Scoot: Hurricane Francine should teach us some important lessons!

Hurricane Francine followed the exact path of so many other storms by following no exact path. We have been reminded again that hurricanes are unpredictable with minds of their own. It’s almost as if the storms want to prove the forecasts wrong by doing something that wasn’t predicted, and Hurricane Francine did just that.

Once again, there were people who escaped damage and inconvenience; and the city of New Orleans came through with minimal damage. However, some areas that have escaped damage from past storms will remember Francine as the storm that brought them to the edge of hell.

Areas of Kenner saw historic flooding as a result of the predicted “fast-moving” storm creeping through the area unloading what seemed like endless rain. Francine was predicted to be a storm that would hit the coast and rapidly move straight through the area, but the storm wobbled a few times and continued to drift toward the east.

It’s frustrating when you expect one thing and get something totally different. We control so much in our lives, but hurricanes are a reminder from nature that we don’t control everything and that’s one of the things that fascinates human nature.

Grand Isle, which usually has a target that most hurricanes seem to hit, was generally unscathed. There’s no point in trying to figure out the rationale of storms because there is no rationale.

Francine brought wind damage to some, flood damage to others, and many lost power, Internet, and cable. Hurricanes also remind us that many of the things we worry about and many of the things we argue about are insignificant relative to the problems left by a storm. Maybe storms are supposed to remind us about what’s really important in life.

Any talk of politics is always controversial and divisive during this current presidential year. When I’m on the air talking about the latest polls or who said or did what, some unleash their hate and frustration to anyone who would dare disagree with their opinions. But at a time when we are divided as a nation, covering Hurricane Francine was not about politics - it was about informing people and letting people know they are not alone.

For many who lost power during a storm, WWL Radio is their only contact with the outside world and their only source of information and companionship. It was a nice reminder that even though we are politically divided we can come together during disasters and put politics aside and only care about each other.

But isn’t that also a reminder that the things we argue about when it comes to politics are little things that don’t matter as much as the important things in life like safety and having power, Internet, and cable? What we argue about is usually dwarfed by what is really important to us and our families.

I applaud all of the parish presidents, mayors, and local officials who kept their citizens informed by talking to us about what was going on in their specific areas.

As I think about preparing for our Friday show - “Free For All Friday” - I think about the fiery debate between Trump and Harris, which we have not yet talked about and honestly, there is a part of me that has so enjoyed this moment of unity on the air with the 24-hour coverage of Hurricane Francine that I hate the thought of getting back into the political battlefield. But I realize that it is unrealistic to think that we all will not get back into it again soon.

But let’s learn something from Francine - as we do get back into the political debate of the presidential election, let’s remember that we can elevate the conversation above the hate and the petty bickering over things that really will not directly impact our lives. Let's remember that what’s really important is our safety and the ability we have to care for each other.