My Encounter With Hurricane Opal
In 1995, I flew to Mississippi to attend the funeral of my Aunt Alice who was my mother’s oldest sister. The funeral was scheduled to be held in Mosspoint, Mississippi where my Aunt had lived for many years. This was during the time of the O.J. Simpson trial and the jury was deliberating when I left Buffalo. The plane that I traveled on was packed. Everyone on board was talking about the O.J. trial and trying to guess how it would end.
The plane seemed to shake and swerve. The pilot came over the speaker and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, Opal is acting up.” I didn’t know who Opal was and I thought that he was joking. I soon found out that Opal was a hurricane headed for Mississippi, Louisiana, and the Gulf Coast. I was pretty nervous because I was used to snowstorms and blizzards, but I was not used to hurricanes.
I was met at the airport by some friends of my aunt. The first thing I noticed as we were headed to my aunt’s house was the smell in the air. It was a distinct odor and the atmosphere was filled with moisture, like a dew in early morning. It came over the radio that the O.J. jury had reached a verdict so we stopped at a house on the way and went inside to watch the news on television. I had no idea where we were. As soon as the verdict was read that O.J. Simpson was acquitted, the entire house erupted. People jumped around and clapped with joy. It was an amazing sight. Here I was in the heart of Mississippi and these people seemed to ignore the fact that a hurricane was on the way.
When we finally arrived at my aunt’s house, my mother’s six surviving sisters were present. They were watching the news of Hurricane Opal when we entered the room. The news reporters were advising people to evacuate their home. All of our suitcases were in the middle of the room. I immediately requested to be taken back to the airport to return to Buffalo. But there was a little old woman who stood in the middle of the room and said: “Missy, You better stay here because you might meet some other dangers on the plane.” They called her Miss Sue.
Somehow, I felt that she knew what she was talking about. So I decided to stay. The next morning, we were awakened by a rooster crowing about six o’clock in the morning. This was the first time I had experienced being wakened by a rooster. We tried to prepare for the storm. I was sent outside to help tape the windows to prevent them from being destroyed in the storm. I was told to wear boots to prevent snake bites. The wind and the rain picked up and it became clear that we had to leave.
We were evacuated to another part of Mississippi. My aunt’s funeral was rescheduled for the end of the week. We stayed at a Minister’s house until the danger was over. He had a brick home. We felt safer staying there. I learned something about hurricanes from this experience. When I looked out the window the sky was totally black. I found out that hurricanes create tornadoes. There were over 20 tornadoes that night. I could not sleep. It was a very scary.
We stayed at this location for three days. When the danger was over, we were able to return to my aunt’s house to prepare for the funeral service. I was anxious to leave right after the funeral. I was told that my Aunt Alice had experienced at least two hurricanes in her life time. One of those times her roof was completely blown off. She continued to stay in Mississippi. I also learned a very important lesson. If you travel during hurricane season, especially to the south, it is imperative that you check the weather reports at least a week in advance. Hurricane season is usually from June to November. I did not check the weather reports and so I did not know that Hurricane Opal was headed toward Mississippi.
I learned a great lesson in 1995. I will never forget this experience. We might complain about the snowstorms and blizzards. When I returned home, I realized how blessed we are to live in Western New York. I wanted to repeat this article because today in 2024, we are witnessing weather that we have not seen before in Western New York. A few weeks ago Hurricane Beryle came from the Caribbean and crossed the United States and left a path of destruction in surrounding areas in our area. Trees were uprooted, roofs caved in, and houses and barns were destroyed and millions of people were without power.
We are living in tumultuous times when it comes to weather. However, the advice that I gave in this article is still relevant. When you travel you must be on the alert. Hurricanes are getting more frequent. They are getting stronger. I wanted to repeat this article because tornadoes are now affecting our weather. When I faced Hurricane Opal, I was in an area where tornadoes, lighting, wind, and I saw absolutely the darkest sky you can imagine. I was blessed to get back home!!