that when things happen to others, a shore comunity (being as close as it is) will be right there ready to help no matter why people are in trouble.

 

To bad alot didnt do that in New Orleans they were right there ready to steal, rob, rape and kill anything in their way.

Actually I agree with Tizz here, but I'm not sure what the point is except that she wants to tell a story Gather around the rocker, children. Anyway, for some people a bigass storm isn't a big deal; it's part of their life. Actually, I have to say congrats. If you want to live somewhere, you have to be ready for what nature throws your way because it's part of the area. People on the ring of fire will get earthquakes, people on the coast will have bigass storms, people up north will freeze their nuts off. If you're not prepared to deal with that, you don't deserve to live there. It gets fucking cold here--though I haven't been through my first winter in this province, which I hear is brutal, it does get down to -40, not to mention the wind, in Ontario. So what? You go on with your life; you don't control the weather and you never will. You should know what you're getting into when you settle somewhere, so either suck it up or piss off.

 

That, of course, is not to disrespect the people who couldn't get out of Katrina's way, blah blah disclaimer disclaimer--this wasn't about DEATH or disaster, just about the risks associated with an area. I'm sure if someone had said this to people who lived in NO, some of them wouldn't have decided to live there. (Or, they would have ignored it and now they'd be sorry. People do that.)

 

Anyway, not meaning I don't give a shit about the people who died or even that it served them right. It was a lesson they should have thought about BEFORE it happened, now they've been taught by nature. Unfortunately, most of them will probably continue to ignore it until the day THEY die. Sad, but true.

The reason for the story was an attempt to add a touch of perspective to why people don't always flee the storm. Nothing more. It was just the easiest way to do it

Ah. I'm probably just being blind, but I didn't see it in the post. I assumed that, of course, but I wasn't sure.