From: aberson@enh.nist.gov
Newsgroups: soc.motss
Subject: September
Date: 31 Aug 92 20:53:17 GMT
Organization: NIST

I've seen book reviews here, but never newspaper reviews, so this may be
a first.  If any of you can pick up yesterday's (Sunday's) Miami Herald,
it could make for some very interesting reading.  It's about 300 pages
of hurricane related news and advertising.  While this sounds boring, it
really isn't.  It's quite interesting to see how all the businesses,
from small to the largest multinational companies are taking care of their
own before resuming normal business.  It's also interesting to see how
this event has effected everyone so many different ways.  Even the sports
section is interesting (to me) now.

Most of the columnists and editors of the newspaper have lost at least
part of their home, their lives changed.  There are hundreds of different
stories of survival in the disaster.  There is a full page of people
trying to contact other people (missing people) and how to return to a 
more "normal" life.  How the disaster affects arts, families, psychology,
the elderly, history, things I never would have thought about if this
had not happened.  There are many columnists who simply tell their story
of the past week.  The paper is both frightening and compelling. 

Telling people's stories seems to be important in 
getting everyone through this.  Strangers meet and talk, neighbors meet
for the first time, just to exchange tales.  I suppose I am doing that
right here, but hope not to bore you all much past today.

It's day 7 now.  Things are getting back to normal for me.  Work will not
start because the computers cannot survive without air conditioning.
Power returned to my house last night, as did running water.  TV and radio
are still 24 hours on Andrew coverage, but that should change slowly
back to normal. Now to begin the few repairs.

Before all this, I had seen many hurricane (and other) disasters on TV
news.  Sure, some homes were destroyed, power was off, but people
survived, and were able to go on with their lives.  I had completely
taken for granted all the modern conveniences I was so accustomed to.

All of a sudden everything was gone.  There are no fans or air conditioning
to keep one cool.  Opening windows and going outside leave one susceptible
to mosquitos and the stench of everything rotting in the streets.  Frogs
are everywhere.  A few hundred monkeys and babboons from the University
of Miami Medical School escaped and are roaming around the disaster
area searching for food.  Since there are no trees and no sunscreen, people
are being rushed to the hospital with second degree burns and heatstroke.
There is little drinking water, little food available.  Many people had
gone days without either.  Many roads are still impassable so rescue does not 
come easily.  There is no refrigeration, and no ice (friends drove fifty
miles a few days ago for a few bags, and to get gas).  Everything is dry,
so cooking and lighting can cause fires, and already a couple of people
have died in fires.  There is no water for toilets creating a health hazard,
and no garbage pickup, so everything rots in the street.  No mail.
It rained the last two days, heavily, which created more standing water, more 
health problems, and destroyed belongings which weren't already destroyed.  
No phones. Friends and relatives cannot contact each other to let everyone know
one is okay.  There is no radio, no tv.

Hurricane preparedness is important to me, but I could never have realized
what life would be like without any electricity, phone service, sanitation
services, food and water.  These are things we all depend on to survive,
things we take for granted.  Conditions are improving rapidly, but ice
and electricity are still in very short supply.

I thought living without all these conveniences would be like an extended 
barbecue.  Motss content:  For beginners, I still haven't been able to 
contact some gay friends to make sure they are okay.

       Sim Aberson   Ft. Lauderdale, FL   aberson%3328.span@sdsc.edu
"It's always Beach Party Barbie, or Malibu Barbie....  That shit does not
prepare you for the true horror of a real woman's life.  Where is Single,
Abused, Trailer-Park Barbie?"             - Roseanne Arnold
Newsgroups: soc.motss