Friends in the North Beach and Chesapeake Beach lost everything. Their homes were under water, or some had even slid down muddy slopes. Other homes were battered and damaged. Restaurants and the entire board walk was under water.
Now I know this was nowhere near the damage that was caused by Hurricane Katrina. Friends of mine from church went and volunteered to help clean up when that occurred. However, Isabel was right at home. I was very lucky and did not lose anything from this storm, but I did have friends who did.
My friend Grace was living with her mom at the time that the storm hit. They lived closer to the water, in a small beach house. Her home was destroyed by this storm. On the anniversary a few years ago she posted photos of her home. The windows had been destroyed and there was water that flowed through her entire house, almost touching the chandelier in their dining room. Grace and her mom had made it from their home safely, but they were not able to take anything with them. They lost photos, furniture, and memories.
We were 10 years old when this happened. I know that this natural disaster caused stress on Grace as well as her mother. They lost their home, but Grace's mom worked to make sure she still made it to school. They had to rebuild their lives from the bottom. Our community really came together in order to provide for our neighbors. There were fundraisers and clothing drives.
When things like this happen I can see that it has an effect on the child and their development.
1. My friend was tired. Exhausted. She was trying to rebuild her life with her mother while still being a ten year old.
2. She had lost memories.
3. Her mother was stressed and this was also put on Grace.
4. They had to find a new home in order to begin again.
Natural disasters tend to make a very large impact on children. They can be uprooted from their homes. They can lose loved ones and guardians. I could not even begin to fathom what had gone through her head throughout this entire time.
A view of our town under water. 
Hi Heather,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you sharing this experience. It had me choked up to the point I had to step away for a moment.Here in Southeast Texas , Beaumont to be specific we recently went through tropical storm Imelda just over a week ago and it caused a tremendous amount of damage both physically and emotionally here. Children are just returning to school this past Thursday. We went through a Hurricane exactly 2 years ago last month and I feel that as a community I am so proud of how we have been able to pull each other out of the dark a bit. Most important I am proud of how educators and administrators took the time to personal call all students and all parents to see what we were in need of. It made a difference because it was personal and not just a rotatory call to check in. My daughter was shocked as well because she thought she was in trouble for not having her backpack and supplies for school when they returned but it was her Spanish teacher seeing what he could do for us. When she found out what he was calling for she said that she could not wait to get back to school to thank him. That touch us both because she has a huge freshman class of 700 plus so I can only image the time it took him to make the calls to check the status of his students and their families. It is a horrible feeling the mental breakdown that comes with such a natural disaster.
Oh my goodness. Thank you for sharing this with me. Your daughter's Spanish teacher sounds absolutely amazing. It is hard to believe that we forget how much these types of natural disasters can add to stress on our children and students, but writing this post was definitely a reminder for me.
DeleteHeather, I remember this hurricane as well since I live in Annapolis. Flooding was terrible. My grandparents lived on the water and we stayed at their house to help them and make sure everything was secured. I am sorry about your friend. I cant imagine losing everything. Natural disasters are horrible. I feel so bad for everyone who experiences them more frequently than us.
ReplyDeleteHi Heather I really hate that your friend had to experience that in her life. Disasters are stressful events that can cause substantial harm to communities and families. After a disaster, children may develop symptoms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Mental health plays an important role in physical health, school performance, behavior, and long-term quality of life. Therefore, it is important to keep children physically and mentally safe during and after a disaster. Wishing her blessing to her and her family.
ReplyDeleteHello Heather, thank you for sharing your experiences with us! I hate that your friend and her family had to go through that. I've watched a movie called "hurricane season" that was based on hurricane katrina and from the scenes in the movie that I saw, it was horrible. So whether or not it was small or big, its all a bad situation to go through. I know it was a big change for her as a child but I also know it made her stronger as a person. I hope all is well with her now and she was blessed to have a friend like you.
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