It is only human to complain. There is a report in the newspapers this morning about the complaints referring to the camps of “helpers” who have come to disaster areas to work to clean up and rebuild. Instead of greeting the workers from out of state who have come to help there are complaints.  Sometimes a helping hand is refused because a hurt person wants to do it by him or herself.  I know the feeling.  There is something involved in that offer to help that is sometimes just given without asking permission to do so that offends the needy person.  Then, too, the needy one knows himself or herself better than anyone else.  I am thinking of members of my own family who know their own bodies and say, let me do it. You’ll hurt me if you don’t know how to help me properly.

This is not quite the same thing as our viewing the trucks that came all the way from Michigan to help unscramble the trees, poles and power-lines that only just yesterday allowed the power to be restored in the neighborhood around the corner from us.  We were lucky and the only complaint you can hear from me is that the new windows that were installed in 2000 were not sealed and these were our weakest link during Hurricane Wilma.  There were homes in our area where there was more wind than rain that had their roofs torn off, so you won’t hear complaints from me.

I think I do know why indigenous people, those whose neighborhoods were deprived of power and telephones for so long, complained so audibly and long.  They were used to power on command.  Just flicking the switch as I automatically did during the blackout without remembering that the power was off – that was denied us by a storm of unbelievable proportions.  My terrified memory includes watching fingers of wind prying our jalousies out so we could see light and permanently bending them so they stayed open.  This was more of a wind hurricane than one bringing flood waters. I pride myself on doing numerous tasks without resorting to professionals with their experience and tools.  However, I welcomed the help I received from our “handyman” who corrected the open windows and sealed them. My makeshift cover of a plastic sheet was laughable but it was all that I could muster.  The post-Wilma clear and cool weather helped and, once again, we were lucky.

I can understand people becoming testy and loudly complaining.  In the extreme cases where they lost everything and had no resources (we could have driven north out of the affected area and stayed in a motel or with friends) who are you going to call? Trees, poles and power-lines are not for you or me to deal with.