PC-Singing the Blue Tarp Blues

Disaster Survival: What’s Needed and What’s Lacking

Blue Tarp and Blue Skies in Panama City, FL Photo Diane Nilan

Being hit by 150+ mph winds and pelting rain will knock you down — person or community. Hurricane Michael demonstrated his power back in October 2018 in a swath of Florida’s beleaguered Panhandle and into south Georgia’s poverty-stricken pecan land.

Panama City and surrounding areas hit by Hurricane Michael. Apple Map

I’ve just ventured through this windswept area and as I look in my rearview mirrors I’ve got a few thoughts….

Hurricanes are common disasters, but not the only ones. Some of what I’m offering might apply to other disaster-stricken areas. Nothing I can say will convey either the sense of futility or hope in people I met. This is just a well-intentioned me, having spent a week in Panama City (aka PC), shining a light on what seems to be a forgotten crisis.

Walls and roof ripped off as they huddled, the story of a family I interviewed and many others whose stories are untold. Photo Diane Nilan

#1 Debilitating Factor: Stress

Some spoke of the impact of stress but recently, on the eve of a storm that was predicted to pack powerful wind and copious…