Commentary : Hugo Is Reminder That Southland Still Must Prepare for the ‘Big One’

Mother Nature changed her mind. Instead of the great quake in Southern California, she unleashed Hurricane Hugo, which touched ground in the Caribbean and the Carolinas , leaving devastation everywhere. Watching and reading news reports of splintered homes and lives , I couldn’t help but think , “It could have been us.”

What homes were left standing offered few of their previous comforts--no water, sewage system or electricity. And it is predicted that many communities will be without power for at least another month.

Many of the usual commodities are no longer available. Retail stores shut down because they couldn’t use their cash registers , and credit cards were not being accepted. Without electricity , computers became useless and the banks’ automated tellers were no longer operating. You couldn’t get gas for your car and there was no cash.

For Orange County residents who have come to depend on the trusty ATM and on making debit card transactions, this would be disturbing. Hugo did not discriminate between socioeconomic classes. It didn’t even matter if you had money to buy food and water--you couldn’t get it.

But more than appliances not working, the lack of power also means darkness. One Orange County Red Cross volunteer in Orangeburg, S . C ., told of the darkness she faced traveling from Columbia. Trees lay everywhere. There were no street lights, nor lights in homes or buildings. “I only had the headlights of my car to see with--it was very dark and difficult to find my way,” said Priscilla Schoch of Huntington Beach.

And that darkness doesn’t help the depression that follows the realization that life will never be the same. After the heroics of the first few days, residents collapsed under the reality that they have lost all of their possessions and that it will be a very long time before life returns to normal.

“It’s as though their lives were put in a blender and shook up,” Schoch said. “God help us when we have the large earthquake in Southern California.”

Though television reports brought the disastrous Hugo into our living rooms, it seemed so far away. Though 3,000 miles separated us from its path, in many ways we are a lot closer than one might think.

The forlorn face of a parent , combing through the fragments of the family home, garbage bag in hand, looking for treasured possessions , wore a dazed, pained look that was universal. What is also the same for everyone, no matter where or what the cause of the destruction, is the need for help that follows a disaster--the need for food, water, shelter, clothing, replacement of prescriptions and medical care.

As of last week, the American Red Cross served more than 2 1/2 million meals to Hugo victims. At the peak of its relief efforts, 532 Red Cross shelters opened to house 176,000 individuals left homeless. In a single day, 150,000 bags of groceries were distributed by the Red Cross. Home cleanup kits and assistance with minor home repairs are being given. The Red Cross estimates that this help will cost $42 million. And the end is not in sight. Orange County chapter staff member Dusty Bowenkamp is in McClellanville, S.C., once a charming little fishing village of 500. Today, 200 of the village residents are still living at the Red Cross shelter. “Normally, we would try to get people into new homes,” she said. “But there aren’t any rental houses left standing in the area.”

What of preparedness? In California we are lucky. Those who take the time to prepare food and water will be ahead of the game. Unlike in South Carolina, where Hugo devoured refrigerators and pantries, even those who don’t prepare should have food for at least the first 24 hours. But according to Bowenkamp, a 72-hour supply will not be enough for Southern Californians should the predicted big earthquake hit. “People expect that in a few days, all the normal services will resume,” she said. “This is a perfect example of how long it can really take to restore power or other utilities.”

The truth of the matter is that when the big one hits, we will need help. In Orange County, we will need the assistance of people we will not know, people thousands of miles away. Let’s face it--disaster renders the most independent people dependent, and we’ll all be in need.

Now, the victims of Hurricane Hugo are counting on us. Orange County has been asked for volunteer help. There are now four Red Cross volunteers from the county in the disaster areas. The county has also been asked to raise $356,000 to help meet the basic needs of disaster victims.

Orange County has begun to respond, but there is a lot more work to be done. When Hugo is but a distant memory to us, it will continue to be a vivid reality to victims in the East.

Here, Mother Nature keeps giving us little warnings, reminders to get prepared. This time, it wasn’t the big quake, but a mighty hurricane.

The unnerving similarities are that it could have been the big quake and it could have been us. And, when the “big one” does finally hit Orange County, I hope there is another similarity. I hope that people from all parts of the nation and the world won’t see us as distant victims but will call us neighbors and come to our aid.