A Volunteer Assignment Leads to a Travel Horror Story

How hard could it be I wondered after I readily volunteered to respond to a hardship disaster response assignment? After all I was volunteering to leave a staging area at Richmond, Virginia full of volunteers waiting for a hurricane to pass so that they could be assigned to a needy area on the Gulf Coast. Me, I decided to answer the call for immediate volunteers to respond to Puerto Rico following Hurricane Hortense a category 4 hurricane in 1996.

I was quickly transferred and travel scheduled for my flight to Puerto Rico. It was Friday the thirteenth a fact that I really wasn't even aware of at the time; which really wouldn't have affected my decision to relocate.

It was getting late in the day by the time I landed in Florida and found the gate for my flight to Puerto Rico. I had just enough time to grab a quick sandwich and drink before boarding. The plane was not full and that was fine with me. I found my window seat and was glad to see that there was an empty seat between me and a man who occupied the isle seat. After all it was getting late and I was already getting tired. I had spent several days traveling to Richmond and then waiting at the staging area to see where I would be sent.

The flight began with the normal safety brief. Then we taxied out and the plane lifted off for our trip. I was excited to see Puerto Rico and anxious to assist with the disaster recovery. I was not sure exactly how hard this hardship assignment would be. I settled in for a long flight; ready to catch a few hours of needed sleep. Suddenly the pilot made an announcement to let us know that Hurricane Hortense was making its way up the East coast and that he would do his best to accommodate the weather conditions keeping our flight safe and comfortable. I nestled into the corner of the seat and tried to go to sleep. I think I had just settled into a comfortable sleep when I heard another announcement. The weather was getting very stormy and the skies a bit rough; we should expect some turbulence. That made sense. I tried to go back to sleep but instead ended up looking out of the window at the stormy sky which was full of lightening. The pilot was right soon the plane was feeling the effects of the turbulence from the storm. Suddenly the pilot made another announcement. Because we were flying through the remnants of Hurricane Hortense he had been directed to alter the flight pattern and we were now heading for the Bermuda Triangle. We would pass through the Bermuda Triangle on Friday the thirteenth shortly around midnight. I did notice that the man next to me took a Bible from his carry on and began reading. It was then that I began to question my decision of changing my volunteer assignment; maybe it would be a hardship assignment after all.

I nested back into my little window area and tried to go to sleep. I was not awakened by any more announcements from the pilot and soon we were landing in Puerto Rico. Needless to say I was glad to land, glad to feel the warmth of the island breeze as I left the airport and glad to begin my volunteer disaster response assignment. Would it be a hardship or was that already covered by this travel horror story? That is another story.