In this past week, viewers of news programs were bombarded with information about hurricane Ike looming in the Gulf, creeping closer and closer to the Texas coast. Residents not only in Houston and Galveston but also in Nacogdoches became frantic about evacuation and stocking up on supplies to prepare for the worst. But some may wonder if we were being over prepared or over panicked.
As I walked through WalMart on Friday afternoon I noticed shopping carts filled with bottled water, pre-prepared food, batteries and candles. I, too, made sure I had a few things to prepare me if the electricity went out, and I made sure I had enough to keep me fed and watered for a few days just in case. But it seemed as though people were preparing for the Apocalypse.
We all saw the disaster that New Orleans went through during Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. At that time the United States was not prepared for a hurricane of that size or for that magnitude of disaster. With those memories looming over us, it is no wonder that people want to make sure they have what they need to get through whatever Mother Nature throws our way.
CNN reported last Thursday night that officials in Galveston stated that anyone who stayed in the Galveston low-lying areas would face "certain death." It seemed like strong words for a storm that had been unpredictable from the beginning. But in my opinion, these words were not meant to predict the future but to frighten residents enough to get themto leave for their safety.
A similar comment was made during Hurricane Katrina to convince residents to get out of New Orleans. Those who did not leave did, in fact, face disastrous consequences. And those who made the comment faced criticism for being too harsh before the hurricane even made landfall.
Nacogdoches was not immune to these warnings. Even though students were not faced with the full force of Hurricane Ike, our campus still made preparations for what would lie ahead and for those who chose to evacuate to the shelters provided by the University.
The residence halls asked students to register at the front desk if they were staying in the dorms over the weekend, and they were given special information from their hall staff about what to do in the event of power outages and other emergencies. The campus alert system was also in full force, giving students up-to-date information as it became available.
I believe the old saying, "It is better to prepare for the worst and hope for the best" rings true in this situation. As the hurricane made anticipated landfall on Saturday morning, I couldn't help but wonder how many lives would be spared by these harsh warnings.
Perhaps if these same precautions had been taken when Katrina came through, hundreds of lives could have been spared. Criticisms were made about the government not acting fast enough after Katrina hit. But now that we have been through that situation, we are seeing action not just after a disaster happens but faster action before it happens.
It may seem ridiculous to get a lifetime supply of water or four months worth of food before a major storm hits, or for news stations to broadcast hours and hours of hurricane coverage, or even for SFA to deliver hurricane preparedness information every few hours. But I believe it is just our way of preparing ourselves for the unpredictable and for ensuring safety for ourselves, our families and friends.
Kendra Maness is a journalism senior from Houston
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