16 - TCnbc Magazine
Hurricanes are no stranger to Floridians and anyone who has lived here for more than one hurricane season, knows well, how to prepare. From keeping an eye on StormWatch to stocking up on food, water, gas and cash, Florida residents are the experts at disaster!
We watched and waited in readiness, as the reports cited Hurricane Isaac - then a tropical storm - as approaching from the Caribbean. Key West was on the alert, as it always is, but at the last minute, Isaac veered in, towards the Gulf of Mexico, giving the East Coast some breathing room and forcing the Panhandle, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana to brace themselves.
The Treasure Coast heaved a sigh of relief and schools announced that it would be 'business as usual' on Monday. The rain was expected, even though Isaac, now a hurricane pelted towards the Gulf, 300 miles away. What wasn't expected was the deluge that the outer bands of the hurricane would bring and the surprise of a tornado that touched down at Vero Beach!
Even though drainage canals had been improved to hold the additional water of bad weather, canals backed up and flooded public roads. There was no distinction between driveways and swails or roads and sidewalks. It was just a network of waterways, joining five cities.
Parents worried as the time to collect children approached. There was no way to get close to the pick up points and some children were kept under 'lock-down' for their own safety. Some schools allowed buses to transport children, dropping them in knee deep water, amid a raging storm. Parents were justifyably furious!