Windstorm Caused in Ohio by Hurricane Ike

Earlier this week, hurricane Ike caused a windstorm that rampaged through Ohio with wind gusts up to 78 miles per hour. This left over 2 million Ohio residents without power. I know all this because I got to experience the remnants of hurricane Ike first hand, and witnessed the damage the high winds caused. After the storm ended, I walked outside to discover large trees had been uprooted or broken in half, cars smashed by falling debris or trees, and roof shingles scattered across the ground. People homes and businesses were damaged or completely destroyed. It was one of the most devastating storms I had seen in a very long time.

Almost 7 days later, there are still residents without power though most of it has been restored. But honestly, the amount of damage was not what shocked me the most. Rather the action taken by Ohio or lack thereof was the most shocking and disturbing scene I had witnessed.

I was one of the lucky ones - I was able to make it to the store and purchase groceries before the emergency generators stop working. Prior to going to the store, I called the energy company to find out how long the outage could possibly last. The recorded message first stated the outage was to last possibly two to three days, so I was able to determine approximately how much food and water I should purchase. Keep in mind, there was no warning a storm this severe was about to hit Ohio. Those who were purchasing emergency supplies were unaware that the outage was going to last this long or the damage was as severe as it was.

A day later I called the power company again and the recorded message had changed from saying two to three days outage to a week. The remnants of hurricane Ike caused a record power outage and damage. Not one resident of Ohio I spoke with had ever seen such a bad storm or such extensive damage. A little over 48 hours later my power was restored but other than speaking with friends and neighbors I was completely disconnected from the news. All I knew for sure was that my already tight finances were about to get much tighter. A day after my power was restored my cable and Internet connection was restored as well. This was the first opportunity I had to access total local coverage of the windstorm since traveling over the roads was difficult if not impossible because all the traffic lights were out and there were trees across many of the roads. After reading the news, it bothered me there was no mention of assistance for those who needed it because of the storm. Many people I know are on fixed incomes and/or have large families and lost a significant amount of food because of the outage. Also, a few people I know either had significant damage to their home or their home was destroyed because of falling trees. And after reading article after article I found no mention of aid for those who needed it, and I was left wondering where do I go to get some temporary assistance to ride out the situation?

Eventually, I found a few well concealed articles stating there was assistance for those who received food stamps but there was no mention of any other assistance. I was one of the lucky ones who had money saved in case of emergency so I was not affected as badly financially as others I know. But it upsets me that there is virtually no aid for the victims of the windstorm.

I understand that the windstorm caused by hurricane Ike was not nearly as bad as the hurricane itself, but it left many in financial crisis. But an emergency is an emergency - aid and financial assistance should have been publicly announced and made readily available. What made the situation even worse was the fact they put a time deadline on the assistance that was being offered. By the time people found out there was emergency assistance available the deadline had already passed. The only way you knew assistance was available was by word-of-mouth through friends or neighbors. Also, the assistance that was made available was only for those who were already receiving government assistance - there was no effort that I am aware of to help those like myself who already have a tight budget. I consider myself very lucky for having money saved, there are many I know who did not have money saved and have virtually no food to eat until the next paycheck arrives because many of the food pantries could not help all that needed it.

After going through an emergency caused by a storm like this one, I wonder what would've happened if the situation had been even worse. Would government assistance be available if this happened again? What happened during this emergency truly makes me wonder what would've happened. It is disturbing to see the lack of action that was taken to assist those on fixed incomes in addition to those who already receive government assistance. Also, a timeframe should not have been place to restrict emergency measures that were in place because by the time most people found out the time limit had already passed. In my opinion, this situation should have been handled much differently and more aid should have been made known and available to those who were already in difficult financial situations.