The Art of Hurricane Mothering

After a hurricane makes landfall in Florida, countless hurricane survivors tell the media, “It’s the price we pay to live in paradise.”

However, I might object to this definition of the word “paradise.” When our family made the choice to follow my husband’s career wherever it took us, I never dreamed that this landlocked-born girl would end up living in a hurricane zone with cockroaches and alligators. I was forced to expand my mothering skills to cope with life-disrupting storms. 

One hurricane season, my central Florida town was hit by four hurricanes in a four-month span. Soon after the fourth hurricane dumped on our town, I was summoned to my son’s soccer team’s parent meeting. We had to choose a team name. All of the hurricane-weary parents voted unanimously—of course we dubbed our team the Hurricanes. If our team didn’t blow the opposing team away in the first half, they would wear down the other team by the second half. 

The days leading up to a hurricane churning closer to my home are stressful. How will I keep my family safe? Should we evacuate? What if we evacuate and the storm turns to where we are evacuating? How are we going to pay for the extra prep and evacuation costs? What if my insurance won’t cover costs if my roof blows off? 

Before a hurricane, I try to control the uncontrollable by procuring gas, treats, ice, and extra water. I wonder if my kids, who have zero control over the situation, are feeling extra anxiety. Is my storm obsession and my excessive prepping adding to my family’s stress? In the days leading to a hurricane hitting my area, my wild imagination makes it difficult to sleep. What is my child’s inventive imagination creating out of this uncertainty?

Because my neighborhood hasn’t suffered a direct hurricane hit (we haven’t lost more than downed trees, fences, and power in any hurricane—yet), I am doing my best to NOT murmur. Our family has assisted hurricane survivors who have lost so much. The devastation, suffering, and disruption can be tragic and overwhelming. We have been blessed, so far, to have avoided the destruction of our home, and none of us have been injured.

However, after living for two decades in a hurricane zone, I have learned some mothering lessons. Here are my top five:

1. The heroic humanity that is rallied after a disaster is awe-inspiring. Starting at 5 a.m. the weekend after Hurricane Ian (2022) battered the Ft. Meyers area, the freeway heading to Ft. Meyers was clogged with cars. My kids couldn’t believe that there were so many people who wanted to assist in hurricane cleanup that the roads couldn’t carry all of them.

2. Within the membership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there are many positive and brave people. Reliably, I always have ministering sisters who check on me before and after each storm. Unfailingly, there is an unselfish army of Church members who are willing to give up their weekend, sleep on the ground in the heat and the humidity, and wear out their own equipment and muscles. Almost all of these people have a smile on their faces while working in awful conditions—all while helping people they will probably never see again. It is truly a miracle. My kids have gotten to see their Church leaders live what they preach on Sundays. It has been demonstrated repeatedly that my family is a part of a Church that knows how to sacrifice to help complete strangers. 

3. There is a juxtaposition of massive destruction with the beauty of simple service. My kids will never forget how a humble group prayer with overwhelmed, suffering hurricane victims is sacred.

4. Trying moments can be bonding moments. My older kids have recounted to my younger kids how we hosted hurricane refugees and pets. My daughter was just reminiscing how thankful we were when dear friends happily hosted us when we didn’t have power for five days. We have, together as a family, literally picked up the pieces of our yard and home.

5. A natural disaster, even if it is not life-altering, will be cauterized into a child’s memory. These events can illustrate to kids that they and their families can cope with tough life situations.

With preparation, good friends, and neighborly service, kids can see that life events can be endured and that even terrible circumstances can showcase the very best in people. I am trying to turn these emergency situations into opportunities. We can exemplify how our family members have literally weathered storms; these disasters can hopefully highlight the best of our family character in our family lore. Although they can be harrowing, disasters can also showcase a family’s resilience and ability to bounce back from opposition, and  empower them to spread goodness.