I can hardly believe that twenty full years have passed since Hurricane Hugo!
Besides being a colossal event for the city of Charleston, it was a huge marker in my young life. I was in 5th grade and had just celebrated my tenth birthday earlier in the month. (I remember being SO glad that Kris and I had the foresight to rock a pool party before it, you know, was destroyed.)
My little life had not experienced a tragedy up to that point. The actual event was scary (and would prove to stick with me for years of irrational fear of storms) but could not compare to the desperate loss felt all across the lowcountry. The islands off of Charleston were devastated, lives lost and, in some areas, erased. Twenty miles inland, our neighborhood was left with almost no standing trees and streets with every third house wiped out. There was such a sad randomness about the destruction snuggled right up next to all the predictable stuff. No electricity, no comforting noises- just chainsaws, no routine, no normal. It was a series of hot days filled with a town-wide nesting... attempting to make a new normal and trudge through.
Anyone who experienced Hugo knows that there was a magical sort of one-ness felt. Neighbors felt more like family and there was *no* such thing as personal space or hoarding. We all shared anything we had and didn't think a thing about it. Being more than a walkable distance apart meant not seeing one another for a couple weeks. The strange thing is to try and remember a time before cell phones and being in constant communication with people. I, of course, had a busy social life at ten, so imagine my joy to have my two best friends in our neighborhood- nothing had to slow down. Mom also decided she couldn't have any slow learners on her hands, so don't you know, she had us do science experiments in the Bozard's backyard. Mrs. Bozard was a 5th grade science teacher and I *thought* I had been fortunate enough to not have her that year. Mom saw it differently. Whatev- I made an awesome magnifying glass or volcano or something. Booyah!
Bottom line, it feels impossible twenty years have passed in some ways and it feels like two lifetimes ago in other respects. The milestone of Hugo - the "everything is different now" marker in my life was one I am grateful for. I am not sure I had tasted such community until then.
Plus, Kristin and I basically became three-toed sloths. We were awesome climbers of the debris.
Just feels like a good day for remembering. Its rainy and it seems fitting. :) Here's to the spirit of Charleston and to the memories!
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