Hurricanes – A Blessing or a Bother?

Written by Seth Hawkins

Since he first started collecting house plans in high school, Seth Hawkins has been fascinated by the way people interact with the places and spaces in the world around them. Through a varied career that has spanned everything from financial planning and human resources to operations, product, event, and program management, this theme of the human experience has been a common thread. Seth is currently a Senior Project Manager at Turner & Townsend Heery, a firm that manages large construction projects on behalf of public sector clients, building schools for the next generation of adventurers.

The Elephant & The Blind Men

First of all, let me applaud those who have contributed to this blog up to this point. Each post has given me much to think about. 

If there is one thing I have learned in my time on this earth, it is that perspective is everything. Consider the old parable of the blind men who desired to know what an elephant looked like. Each one approached and was greeted with a different experience:

To the man who felt the trunk, the elephant was like a tree branch.

The one who found a tusk described it as a piece of pipe.

Another brushed against the ear and imagined a large hand fan.

The next bumped into the elephant’s side and compared it to a wall.

He who touched a leg called it a pillar.

And the last, who grabbed the tail, thought he had a rope.

Each insisted their description was correct, and it was – in part. It took a passerby, who could see the whole picture and explain that an elephant in fact included all of these elements, to convince them they were each only partially right.

In the Eye of the Storm

I’ve thought about this and other comparisons many times this last week following the passing of Hurricane Beryl through Houston.

Hurricanes are often described as having a wet side and a dirty side. What you experience depends in large part on where you are in relation to the storm. The lower left side often gets more rain, while the upper right side has higher wind speeds.

Those unfortunate enough to have the eye of the storm pass directly overhead will experience both, with a short break in between.

While only a category 1 storm (a designation for storms with wind speeds between 75 and 99 miles per hour), Beryl passed just west of Houston. This meant that the hill country to the west got the rain, which then flowed down and into town, while at the same time, the town and other downstream areas to the east got pummeled with high winds. It was, to use the phrase, “a perfect storm”.

Trees and power lines were knocked down everywhere. The main utility in the area, CenterPoint Energy, which serves about 2.6 million customers, had over 2.2 million left without power following the storm. Many city streets became impassable, blocked by either water or fallen debris. And this came on the heels of two other storms in the past three months that the region is still recovering from.

By mid-afternoon the storm had passed and people began to emerge from shelter, but to what?

The Perceptions We Choose

As I write this it’s now been a week and a day since the storm passed. My power was partially restored after four days, but the circuits were damaged in the process. As a result, I now have flickering lights and ceiling fans, which is an improvement, but still no stove, dryer, water heater, or AC. Over 120,000 customers still have nothing. We have plenty to be upset about.

Life is full of choices, though, isn’t it?

I could complain about the hundreds of dollars of food I lost in my fridge and freezer, or I can choose to rejoice that I still have a job and the means to replace what I lost.

I could pout about the sweltering nights I’ve spent tossing and turning, trying to sleep without air conditioning, or I can choose to be grateful that my experience hasn’t been as bad as the last time I was in a hurricane 25 years ago in Puerto Rico. There we were without power for two weeks and without water for three.

I could be bugged by the shutter on my building that blew off, or I can be grateful that I’m not dealing with holes in my roof from fallen trees, as many people are.

I could be upset about so many inconveniences, or I could thank God that I am alive and not mourning the loss of loved ones.  Several people died!

Perspective is everything.

To Grumble or Not

I could gripe and grumble and lament over my circumstances.  There is plenty to moan about. But I’m not going to.  Instead, I’m choosing to reflect on lessons learned and blessings gained. I’m choosing to be grateful.

Next time I will follow the prompting to fill my tank with gas when it comes instead of putting it off for later.  That prompting came the day before the storm. If I had listened, I could have avoided enduring the stress of driving all over town on fumes only to find stations closed or long lines and empty gas tanks.

As I continue to settle here in Houston, I will look for a place to live that has better natural ventilation so that I’m not so dependent on air conditioning.

I will better follow the lessons of preparedness I’ve heard my whole life.

There is plenty that I can learn from the passing of this storm and I’m choosing to learn those lessons and to become better because of it.

A Bit Apocalyptic But So Good Too

One story that went viral down here this week was how people were using the Whataburger restaurant finder app to figure out where the power was still on, since CenterPoint’s tracker, like everything else, was down.

Did you catch that, though? They were looking for where the power was ON.

Every message board I’m a part of has been filled with people helping others find gas and food. People have been out with chainsaws clearing trees, not just from their own houses, but also from their neighbor’s yards and from the city street, too.

Yes, things turned a bit apocalyptic at points with long lines at stores and gas stations. The few stores with generators were able to open but got overrun. But I saw so much good too. While trying to find gas I passed several places that had run out. Not an unkind word anywhere. People waiting patiently, comparing notes on where to try next.

Perspective – What Is Firmly Within Our Grasp

We have no control over the power grid or the patterns of nature that may disrupt it, but every other element of this is firmly within our grasp.

Hurricanes can be very inconvenient – your classic bother. That doesn’t mean we can’t also find blessings in them.

It’s all about the mindset we choose to approach them with.

Perspective is everything.