Column: Hurricanes and the Florida dream
Andrew, Charley, Donna, Elena, Frances, Hermine, Irma, Ivan, Jeanne and Michael – the list conjures up long-lost chapters of the Old Testament. But to many Floridians, the names resonate like a modern Book of Lamentations.
Mayans named the storms that roiled the tropical waters after the god of birth and destruction, el Huracán. Tempestuous winds and currents created new passes, bisected islands and occasionally swept away Red Tide.
Hurricanes also engage Floridians to act like neighbors. Hurricanes teach lessons about community and compassion.