A storm is a storm despite the numbers
I was golfing last year in South Florida with some great friends, one whose hometown was Miami, and I asked her what it was like growing up with hurricanes. She said when she was a kid, these storms had no numbers attached to them. In other words, no categories based on wind speed. A bad storm was just that, a bad storm.
Well, now that I have lived through Tropical Storm Fay, after witnessing Cat 1 through 5 hurricanes in the last 15 years or so, I truly know what she meant.
Three years ago my house in Key West was flooded by Hurricane Wilma (which was maybe a Cat 2 or Cat 1, depends on who you talk to) when it caused a storm surge that infamously wreaked havoc in many neighborhoods on the island. I will never forget the street filled with dead refrigerators and other household appliances, rugs, couches, essentially full interiors of people's houses. Truly a site to behold.
The buildup to Wilma had the mystique of hurricane status and upon its approach people were scared, even with all the hurricane fatigue going on after the likes of Charlie, Ivan, Jeanne, Frances and a whole bunch more -- but all hurricanes, not tropical storms. So much mightier and seemingly intimidating. Until Fay.
... Fay blew in and out of the Keys dumping rain and becoming what one Key West commissioner would call "the dress rehearsal to the big one." But no one would ever expect it to get stronger, stretch across the entire state, and then dump an unprecedented amount of water in Central Florida, leaving behind neighborhoods worse off than what the victims of Wilma endured. ...
And -- drumroll, please--it [was] a tropical storm, and never did become a hurricane. So, the moral of the story is: A bad storm is a bad storm, and each storm has a life and personality of its own, as individual as the time and place it hits and probably a million other factors that only your meteorologist knows. But the thing is, it's not in the number, the category, or the type of storm that makes it dangerous and life-threatening. Another reason labels and type-casting can be limiting and misleading.
In the words of Jimmy Buffett, we will always be "trying to reason with hurricane seasons." But I think a Gertrude Stein twist on the subject may be truer; "A storm is a storm is a storm." ...
Prayers to all who got drenched. I am not looking forward to the next one. Currently hanging out with my folks in Central Florida, where they used to worry about me living in Key West!
Lenore Troia
DeLand
State attorney failed to prosecute case
In late 2006, I was assaulted and the assailant was arrested. Over the next several months, I received numerous letters advising me of an ever-changing court date and stating: "You are not required to attend unless you are subpoenaed." Eventually, I received letter from [State Attorney Mark] Kohl's office stating that the charges had been dropped because his office was " unable to locate witness/victim." The big question: Why wasn't I subpoenaed like the previous letters had stated?
I called Mr. Kohl's office to ask why wasn't I subpoenaed, why wasn't I called on the phone or why wasn't I sent another letter to tell me that the date had been changed once again? Of course, I never got to speak with Mr. Kohl. The defendant, incidentally, is a chronic violent offender.
I sent two letters of complaint to Mr. Kohl, asking him for an explanation and what he and his office was planning to do about this situation. No reply from Mr. Kohl.
I sent two letters to Gov. [Charlie] Crist asking for help, but the person answering my letter doesn't understand that State Attorney Kohl let a violent offender go free, failed to subpoena the victim and refuses to answer to one of his constituents. ...
... From my point of view, [Mr. Kohl] needs to be removed from office as soon as possible and possibly have the bar association review his license to practice law.
Robert Rhynearson
Key Largo