h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Bumblebee

I was just passing through your page and have to ask why you have that particular photo on it. It looks remarkably like the houses in the neighborhood I lived in after hurricane Andrew hit south Miami in 1992, except the damage in your photo appears to be minimal compared to most.

Just curious...

Hi MoG
Sorry I took so long to answer you, I've been away a couple of days.
I didn't know before recently that this is indeed from south Miami after Andrew.
I first found this pic. as an illusration in a rather amusing yarn about the y2k hysteria last winter.
I find the picture very fascinating. I'm keeping it as an reminder or a symbol of how paranoid people can
become in various situations, myself included. I am fully aware that it
awakes different feelings in people, often, I have observed, depending
of where they come from. And that is the whole point about the picture.
Or one of many points, depending how far you want to go in the analyses.

I see your point, regarding paranoia. And, since you find the pic interesting, I'll tell you a little about the reality. Not because I find anything wrong with your reasoning, but because you might be curious.

We weren't paranoid. Terrible things happened in the aftermath of Andrew, far worse than the hurricane itself. And they didn't make the news. That sort of disaster draws all sorts of scavengers and opportunists just looking for victims. And the pic you have really IS minimal damage. I had no windows for 6 weeks, had to resurface the roof with plywood and tarps, and the back bedroom collapsed completely. The only power was from my generator, for over a month. I stayed there, because I had burglar bars and there was no place to go, since almost everyone moved northward. We were under martial law--curfews and police roadblocks, checking ID to protect us from the influx of predators.

When you've lost almost everything you own, the things that are left become kinda precious to you and NOBODY is allowed to mess with them. I carried a weapon at all times and had to tell people to GET THE HELL OUT of the neighborhood on several occasions, because they figured the abandoned homes were fine pickings. I am a peaceful, nonviolent person. I became somthing very different for a while. Not paranoia. A reaction to the fact that carjackings, rape, and theft were all around me. I did not intend to be a victim. I imagine that is something akin to being in a war zone. Danger lurks everywhere, especially for the unwary.

Thanks for telling me. It must have been a terrible experience.
I remember now seeing rapports from the area, on tv. I think you can safely compare it to a war zone.
It seemed like that to me at the time.

Well, it was certainly a character building experience! I don't regret it a bit, though I hope never to do it again. It really showed me what I'm made of, and that's some pretty good stuff.

The funny thing was that people living closer to downtown Miami were devastated by the fact that they had no TV for a week, while other people a few miles south had literally nothing at all. I was lucky because I had camping equipment, bungee cords and tarps. I looked at it as an extended camping trip without cold beer. Could have been worse.