A little over seven years after arriving in this country, I had to prepare to experience my first hurricane season and cover it as a journalist.
- A little over seven years after arriving in this country, I had to prepare to experience my first hurricane season and cover it as a journalist.
- In less than two weeks, the same communities have endured that unease, and before even finishing clearing the debris left by Helene.
- Experts argue the necessity of these kinds of events to renew the environment and slow global warming—a topic few pay the attention it needs for the survival of future generations.
At the time, I didn’t grasp the magnitude of the moving call these natural events carried or the unpredictable effects they had on the places they passed through. That only heightened the sense of unease and uncertainty. Then Irma arrived on September 10, 2017, striking Florida and the southeastern states.
As I write this article, the feeling of uncertainty has returned with the approach of Milton and all the devastating forecasts spread by the media and experts. During that first experience, I was asked from my home country to write a chronicle about the hurricane—not from the perspective of disaster, but with a positive focus. I didn’t understand how there could be anything positive in such a disastrous and frightening situation, but today I do.
In less than two weeks, the same communities have endured that unease, and before even finishing clearing the debris left by Helene.
With victims still missing, a new call from nature has activated mobilization, prevention, evacuation, and relief systems—not just from authorities, but from community organizations—to face these natural situations, which, though unstoppable and uncontrollable, can be prepared for and mitigated in their consequences. Most importantly, lives can be protected. The great advantage in this country for dealing with such catastrophic situations is that the lesson of prevention has been well learned.
I revisit part of the text from back then, explaining that nature’s roar, though intimidating, is a manifestation of its grandeur and power, testing the vulnerability of the human species. Natural phenomena are evidence that perhaps the only power humans have yet to control is that of nature.
Experts argue the necessity of these kinds of events to renew the environment and slow global warming—a topic few pay the attention it needs for the survival of future generations.
In this sense, and though it may seem contradictory, these phenomena must be accepted not only as signs of destruction but also as beneficial events for climate regulation and temperature stabilization in the tropics. It’s moving to see the desperate plea of a local leader urging citizens to evacuate their homes to save their lives, or the tears of a specialist breaking down on live television while forecasting the hurricane’s potential devastation, recalling past experiences with storms.
The tragedy, pain, and desolation caused by situations beyond human control can bring out the best in human nature—to survive, show solidarity, unite, and start over. Nature’s manifestations are not acts of anger but of strength, resisting the harshness of humanity that sometimes tries to control it. Without knowing what will happen, after uncertainty, serenity always returns, and the breeze resumes its persistent, calm whisper, once again flirting with the waves and palm trees.
oma66co@gmail.com
By: Omaira Martínez Cardona
Colombian journalist
