Hurricane Season Starts Today

As a southern gal, today has specific meaning. Memorial Day has passed and this is a BIG mark on the calendar. Hurricane season officially opens today, June 1st.

Now is the time to prepare for what may come. Last minute planning leads to disasters, as we saw with Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, and Hurricane Andrew in August 1992.

Modern technology and the “categorizing” of hurricanes warns us of impending doom. Not so years ago. A warm sunny day on the beach turned to death and destruction. The events of what took place are captured in the novel THE STORM AFTER by author Gina Hooten Popp, and she’s sharing about her journey of bringing the story to life.

Gina: When I first started writing my story THE STORM AFTER about the Great 1900 Galveston Hurricane, I did a lot of research on hurricanes and I stood amazed at what I learned. It humbled me to realize the devastation that could be wrecked in a matter of hours…moments really. For some reason, the lyric “Just how fragile we are.” from the singer Sting’s song kept coming to mind.

The hand-written and recorded survivor accounts and photos all brought tears to my eyes. But during all those hours of initial hurricane research what I couldn’t know is how many people that had endured storms, wildfires, earthquakes, and other catastrophes (natural and manmade) would reach out to me with their individual stories. Each one unique in what happened to them. And they often gave me survival tips. Sometimes it was something simple, but smart, like putting a football helmet on for protection from flying debris. One woman wrote that her husband had been hit by lightening twice during a storm trying to stop leaks in the chimney and in the roof. What was surprising was that he was working from the inside of their house. Her caution – stay away from flowing water as best as you could. One person spoke of making sure you had good walking shoes on and not flip-flops. Others just wanted to say it had meant so much to them that people had been there for them afterwards as they tried to cope with what had happened to them. How important it had been to have another human being simply sit with them and provide human contact. In a sense, just letting them know that they were not alone.

Today, June 1st, is the first day of hurricane season and I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge all those who’ve contacted me with their personal survival stories. It has meant a lot to me. And, if you’re reading this post and you’d like to share a tip or an observation, please leave a comment. Who knows? You might just save someone’s life or at least help them out a little.

Gina Hooten Popp is the author of THE STORM AFTER – 2014 RONE Award Finalist.

You can connect with Gina here:
Face Book:https://www.facebook.com/ginahootenpoppauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Gina_Popp
Website: http://hootenpopp.com

Purchase your copy of THE STORM AFTER : http://www.amazon.com/Storm-After-Gina-Hooten-Popp-ebook/dp/B00B1XVQ3A/

Linda: I hope you enjoyed learning more about the details behind the awarding novel, THE STORM AFTER. It’s a wonderful read. Gina keeps you hooked to the story as the characters try to survive!

And, if you have a Survival Suggestion, please share it with us. Share the knowledge and wisdom and help us all to be better prepared.

Happy Reading!
Lind Joyce
www.linda-joyce.com