After Hurricane Irma hit the southeast coast of America, we wanted to know how residents felt.  We had the opportunity to interview Kevin Keuper, a Florida resident, about his thoughts on the whole situation. Here is his perspective.

Porter Press: When you first heard the storm coming, did you think that you should evacuate or stay?

Kevin: Originally, we had thought the storm wouldn’t hit. The forecast said the storm would go east of Miami, but when we found out the storm was heading our way, we knew we had to leave. If the hurricane stayed 10 miles off the coast on the gulf side, the storm surge would have been 20 to 30 feet, which would have wiped out a lot of the town.

Porter Press: Where did you go for the evacuation?

Kevin: We packed up at 7:30 at night and headed north. We used Google Maps to figure out where the heavy traffic areas were  because most of the state was fleeing. We took a track west through St. Petersburg and traveled up the coast. We reached Georgia and stayed at a hotel over night and got the last room in the city.  Then 4 hours later we left and went to Chicago.  Our journey took 24 hours compared to the usual 19 or 20.

Porter Press: What did you bring with you on the trip?

Kevin: Water, gasoline, energy bars, and toilet paper. These are essentials since the roads become a parking lot.  If you can’t take care of yourself,  no one will.  It was essential to keep our fuel levels high so anytime we had a chance to refuel, we took it.  Many cars were stalled because they didn’t plan ahead.

Porter Press: How will it change your attitude going forward in terms of living in a hurricane-susceptible area?

Kevin: We are living in Florida at our own choice. People live in Houston of their own volition. People live in New Orleans of their own volition. I don’t expect anyone to pay for insurance for me, and I don’t want to pay for insurance for anybody else. The federal government should not subsidize flood insurance for anybody who chooses to live in an area susceptible to flooding. People need to be responsible for their own actions and own choices.

Porter Press: How has your attitude changed from the storm?

Kevin: We value family and friends more than we do material things. If our place isn’t the spiffiest with latest furniture and decoration, we just don’t care as much.

Even though this horrible disaster has destroyed billions of dollars in property, it has brought almost everyone together to try to make the country a better place. There’s also a small percentage that have taken advantage of this situation to get free items by looting stores. Every bad situation brings out the best and the worst of people.