Hurricanes in Puerto Rico, fires in California, ice storms in New England. In each place, she says, emotions of survivors follow a predictable pattern, which defines the mood of the shelters. At first, she says, evacuees share a sense of relief and thankfulness just for being alive, which produces camaraderie. Neighbor helping neighbor. Then reality sets in.
People begin to realize what they have lost and start to grieve.
The shelters are somewhat more subdued, people less friendly and more introverted. Finally, they get angry, frustrated at God, the government and assistance agencies for allowing the disaster to happen or not responding fast enough. If they are still living in crowded shelters by then, they become irritable, short-tempered. Howell, like many in Eastern North Carolina, is teetering somewhere between gratefulness and reality. Dozens of people have died in the flooding, but her family is safe.