hurricane matthew
Finding Hope Amidst Shattered Records, Homes and Lives
Stephen Scarborough
On September 28th, 2016 Hurricane Matthew formed near
the Windward Islands. It finally dissipated on October 9th
almost two weeks later. In that span of time, over 1000
people died, mostly in Haiti, but also in the Bahamas, the
Caribbean and in limited numbers in the Carolinas, Georgia
and in Florida.
Here in Winter Garden we had prepared for the worst. Parts
of the state of Florida were evacuated, runs were made at
stores for bread, water and other essentials, and the general
atmosphere was one of fear and worry – even gas stations
were emptied of fuel. For the most part, aside from some
power outages and a bit of cabin fever, Winter Garden got off
far easier that other places.
WLOS/St Augustine
Closest to home, St. Augustine felt the impact of a 7-foot
storm surge. The area was flooded, with debris and raw
sewage flowing through the streets and homes and businesses
severely damaged. Clean-up and recovery efforts are still
ongoing.
North Carolina has suffered record flood levels, and as of
press time there were still towns there that were suffering
from the water inundating everything. Haiti has suffered the
most, from the loss of life to entire cities being ruined both
from the high winds to the w