As Florida braces for Hurricane Dorian to make impact there’s been a bit of good news: the storm has been downgraded in strength after it pummeled the Bahamas at 220 mph on Sunday.
But at least one resident is looking forward, at least in part, to the arrival of Dorian. To be sure, Floyd Levine is no fan of the death and devastation, but you could say he has a glass half full type of outlook.
The slow-moving hurricane, which is moving along the coast-line of Florida, was downgraded to a low Category 3 hurricane after leaving the Bahamas and is now down to a Category 2.
Levine told Miami News 7 that even though hurricanes are stressful, they are a great opportunity for those in the community to come together and support one another.
“Well, now I’m not worried anymore. In the beginning, I was worried. I’m a strange guy. I’ll tell you something very usual — you’ve probably never heard this before — I like hurricanes,” Levine said. “Let me explain why. I’m very sad if there’s loss of life. I’m very sad if there’s property damage and everything that happens bad, but for me, the plus side is I love when everybody comes together.”
It’s a great perspective to have amidst a news media that loves to focus on ravaged store shelves and fear-mongering that happens prior to the storms. He’s more interested in seeing how people actually band together when times truly get rough.
“I love going to Publix and you meet people and you tell stories,” Levine explained. “So when I said I like hurricanes I guess I don’t really mean that, I just like when everybody comes together.”
Thankfully, Florida residents, at 9 am on Tuesday, Hurricane Dorian dropped from a Category 5 hurricane to a Category 2, as of 11am. Although it’s been downgraded, meteorologists are warning residents to still take serious precautions as it is still considered a “life-threatening” storm.
“The ultimate problem here is when is this thing going to kick out of the Bahamas and move past our area,” WOFL Fox-35 meteorologist Jayme King said. “The latest forecast cone path adjustment looks like even further offshore of our shoreline here in Central Florida, though. I don’t want you to let your guard down until it’s north of our latitude.”
The National Hurricane Center also warned residents of the life-threatening implications the storm brings in an advisory Monday morning.
“Life-threatening storm surges and dangerous hurricane-force winds are expected along portions of the Florida east coast through mid-week. Only a slight deviation to the left of the official forecast would bring the core of Dorian near or over the Florida east coast. Residents should listen to advice given by local emergency officials,” the advisory said.
While Florida residents are feeling optimistic over the hurricane downgrade, Bahamians are recovering from the storms devastating hit.
“We are in the midst of a historic tragedy,” Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said. “The devastation is unprecedented and extensive.”
“It is scary,” Parliament member Iram Lewis said, sharing that Grand Bahama’s airport was 6 feet underwater. “We’re definitely in dire straits.”
Pray for those impacted by the Hurricane, and the rebuilding efforts that will take place post-storm.