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Spouse CallsJoin the conversation with Stripes columnist Terri Barnes, as she explores issues relevant to the lives of military spouses. |
The storms of life
Posted January 13th, 2008 by Terri Barnes in
Do military families experience more than their share of natural disasters? I don't know, but I have seen the military community cross paths a few times with flood, fire and storms:
- Guam is home to several military installations and is popular with typhoons in the South Pacific. It was hit in 1997 by Paka, a super typhoon with some of the highest wind speeds ever recorded. In this week's Spouse Calls, Cheryl Stark tells how her family weathered that storm. (Click here to read.)
- Hurricane Katrina in 2005 affected many military families stationed along the Gulf Coast.
- Major flooding and fires in North Dakota affected military families near Grand Forks AFB in 1997.
- Hurricane Andrew destroyed Homestead AFB, Florida, in 1992. The base was closed.
- Mt. Pinotubo's eruption in 1991 hastened the closure of Clark AB in the Philippines. Some military members and families were moved from the Philippines to Guam when we were stationed at Andersen AB in 1992. After fleeing the volcano, those families experienced with us ....
- Five typoons and an earthquake, which registered 8.3 on the Richter Scale visited Guam during our two years there. (We also found a snake in our bathroom. Does that count as a natural disaster? It registered on my Richter Scale.)
You may have another to add to this list. Cheryl says in this week's Spouse Calls that the disaster her family experienced made them stronger. Do you have a story to tell? Share it here.
Hurricane Ivan
I know this experience is not nearly as dramatic as some, but living at Gunter AFB in Alabama, Hurricane Ivan blew through and knocked over the tree in our backyard! Luckily it fell in such a way that it didn't fall on any houses and just bent up the neighbor's fence behind us. Thank goodness! It was a big tree!
I was calm in the situation because of a past experience...before military life, when my college town was flooded and we had no water for 1-2 weeks. I had to stay in town (rather than go back home to my parents) for the remainder of Christmas break because I had to work! We managed with water that the military reserve units brought to us, bottled water, and port-a-potties.
Typhoon Man-Yi
Hello Terri!
I wrote a blog about this very topic several months ago when our little island of Okinawa was ravaged by a "super typhoon" - similar to a Cat5 hurricane in the states. I was alone, as were many of the wives, because our active-duty members had evacuated the island with our airplanes.
My article was titled: This is not a drill: Preparing for Severe Weather
or “How Kadena AB’s Military Spouses took on Super Typhoon Man-Yi”. You can find it here: Preparing for Severe Weather.
There are plenty of Man-Yi videos on YouTube. Mine are here: Julie and the Typhoon. In each video, the roaring sound you hear throughout is the actual storm.
We all learned a lot that day and were well-prepared for the next big one just a few months later. The thing that stood out the most for me was that the spouses took control - before, during, and after the storm.
That experience certainly made me proud to be a part of the Kadena AB spouses' community.
Sincerely, Julie Negron - creator "Jenny, the military spouse"
Eye of the storm
Julie and Jocelyn -- Thank you for telling your storm stories. We learn a lot in those trying times!
I looked at your videos and read your article, Julie. I especially liked the picture of the huge typhoon with "I am here" in the eye of the storm. True on so many levels!
Too bad, Ivan & Man-Yi. The women are winning ...
Spouses -- 2
Storms (plus flying furniture and falling trees) -- 0