Hurricane Matthew, a Category 5 Hurricane

We’ve all heard about the terrifying storms ripping through the United States every year. Hurricane Matthew, a category 5 hurricane tore through Florida in October of 2016. Two days before, during, and two weeks after Matthew was all disastrous for the Southeastern state.

The two days before the hurricane was a complete wreck. The storm had already hit Haiti and was headed towards Florida. According to the New York Times, “Lines at gas stations stretched far beyond the pumps. Supermarkets were depleted of bottled water, bread, and canned goods as people waited patiently to pay up and get out.

Planters and lawn furniture were being hustled inside.” Around 2 million people were requested to evacuate before traffic got dreadful. Lots of old people turned down their request to leave since they were either too fragile to get up and leave, or too stubborn to leave their home. Since so many people refused to leave, it left many people at risk since a bunch of family members had to stay and care for their grandparents or parents.

A total of 3,200 National Guard members were deployed to Florida to save the soon to be stranded.

Winds of 168 mph swept through Florida on October 8th, 2016, the first official day of the hurricane in Florida. Roofs were being snatched off houses, trees were being knocked down and blown away, and thousands of people were being stranded. Damage of up to $16.47 billion was being shaped due to the tropical storm gone bad. Near the airport in Nassau, Florida, water was up to 2 feet deep, which canceled a chunk of flights and kept people held at airports.

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People were shooting to their roofs as the water rushed in through their windows and doors. Cats and dogs were being drowned due to owners leaving them behind. Luckily, most Floridians got out before the catastrophic storm hit.

After 2 weeks, the storm had passed and left Florida in a cluster of roofs, trees, and water. 603 deaths were reported, and according to USA Today, “In Haiti, at least 283 people were killed.” 46 Americans were killed and people were continuously being saved by the National Guard or kind-hearted residents with a boat. A total of 200,000 precious homes were destroyed which caused thousands of families to become homeless. The clean up had started with people moving trees out of the road and picking up the remains of houses and torn up belongings. The recovery time was estimated to about 5 years.

Even though hurricanes are a yearly thing, hurricane Matthew caused a huge impact on thousands of people. 2 days before, people were packing their things and getting far far away from their city. During the hurricane, people’s homes were being flooded. While as a week after, people were returning to see all of their possessions ruined and their house torn to pieces. What would you think if you heard a devastating storm was strolling along to destroy your town?