The wind howled, and the rain pounded the roof as the residents of a small gulf coast town in Florida huddled together in fear. The hurricane hit the coast with full force—a slow-moving, swirling demon of centrifugal and other forces comprising rain bands, 155-mile-per-hour sustained winds, and a 20-ft storm surge, leaving destruction in its wake, flooding streets, destroying homes, and killing people and animals.
Fourteen-year-old Samantha and her family were among the lucky ones. They had evacuated to a shelter farther inland just in time, escaping the hurricane’s wrath.
As they huddled together in the crowded room, they could hear the storm raging outside. Samantha felt sad thinking about their home, possessions, and memories left behind.
“Mom, what’s going to happen to our house?” Samantha’s younger sister, Bethann, asked their mother, her voice trembling with fear.
“I don’t know, sweetie. We’ll have to wait and see.”
Samantha thought of the ones who stayed behind d…