Remembering My Encounter With Hurricane Opal
I was in Mississippi in October 4, 1995, when Hurricane Opal hit the area. I was in Mississippi to attend the funeral of my Aunt Alice, my mother’s sister. I did not know that Hurricane Opal was about to make landfall.
When I was on the plane, the pilot came on after the plane shook and said that, “Opal is acting up.” I thought he was joking. It turned out that we were heading in the direction of a Hurricane. It was a scary time. The plane landed safely, and I was picked up by a friend of my aunt’s. When I arrived at the house my other aunts had assembled. My mother had 7 sisters and we were there to say our final goodbyes to my aunt. Then we turned on the news and found out that Hurricane Opal was heading in our direction. I was ready to go back to Buffalo. I was used to the snowstorms and to face a Hurricane was not on my mind.
The news was that we had to evacuate. We piled our suitcases in the middle of the room and wondered what to do next. I found out that my Aunt Alice had endured several Hurricanes in the past and lost a few roofs in the high winds. However, she stayed there for many years. A neighbor who we did not know came over and said that he would take us to a safe place to ride out the storm. We were able to sit out the storm at the home of a pastor named Rev. John Williams and his family of the First Baptist Church in Mosspoint, Mississippi. He had a beautiful brick home with a fireplace. We were treated with a delicious stew. Although the winds were raging, and the rain poured down all night we were safe. I learned one thing about Hurricanes that night. Tornadoes always follow them! When I Looked out the window it was pitch black and streaks of lightning filled the sky.
Hurricane Opal was a category 4 storm. At this level the wind speeds are 131-155 mph. Many trees are blown down and damage to the infrastructure can be extensive. The weather reports began to predict thunderstorms, tornadoes, and flash floods. I learned a lot about patience during this time. I dealt with fear and a decision to face the unknown. My aunt’s funeral was post-poned for a week. It was a beautiful service. She was known by many people far and wide. She was an Eastern Star and the women came down the aisle dressed in perfect white giving her the upmost respect and honor. Looking back over this experience I can say that we are blessed in Buffalo to not have to deal with hurricanes. When I think about Hurricane Helene and now Hurricane Milton in Florida, I can feel what they are going through. My prayers are with them and the relatives that I have in Orlando. May God Bless them all and bring them safely through this storm!!