Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy, why did YOU stay?

elvistheking44

I'm often curious as to why people stay when a natural storm/disaster has been predicted and made aware days ahead of time. I mean NO disrespect and I realize that many people lost their homes and even human loss. But I was watching 20/20 and they were interviewing residents of Breezy Point hours before the storm and the people were almost arrogant about leaving the tiny island. It's not like the government was seizing your property or kicking you out. A massive storm was predicted to hit you, you knew about it for days and some responses were like" This is my home, you cant make me leave, we have been here for 30 years we aren't leaving now" No one was forcing them to leave for good so they could steal their property. You weren't being forced out by a massive property tax hike, it was for their own safety.

So you stuck it out, will you stay around the next time a storm is predicted to hit?

Again, NO disrespect to any of you who have suffered. I just don't get it......

81

i'm not there, and we don't get much in the way of massive destructive storms here that would make you have to leave...so with that said...

i could see myself staying someplace just to say i was in it. now that assumes, i'm not someplace that would be easily flood or destroyed.

iluvcats

just like we knew Katrina was coming and people refused to evacuate :(

81

iluvcats wrote:

just like we knew Katrina was coming and people refused to evacuate :(

i would say, those people aren't the brighest down there....build your city on the ocean below sea level ....brilliant.

Mamasan23

iluvcats wrote:

just like we knew Katrina was coming and people refused to evacuate :(

Well in fairness. Yes there were some people that could have evacuated and didn't. But a lot of people COULDN'T evacuate. That is a very poor area. Many of those people didn't have cars or the money to buy gas for their cars. Many of those people were elderly or disabled and couldn't leave. Many just had nowhere to go...and no money for hotels.

81

Mamasan23 wrote:

iluvcats wrote:

just like we knew Katrina was coming and people refused to evacuate :(

Well in fairness. Yes there were some people that could have evacuated and didn't. But a lot of people COULDN'T evacuate. That is a very poor area. Many of those people didn't have cars or the money to buy gas for their cars. Many of those people were elderly or disabled and couldn't leave. Many just had nowhere to go...and no money for hotels.

and dumb......don't forget dumb

iluvcats

mamasan made some really valid points. you're being mean 81.

Mamasan23

iluvcats wrote:

mamasan made some really valid points. you're being mean 81.

Meh that's his MO. Empathy is not one of his strong suits :wave:

Of course you're right though and many of those people could have left and didn't. Maybe they didn't think it would be so bad and that they could ride it out?

Interesting sidenote - I was in NOLA earlier this year and a local showed us where they are building the new levees. They're only a few feet taller than the old ones and would not have held all the water in during Katrina. :fp:

rick1zoo2

I think, that unless you are in that situation, you really have no basis to criticize or comment on it. Easy enough to armchair quarterback it, but really you don't know.

comebackgirl

I think a lot of people thought the hype about the storm was overblown...I saw some posts on the Frankenstorm thread before the storm hit about it being overblown...a lot of people bought into that especially after being evacuated in the past. I work near the jersey shore and a lot of the area towns were evacuated during Irene and were left frustrated by doing so, because the hurricane didn't amount to much. This time I think a lot of people assumed the same. Some of my co-workers were in evacuation zones and did not evacuate this time. Fortunately most of them were left unscathed, aside from some power outages.

Mamasan did make some very good points as well.

elvistheking44

rick1zoo2 wrote:

I think, that unless you are in that situation, you really have no basis to criticize or comment on it. Easy enough to armchair quarterback it, but really you don't know.

Armchair quarterbacking I am not. I asked a serious question. Did this storm affect you in Eastern PA? Please help me understand. The comments being made about N.O. are just silly, stereotypically true, but silly.... I am meaning no disrespect. I was in Aruba during Hurricane Ivan, when they recommended we leave, we were on the first plain home......

polaris_x

yeah ... my gf knows someone who stayed ... house burnt down and sadly she lost her 2 cats because she chose to stay ... i don't get it myself ... there is the other part of putting first responders lives at risk because they have to rescue you after the fact too ...

rick1zoo2

ofthegirl99 wrote:

rick1zoo2 wrote:

I think, that unless you are in that situation, you really have no basis to criticize or comment on it. Easy enough to armchair quarterback it, but really you don't know.

Armchair quarterbacking I am not. I asked a serious question. Did this storm affect you in Eastern PA? Please help me understand. The comments being made about N.O. are just silly, stereotypically true, but silly.... I am meaning no disrespect. I was in Aruba during Hurricane Ivan, when they recommended we leave, we were on the first plain home......

My comment was not directed at you, but more to anyone that would simply say people were not smart and should have left. All I am saying is that unless you are put in that situation, it would be tough to say. I think others have made good points.

We were in the direct path of the storm but not in any evacuation areas. It was a very nervous time Monday watching the storm come ashore in NJ and thinking we were next. We were very lucky here in that we did not take a direct hit.

Zoso

comebackgirl wrote:

I think a lot of people thought the hype about the storm was overblown...I saw some posts on the Frankenstorm thread before the storm hit about it being overblown...a lot of people bought into that especially after being evacuated in the past. I work near the jersey shore and a lot of the area towns were evacuated during Irene and were left frustrated by doing so, because the hurricane didn't amount to much. This time I think a lot of people assumed the same. Some of my co-workers were in evacuation zones and did not evacuate this time. Fortunately most of them were left unscathed, aside from some power outages.

Mamasan did make some very good points as well.

next time when a storm like this is coming you can gurantee that more will leave early.

dimitrispearljam

there is not right or wrong here..people think they will be lucky or will not be dangerous alot or whatever...
alot cant move,others are old,alot cant realise what will happen...
plus there is this feeling to alot of people,that there is nowhere safer than home...

and always..for learn something..need to happen to you personally...its how humans are...

josevolution

Well last yr for Irene i hade no damage to my home at all so when we knew Sandy was coming i really didn't think it was going to be worse than last yr man i was dead wrong ...

81

iluvcats wrote:

mamasan made some really valid points. you're being mean 81.

i would not catagorize my statement as mean....just poorly delivered.

if you choose to live below in a city located on/near the ocean that is built below sea level, and you are warned for a week that a massive hurricane is coming, and you live in a 1 story wood framed house, and you choose to stay in said house for said hurricane, i believe your inteligence should be called into question.

81

Mamasan23 wrote:

iluvcats wrote:

mamasan made some really valid points. you're being mean 81.

Meh that's his MO. Empathy is not one of his strong suits :wave:

Of course you're right though and many of those people could have left and didn't. Maybe they didn't think it would be so bad and that they could ride it out?

Interesting sidenote - I was in NOLA earlier this year and a local showed us where they are building the new levees. They're only a few feet taller than the old ones and would not have held all the water in during Katrina. :fp:

i would not say that is my mo. :fp: but i would agree my empathy level is not as high as others. people choosing to stay for a huge hurricane in a soup bowl does not deserve it as they can control their destiney. a child born to a crack head of a mom....yes, i do feel for that child.

but anyways....


so building new levee's that wouldn't get the job done is a smart idea. in fairness, that was hopefully a once in a lifetime storm.

i still say leave your soup bowl of a city and build it on higher ground.

elvistheking44

Anyone else? Lots of posting in the Frankenstorm thread........no one wants to come over and chime in?

comebackgirl

I talked to so many people today who did leave, fortunately, and they and their families are safe...but now they have to wait a week or more to be able to go back and see what remains. Such anxiety and anguish for them :( Never an easy decision

Suziemay

ofthegirl99 wrote:

Anyone else? Lots of posting in the Frankenstorm thread........no one wants to come over and chime in?

I get where you are coming from, but this may be an insensitive question right now, given that the people you are expecting to respond probably faced some devastation.

eeriepadave

Why did i stay? It barely hit where i live. Yes it rained and it was very windy, but I'm not near any rivers, creeks, oceans. I didn't even lose power. I know tons of people near me lost power and had damage where they live. :(

loolooloo

81 wrote:

Mamasan23 wrote:

iluvcats wrote:

just like we knew Katrina was coming and people refused to evacuate :(

Well in fairness. Yes there were some people that could have evacuated and didn't. But a lot of people COULDN'T evacuate. That is a very poor area. Many of those people didn't have cars or the money to buy gas for their cars. Many of those people were elderly or disabled and couldn't leave. Many just had nowhere to go...and no money for hotels.

and dumb......don't forget dumb

It's an exhausting subject, but since I "Stayed" for Katrina, I feel the need to stir the pot...erm, soup bowl. I stayed because I am a nurse, and I helped care for patients that could not be discharged prior to the storm. I stayed, and we weathered the storm. Katrina caused damage, as a hurricane might, but it passed right on through leaving typical destruction. The flood waters from the hurricane receded the very next day, a 90+ degrees, sunny, cloudless day. The catastrophe happened when 2 main levees failed. Failed because of corruption and mismanagement of the government entities that oversaw levee management/upkeep etc.

There were many that stayed that had the means to get out, there is no denying that. And yes, you may even generalize them as "dumb." Not that that helps anything. But the thousands of elderly, poor, and sick people did not have the simple means to hop on a bus or ride in a personal vehicle.

As far as living in a city below sea level, let me just point a few things out. The entire city of New Orleans is not below sea level. Depending on your source, it's about 50/50. New York, Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Main, Maryland, New Hampshire...basically the entire coastal eastern United States is right at sea level. 0 feet elevation. Fast forward a few years. Guess who's going to be under sea level? The entire east coast. And don't get me started about California. It's lowest point is like 250 below sea level. My point is this: You could make the argument to not live in a dangerous area pretty much anwhere. Why rebuild after the Western wildfires? Why rebuild in Tornado Alley? Why rebuild in Blizzard country? Or near fault lines?

Let's take this further. Because we can. Let's forbid people who eat unhealthy food from getting health insurance, I mean diabetes is costing our country way more than a hurricane...while we are at it, people who have risky jobs should not get life insurance benefits because they are too stupid for wanting to work jobs that may cause them harm, you know, all those fire fighters, cops, construction workers, prison guards, taxi drivers, plant operators, nurses, drs, etc.

Things seem extremely simple in black and white. Life's not simple. People need to get out of their ignorant bubble and be a compassionate human being, because they, not debt, are dragging this country down.

To sum it all up, yay Pearl Jam!

elvistheking44

Bump........

comebackgirl

Today I heard about some looting happening in the nearby evacuated areas. It really sucks that people have to worry about the few possessions that may have survived the hurricane now being looted. Fortunately most people were allowed back to a good number of the nearby areas today.

JaneNY

ofthegirl99 wrote:

Anyone else? Lots of posting in the Frankenstorm thread........no one wants to come over and chime in?

Here's what I think - people have their reasons, but your feelings about whether people should stay are not are clear from your first post. Maybe people are feeling like they'll be called out, because if they did stay, they did something that you indicated you disagree with. I think everyone did and is doing the best they can.

elvistheking44

JaneNY wrote:

ofthegirl99 wrote:

Anyone else? Lots of posting in the Frankenstorm thread........no one wants to come over and chime in?

Here's what I think - people have their reasons, but your feelings about whether people should stay are not are clear from your first post. Maybe people are feeling like they'll be called out, because if they did stay, they did something that you indicated you disagree with. I think everyone did and is doing the best they can.

Fair enough.