Writer's advice: Hope for the best, get ready for worst
By: Kendra Maness
Issue date: 9/15/08 Section: Opinion
In this past week, viewers of news programs were bombarded with information about hurricane Ike looming in the Gulf, creeping closer and closer to the Texas coast. Residents not only in Houston and Galveston but also in Nacogdoches became frantic about evacuation and stocking up on supplies to prepare for the worst. But some may wonder if we were being over prepared or over panicked.
As I walked through WalMart on Friday afternoon I noticed shopping carts filled with bottled water, pre-prepared food, batteries and candles. I, too, made sure I had a few things to prepare me if the electricity went out, and I made sure I had enough to keep me fed and watered for a few days just in case. But it seemed as though people were preparing for the Apocalypse.
We all saw the disaster that New Orleans went through during Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. At that time the United States was not prepared for a hurricane of that size or for that magnitude of disaster. With those memories looming over us, it is no wonder that people want to make sure they have what they need to get through whatever Mother Nature throws our way.
CNN reported last Thursday night that officials in Galveston stated that anyone who stayed in the Galveston low-lying areas would face "certain death." It seemed like strong words for a storm that had been unpredictable from the beginning. But in my opinion, these words were not meant to predict the future but to frighten residents enough to get themto leave for their safety.
A similar comment was made during Hurricane Katrina to convince residents to get out of New Orleans. Those who did not leave did, in fact, face disastrous consequences. And those who made the comment faced criticism for being too harsh before the hurricane even made landfall.
Nacogdoches was not immune to these warnings. Even though students were not faced with the full force of Hurricane Ike, our campus still made preparations for what would lie ahead and for those who chose to evacuate to the shelters provided by the University.
As I walked through WalMart on Friday afternoon I noticed shopping carts filled with bottled water, pre-prepared food, batteries and candles. I, too, made sure I had a few things to prepare me if the electricity went out, and I made sure I had enough to keep me fed and watered for a few days just in case. But it seemed as though people were preparing for the Apocalypse.
We all saw the disaster that New Orleans went through during Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. At that time the United States was not prepared for a hurricane of that size or for that magnitude of disaster. With those memories looming over us, it is no wonder that people want to make sure they have what they need to get through whatever Mother Nature throws our way.
CNN reported last Thursday night that officials in Galveston stated that anyone who stayed in the Galveston low-lying areas would face "certain death." It seemed like strong words for a storm that had been unpredictable from the beginning. But in my opinion, these words were not meant to predict the future but to frighten residents enough to get themto leave for their safety.
A similar comment was made during Hurricane Katrina to convince residents to get out of New Orleans. Those who did not leave did, in fact, face disastrous consequences. And those who made the comment faced criticism for being too harsh before the hurricane even made landfall.
Nacogdoches was not immune to these warnings. Even though students were not faced with the full force of Hurricane Ike, our campus still made preparations for what would lie ahead and for those who chose to evacuate to the shelters provided by the University.
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