As Hurricane Floyd was moving through North Carolina in 1999 I had
just recently returned from Okinawa to America, eventually finding a place in
Hayward, California. My wife who was pregnant was still staying in Okinawa with
her family. She was going through a difficult pregnancy. But that’s another
story. As I was working and helping out a friend of mine with his fishing business
I made it a point to keep an update of Hurricane Floyd as it was moving closer
to my home state of North Carolina.
One day I was at a church house in Berkeley as many people
were there with me as we camped out in front of the TV watching images of the
hurricane moving across the state. At times I would tell my own personnel stories.
One story of me being on a fishing pier in Surf City just after a hurricane passed and
just before the pier collapsed into the water. But that’s another story. As we were watching
live news coverage from WRAL TV show on the local TV station as Greg Fishel led
the updates of the storms track.
Periodically the local news people would offer their input but
only the weatherman, Peter Giddings, was the only one with any knowledge of
what was really happening. The newscasters would make comments of support but
within that same breath of air they would smile and talk about how great the
weather is in the Bay Area. Crocodile tears are about all they were offering. But
as the hurricane moved away and helicopter news crews started flying over the damaged
areas, news coverage in the San Francisco area changed to showing cities,
towns and entire half of North Carolina area underwater. People were trapped
on roof tops as many homes were destroyed as the local broadcasters showed nothing but dead pigs
floating on water.
As images of dead pigs covered the local news reports, those who knew me understood why I loved pork products so much. North Carolina
is after all #1 in pork in the world. Okinawa, according to my Okinawan wife, is in
2nd place. There was a newscaster who really pushed my buttons, so
to speak, to the point I lost it that day. And being in a house full of religious people
including a Pastor of a church led to a very colorful exchange I was having with
the TV set. Even today I could see why Elvis Presley shot his TV set.
The newscaster is Terilyn Joe. If you watch the movie,
George of the Jungle, she’s the newscaster on TV as George is rescuing the sky
diver from the bridge. Back then she was about the only person I would hit with a rolled up newspaper. I mellowed out later on in life but on that day she was number one on my
hit list. Apparently she must never have seen or have been educated on what a
hurricane is or does. Maybe she thought it was a big rain storm with a breeze. And
as the typical newscaster that inspired Don Henley to record the song ‘Dirty
Laundry’, she lived up to that song
every time she opened her mouth.
They keep showing dead pigs on TV, people losing everything,
half the state is underwater and I can’t
reach my family due to wide spread power outages and she is smiling away like
she’s was playing with baby puppies, talking about the worst being over. At that
moment I lost it. All this fake personality of caring was followed by me
rifling of a few obscenities. I remember those words very clearly as with the
expression of the Pastors face. It should be noted that more people die after a hurricane passes.
After I calmed down I did apologize. The people who were with me that day knew the seriousness of hurricanes and how I was concerned about my
family and friends. A few were amazed by the combination of words I used as
with the frequency and repetitive of them. Maybe when reporting on an earthquake
Terilyn Joe might have a better understanding the seriousness of the situation.
But on that day to me, she was the most stupidest person I have ever witness
trying to pass herself off as a mammal. Mind you I am leaving off many cuss
words that I originally had said it that statement but to this day I have no
regrets saying them.
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