Hurricane Helene came blasting through Florida, ending in North Carolina (arguably the state with the most damage), reminding us all that “‘tis the season” when Mother Nature reminds us that free will is not a constitutional right and hurricanes do happen.
As of this writing, Florida suffered 11 deaths (two were firemen), Georgia is reporting 25 deaths, and North Carolina is at 35 … among the reported 120 deaths over six states. But, the full ramifications of this storm have not been tallied in dollars or in deaths. I’m willing to bet, most of these deaths were the elderly – 65 and older. I know this because of prior storms:
• In August of 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall northeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, and traveled north to Houston as a slow-moving Category 4 hurricane with 130-145 mph wind speeds. The photos of elders helplessly caught in facilities and nursing homes were all over the internet. The worst was eight women waiting at La Vita Bella Assisted Living Facility (ALF) to be rescued as the floodwaters rose to their waists or higher. They survived, thanks to their resiliency…