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Whatever happened to the giggly happiness that usually accompanied

hurricanes?

Isabel is upon us. It is now battering the mid-Atlantic Northeast coast

of the United States. Its 119 mph winds were preceded by anguish and even

anger. Homeowners worried about floods and blinds. Insurance papers were

scrutinized and updated. Canned foods filled up garages and basements.

Hurricanes are at best unwelcome annoyances.

I remember being a child in the Caribbean, in the preferred territory of

all tropical depressions. I remember how happy we children were at times

of hurricanes. There would always be one to come during the months of May

to November. The biggest the catastrophe was to be, the more excited we

were. And, when the announced party would not show up, as it would most

of the time, we would feel a terrible letdown.

Hurricanes used to be fun. Schools would close. Yeah! Some neighbors

would come to my house, because, I was told, it was bigger and more solid.

We would have plenty of water accumulated in jars (canaris and cruches)

and in aluminum bathtubs. And, we would divorce from the usual rice and

beans. We would eat l?arbre-a-pains, and corns (mais bouilli).

Parental vigilance was much more relaxed. We could play hide-and-seek

with the little girl next door, without much disturbance. It was like a

party at which everyone was talking too much.

The monster would come. We would clutter at the windows looking, enjoying

the wind blowing, carrying in its fury parts of roofs made of

feuille-toles. We would watch, with awe, large majestic trees falling off

their roots. We would see rivers in the front yard, and we would be

delighted. Electric lines would be ripped from their posts and would fly

in the wind.

And then, after hours of such adrenaline-loaded spectacle, nature will

come back to quietude. We would walk to the front porch/family room

(galerie) with caution, assessing the new lunar horizons. We used to like

it.

Night would come; we would have to wear a sweater (or a variation

thereof), for reasons never elicited. We would enjoy the picnic

atmosphere of having to use gasoline lamps, instead of switching on a

light bulb. We would gather around the lamps and would listen the radio.

Schools would remain close for days. In the neighborhood, people would be

rebuilding.

I never heard of casualties. There would be no homework. That was

vacation time, all over again. What ever happened to happy hurricanes?

Happy hurricane!

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http://www.jeanlouie.com/

(OdlerRobert Jeanlouie, Thursday, September 18, 2003)