Tim says: I found this story in my “unpublished” archives. I have no idea if I ever got around to publishing it.
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Sometimes folks amaze me. In the aftermath of Hurricane Isabel (September 18, 2003) — and due to the fact that Rich, Walt, and I lived in the hurricane’s path — Recipe du Jour received literally hundreds of emails wishing us well. And then, for no apparent reason, we received an odoriferous email like this one:
“I always find it difficult to feel sorry for victims of hurricanes. People who move into these areas get to enjoy the best of locations . . . summer home resort quality living . . . year around. They know full well they are moving into a hurricane prone area. Unlike a tornado victim, they get plenty of warning and not a surprise attack at 2am in the morning. Knowing this, I feel they should prepare for living in such an area by carrying proper insurance instead of relying on donations as heavily as they do. I’m relieved you all are okay but I just can’t drum up the sympathy.
An Ohio resident“
Usually I just let these types of emails roll off my back. They don’t even deserve a response. But this particular one kept haunting me. Why would anyone write a note like this? What purpose could it possibly serve? Should I reply? What should I say?
I attempted to write a response several times, but I realized nothing nice would come of it.
Hurricane Isabel cut a path along the eastern United States hundreds of miles long, reaching more than 400 miles inland. Look at a map. Find Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which is about 50 miles from the Ohio state line. Spring Mills, the tiny town where Walt lives, is nearby. Certainly a summer home resort area if I ever saw one. Same with Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina (near where I live), to which tourists flock year around. (Humor!)
Strikes me as strange that an Ohio resident living in the infamous “Tornado Alley” could write such an ignorant and insensitive email. Even though “people who move into these areas . . . should prepare for living in such an area by carrying proper insurance instead of relying on donations as heavily as they do”, I certainly remain sympathetic when tornadoes touch down, devastating entire communities and causing millions of dollars in property damage.
Hereto forthwith nameless Ohio resident, you need to get out more, take more time sniffing the roses. Maybe even join the human race.
That, and buy a lot more insurance.
No amount of insurance can replace lives lost, memorabilia lost, pictures and mementos of celebrations with family and friends destroyed. What a jerk!!!
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Tim,
All I can say is “WOW”. I currently live in tornado alley. I’ve lived in hurricane alley, high earthquake zones and areas that get blizzards. I’ve had experience in every type of ‘evil’ weather; hurricanes, typhoons, blizzards, earthquakes (does that count as weather?), thunderstorms and tornadoes.
In every situation, all I ever saw was people helping people. In my experience, I didn’t “choose” to live in any of these conditions. We knew there was to possibility of bad to go with the good. Honestly, there is no place on this good earth of ours that is totally safe from the harm that Mother Nature can cause.
With bitter folk, you perhaps have done the best that can be done. Keep chugging along and ignore those that take such a disheartening view.
NLW
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That was in 2003. Wonder what that guy’s life is like now, or even if he’s alive…
Wanda H, that sounds like it was so much fun!
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Mary, it actually WAS fun. Mom (92 now) and I are always up for an adventure…. as long as those adventures don’t include ERs or funeral homes. We keep a campstove at the ready, in case of power outages; Mom has knitted or crocheted about 10 billions blankets and afghans over the years. So, even if we do lose power (which means no heat or water), we are very comfy in our place. No one knows what the future may hold, so be prepared: but enjoy the ride!
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Hi Wanda!
LOL.. when our power is out, we lose heat and water too, but we always have 5 gallon jugs here, so no biggie. Our house is very well insulated (below grade), so we’ve often had friends over when there was a power outage, whether it be summer or winter. In the winter, the more bodies there are here, the warmer it gets! In summer, the garage is on the north side, and is always cool. We have a party, with everyone that comes! Everyone brings what they have in terms of bottled water, and whatever else, and we barbeque, etc. so nothing goes to waste, and we all eat well. Take that, Super Bowl! LOL! Our generator provides some light, so we’re good.
I live in Michigan. We don’t get hurricanes or earthquakes (not major ones, anyway), but we do get tornadoes and ice and snow storms (so far this year, we’ve had NOTHING! It’s 50 degrees today!).
It’s also common in Michigan for well water to be tainted with arsenic (from the sandstone base deep down), hence the 5 gallon bottles we always have on hand! I suppose Ohio would criticize me for choosing to live here, and not wanting to move.
No matter where a person chooses to live, there are pluses and minuses, and it’s unfortunate when the minuses turn major. We’ve been fortunate so far, only one tornado hit our property in all the years we’ve lived here. Took out 3 beautiful old trees and a trailer, but left the house 30 feet away intact. So far, it hasn’t come back to try again. 🙂
I have many friends who have gone down south and helped rebuild in cases of hurricanes. I haven’t been able to do so yet, but hope to some day (ooh.. that didn’t sound good.. I’m NOT hoping for more disasters, just would want to help!). I feel sorry for the Ohio person who has no compassion or fellow feeling.
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I wonder what sort of a rant this character is on in these troubled times. Thank goodness there are still compassionate folks like Wanda H. above.
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Oh, Tim. I am so ashamed: I too live in Ohio. I feel just awful that anyone would post such an ignorant comment, let alone an Ohioan. I assure you the sentiment is not expressed state-wide. As you say, best to please ignore it.
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Lordy, people never cease to amaze me. I guess he/she got some pleasure out of writing that. People live where they want to. I live in tornado alley, moved here by choice. Daughter moved to FL, by choice. ramblinjodie
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Perhaps this mean-spirited person from Ohio had suffered an uninsured loss at the hands of a tornado. And, perhaps no one would offer him a helping hand.
Remember “The Golden Rule” written by the ancients? We find, here in Virginia, that when bad weather strikes, be it hurricane, tornado, or Earthquake, we should just plain help each other. If I have power and my neighbors don’t, they are welcome to come here for that shower, or a hot meal. If they have power and we don’t, we are welcome to camp out at their place.
During Isabelle in ’03, we got power restored about a week before anyone else. The roofers who were working on removing a huge Hickory Tree from our roof (and attic) had no power or heat or water at their own homes. I put on a gigantic pot of homemade beef stew. Not only did THEY come in to eat, but they were flagging the linemen, the dump truck drivers, anyone who was out risking themselves as part of their jobs. Total strangers were walking thru our kitchen door, saying “I heard you have hot food!” We fed them all. Several offered to do the dishes. We chased them away from that duty.
We kept that stew pot full for several days. Steady stream of folks came to eat. Seems like the decent thing to do, doesn’t it?
For someone to offer a blanket condemnation over all folks who live in a “bad weather district”, is heartless, mean, cruel and most of all… just plain stupid.
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I lived through Hurricane Frederick, while living in Mobile, Alabama many years ago. Frederick slammed into Mobile like a fast ball into a catcher’s mitt. Dead on. Ships — I mean BIG ships — were laid on their sides. The entire city was without power for more that 2 weeks. What an amazing camaraderie we all developed. What a sense of community. It was a thing to behold.
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Truly, beyond unkind….Most people are compassionate and “March to the beat of a different drum”
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