Those Trying To Rebuild In Wake Of Hurricane Michael Fear Nation’s Short Attention Span Will Leave Them Forgotten
“You can only see so many pictures on TV of broken homes and trees,” said one volunteer Norma Ward. “Then you start thinking, ‘O.K., everything’s all good again.’” Meanwhile, the storm's mental toll mounts and medical services in the area are still on life support.
The New York Times:
Hurricane Michael Victims’ Biggest Fear: ‘People Are Going To Start Forgetting’
After two weeks of working grueling hours on hurricane response and sleeping fitfully under a tatty Auburn University fleece in his office, Rodney E. Andreasen, the emergency management director for Jackson County, Fla., decided on Friday that it was time to nudge his neighbors back to normalcy. He started by scaling back on round-the-clock staffing. Then he turned to the county’s eight multiagency “points of distribution” — known as PODs — which have been handing out free drinking water, ice, canned goods, hot meals, diapers, garbage bags, and the most coveted item of all, toilet paper. (Thrush and Blinder, 10/21)
The Associated Press:
'I Don't Feel Real': Mental Stress Mounting After Michael
Amy Cross has a hard time explaining the stress of living in a city that was splintered by Hurricane Michael. She's fearful after hearing gunshots at night, and she's confused because she no longer recognizes the place where she's spent her entire 45 years. "I just know I don't feel real, and home doesn't feel like home at all," Cross said. (Reeves, 10/21)
The Associated Press:
Florida Panhandle Medical Care On Life Support After Michael
Already sick with strep throat and asthma, Aleeah Racette got sicker when she cleaned out a soggy, moldy home after Hurricane Michael, so she sought help at the hospital where she began life. She was stunned by what she saw there. The exterior wall of Bay Medical Sacred Heart in Panama City is missing from part of the building, and huge vent tubes attached to fans blow air into upper floors through holes where windows used to be. (Farrington and Reeves, 10/19)
