Hurricane’s fury no worry for some residents
TAMPA (AP) – When a hurricane approaches South Florida, Robin Sing-Cunningham makes sure she has plenty of ice, candles and a generator. Then there’s the gas-powered blender, storm-themed music (think ‘It’s Raining Men’ by the Weather Girls, ‘Riders on the Storm’ by the Doors and plenty of Jimmy Buffett), games and drinks.
If a low-category hurricane blows through, Sing-Cunningham, a Fort Lauderdale real estate agent, likes to attend or throw a party. She and a handful of friends will gather in the sturdiest home, hunker down and try to have fun as winds pluck away roof tiles, palm trees and swing sets outside. It’s an experience that makes her feel “exuberant.”
“This is just people really wanting to experience the full force of nature and being safe,” she said.
Sing-Cunningham said she takes precautions and would evacuate if a Category 3 hurricane or higher took aim at Fort Lauderdale. Still, emergency management officials hate to hear of such parties. A hurricane’s path and strength aren’t always predictable. And if something were to happen – say, a door blow in or roof fly off in the middle of a storm – being tipsy would make it all that more difficult to respond. The Atlantic tropical storm season begins June 1.
“I think there’s always going to be some percentage that is going to stay put, that is going to party like there’s no tomorrow,” said Dennis Feltgen, public affairs officer for the National Hurricane Center in Miami. “All that we can hope is that this is an extremely small number of people that do this. And that luck stays with them.”
Hurricane parties are hardly a new phenomena; the most infamous dates back to 1969, when Hurricane Camille struck Mississippi as a Category 5 storm, the most powerful. One of the most harrowing tales of death and survival to emerge was the Richelieu apartments, where residents had reportedly stayed behind to party.
Several died, and while survivors have disputed the story and insist there was no party, the myth stuck and has been repeated through the years, serving as a cautionary tale for tempted partygoers.