{"id":2090,"date":"2018-05-08T20:39:06","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T20:39:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/?p=2090"},"modified":"2019-06-12T10:24:54","modified_gmt":"2019-06-12T15:24:54","slug":"hurricane-catastrophe-times-three-seven-alumni-share-their-experiences-with-harvey-irma-and-maria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/2018\/05\/08\/hurricane-catastrophe-times-three-seven-alumni-share-their-experiences-with-harvey-irma-and-maria\/","title":{"rendered":"Hurricane catastrophe times three: Seven alumni share their experiences with Harvey, Irma and Maria\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Three major hurricanes, Harvey, Irma and Maria, hit the Carribbean and southern United States within a few weeks, causing loss of life, injuries and billions in damages. We spoke with several alumni in those areas who were affected, and what follows is an accounting of their experiences with the storms.<\/p>\n

Hurricane Harvey H2<\/sub>0: Yevgeniy Kondratenko \u201903
\n<\/strong>\u201cIt\u2019s pretty unnerving when you hear talk about the reservoir and see the name of your subdivision (on the news),\u201d said Yevgeniy Kondratenko \u201903, who lives in Houston near the Addicks Reservoir. For him, the unrelenting rainfall after Hurricane Harvey meant watching the water levels \u2013 on his street, on his \"\"<\/a>lawn and in the reservoir. For two nights, he and his wife took turns sleeping two hours at time to keep an eye on the water, planning their escape route if evacuation was necessary and determining what needed to be carried upstairs in case the water came into their home.<\/p>\n

Kondratenko, who is a process engineer for BP America, figured out the elevation of both his house and the emergency spillway on the reservoir. Since his house\u2019s elevation was above the spillway, that was enough to keep the water about five feet from his front door when it finally stopped raining. He estimated that if the water had risen just one more foot, they would have had water in their house. \u201cI learned a lot more about that reservoir than I ever knew before,\u201d he said with a laugh.<\/p>\n

Several houses near him did take on water, and the street in his subdivision was only navigable by boat for about two weeks, but his family stayed dry and never lost electricity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were stressed, but we felt very blessed.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, he said, it felt good to see that as soon as the water subsided, volunteers arrived to help Houston residents.<\/p>\n

Kondratenko said he would be working from home for several months since BP\u2019s office building flooded.<\/p>\n

Irma beachfront cleanup: Brittany Bremer \u201916 and Tony Bender \u201982
\n<\/strong>Florida residents Brittany Bremer \u201916 and Tony Bender \u201982 endured Hurricane Irma on each coast, Bremer in Fort Myers on the Gulf of Mexico side and Bender in Indian Harbour Beach on the Atlantic side.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout a week ahead of the hurricane, you started to see lines to get fuel and empty shelves that used to \"\"<\/a>hold water, canned goods and carpentry supplies,\u201d Bremer said. \u201cMost gas stations were starting to run out of fuel, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both Bremer and Bender live in mandatory evacuation zones, but decided to prepare their homes and ride out the storm there.<\/p>\n

Bremer said she decided not to evacuate because she is a couple blocks away from an un-evacuated zone, her building is concrete and several neighbors were staying.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy neighbors were kind enough to keep checking on me, and eventually I stayed in their apartment most of the time during the storm,\u201d Bremer said. \u201cThere were a few times I was frightened, especially during the eye of the storm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bender, who has been in Florida for a decade, lives about two blocks from the beach. He said his family had earlier thought about going to his brother\u2019s in St. Petersburg, but then Irma seemed to be heading that way, so they stayed put.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you see those guys on the Weather Channel on your beach, it\u2019s not good,\u201d Bender said with a laugh.<\/p>\n

Bremer, a native of St. Joseph and a park ranger at Delnor Wiggins Pass State Park in Naples, moved to Florida after earning her wildlife conservation management degree in 2016. This was her first hurricane experience.<\/p>\n

She said she didn\u2019t have any damage from Hurricane Irma to her apartment, but the beachfront state park received substantial damage.<\/p>\n

The park was closed three weeks for cleanup, and employees from other parks were called in to help. Most of the damage was from downed trees and the storm surge, she said, and clean-up consisted of sawing down trees, wood chipping and digging out buried tables and grills. She also helped for a week at Koreshan State Park in Estero to help clear campsites so FEMA trailers could be moved in.<\/p>\n

Bremer is working on her master\u2019s in environmental studies at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, and her classes were cancelled for a week after the hurricane, too.<\/p>\n

Bender, a Cedar Falls, Iowa native and president of TNT Online Sales, said his family only lost electricity for about 24 hours, although a lot of neighbors were out for 10-14 days. He also said some solar panels on his house were damaged. And, of course, many trees were down all over the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love it here except when there\u2019s a hurricane,\u201d Bender said.<\/p>\n

Hurricane Irma and the zoo: Dr. Mark Wilson \u201980
\n<\/strong>The hyenas were not laughing; they hate the wind. So do jaguars. Monkeys, too \u2013 they\u2019ll form a circle with their backs to it.<\/p>\n

That, Dr. Mark Wilson \u201980 said, is what to expect when a zoo is in the path of a hurricane, and that is what happened when Hurricane Irma hit the Florida International Teaching Zoo in Bushnell, about 60 miles from the Tampa area.<\/p>\n

Dr. Wilson, a veterinarian at the zoo, said no animals were lost or hurt as a result of the hurricane, but a lot of preparation went into ensuring that outcome.<\/p>\n

First, he said, they needed to make sure the zoo stocked up on four or five days of food post-hurricane. Preserving the meat for the carnivores required a generator for a refrigerator. Then, because running water is a must and wouldn\u2019t be available if power was lost, they needed a generator for that, too, to ensure that the animals didn\u2019t overheat and had clean water to drink. Then, Dr. Wilson said, they had to think about the humans who would be cleaning up after the hurricane \u2013 they needed a cool room to rest and eat. Yes, that meant another generator.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all work to make sure the animals are alright,\u201d said Dr. Wilson, who has lived in Florida for about 30 years and been through 10 hurricanes. \u201cYou prepare for the worst and hope for the best. This was a scary one.\u201d<\/p>\n

He and the zoo\u2019s general curator spent the night at the zoo when the Category 3 hurricane hit Sept. 10, one at each end in their cars, driving around throughout the night to check on the animals and facilities.<\/p>\n

The zoo had a lot of downed trees and no power for nine days, so the generators were put to work.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing that always gets me is the debris,\u201d Dr. Wilson said. \u201cYou\u2019re up to your shins in debris from the trees, and you\u2019re never quite ready for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maria\u2019s island devastation: Erick Bracero Serrano \u201995
\n<\/strong>Erick Bracero Serrano \u201995 said enduring Hurricane Maria\u2019s 12 hours of driving rain and howling winds was the worst experience he\u2019s ever had in his life.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Bracero Serrrano, who lives in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, said for the past 30 years, hurricanes have bypassed the 3,500 square-mile island, but Maria was a Category 4 direct hit on Sept. 20.<\/p>\n

He said the hardest part for his wife, Michelle, and him was trying to stay calm so their three children wouldn\u2019t be upset. \u201cWe had to keep a poker face even though we knew it was very dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hunkered down from about 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the master bedroom, the safest room in the house, they were worried about windows and doors breaking, and debris clogging their rain gutters.<\/p>\n

Evacuation wasn\u2019t an option. When Puerto Rico officials realized Maria was going to make landfall on the island, the airport closed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe island is so small and the hurricane was so big, there was no safe place to go on the island,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Following the storm, Bracero Serrano\u2019s family was without power or water for about a month, but many homes were without power for much longer. The family had some broken windows and roof tiles, and a little water in the house, but he said they feel blessed.<\/p>\n

One of the difficulties for several months was that there were no working stoplights throughout the island, so Bracero Serrano\u2019s normal 40-minute commute to San Juan turned into up to an hour and a half with multiple four-way stops.<\/p>\n

He said when his business, Reality Realty PSC, got power back two weeks after the hurricane, the company offered shelter for employees\u2019 families, so Bracero Serrano\u2019s family went to work with him every day for about two weeks. Because of the gasoline shortage, the company also set up a shuttle to get him to the office.<\/p>\n

When mail service was restored about mid-October, Bracero Serrano said they began receiving packages from long-time St. Joseph, Missouri friends, Mike \u201973 and Sandy \u201991 Bray (see \u201cFrom Puerto Rico to Missouri Western\u201d). \u201cThey kept in touch with us and sent provisions (including a portable camping shower) that were impossible to get on the island,\u201d Bracero Serrano said. \u201cWe are grateful for both the necessities and the emotional support.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll never forget the wind and seeing the damage after,\u201d he said. \u201cIt made a big impression that will last forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

The good
\n<\/strong>The three hurricanes were devastating, but out of adversity came some good, said Bremer, Kondratenko and Bracero Serrano.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw how tragedy unites people,\u201d Kondratenko said. \u201cNeighbors were looking out for each other. I sent more text messages in those two weeks than I had in the past year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne bad thing brought a beautiful thing,\u201d Bracero Serrano said. \u201cAll the neighbors started coming out and sharing things. Everyone joined forces and was helping each other. It was a very interesting and beautiful time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most memorable experience will probably be the community coming together after the hurricane,\u201d Bremer said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband and I have lived in Houston since 1971. We lost electricity for four days because a tree had fallen across the electric lines in our subdivision. To our surprise, we looked out our front door and there were four trucks parked at our curb from the Neosho, Missouri Power Company. Our thanks goes to the guys from Neosho.
\nWe were fortunate to escape the flooding so many Houstonians are still dealing with. I know some people who had 11 feet of water in their house.\u201d<\/em> \u00a0Shirley (Reid) \u201955 and Richard Davis<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Occasionally the rain would let up and I would be hopeful, but then it would begin raining again and just as heavily as before. The water kept rising in my street and it began to creep up my driveway toward my house. That was the most frightening time. I live in a one-story home, so my grandson and I put everything up as high as we could and I gathered all of my important papers to take with me in case we had to evacuate.
\nThe water was about two feet from my garage when it finally stopped raining. I had been praying throughout the ordeal because I had no idea how I could begin to deal with a flooded home as, unfortunately, many have had to do. I truly believe it is only by God\u2019s grace that I was spared and I am truly grateful.
\nWhen you live in the Houston area, you expect floods, but this flood has been the most devastating, and I hope Houstonians never have to experience such as this again. We were fortunate in my area that we never did lose power throughout the ordeal. <\/em>Beverly Smith \u201957<\/p>\n

Beverly retired as assistant to the director of instruction at Cypress Lakes High School in Katy, Texas in December 2017 after 52 years in public education. She taught high school in St. Joseph for 29 years and served in Texas 23 years.<\/p>\n

From Puerto Rico to Missouri Western
\n<\/strong>For Eric Bracero Serrano \u201995, the journey from growing up in Puerto Rico to graduating from Missouri Western began when he was a 12 year-old Little League baseball player. In 1983, his Little League team won the Puerto Rico championship, which qualified it to play in the World Series. That year, the World Series was held in St. Joseph.<\/p>\n

During the games, Bracero Serrano, a lefty first baseman, caught the eye of Michael Bray \u201973, who had played baseball for Missouri Western, and that sparked a friendship for Bracero Serrano and the Brays that included the family visiting Puerto Rico in 1984 and the young man visiting St. Joseph again in the summer of 1986.<\/p>\n

When it was time for college, Bracero Serrano attended University of Missouri-Columbia, but realized it wasn\u2019t going to work out to play baseball there. So Bray invited him to try Missouri Western. He came, he played baseball for four years, and he stayed on one more year as an assistant baseball coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a great time. The people treated me so well,\u201d Bracero Serrano said.<\/p>\n

As a student, he joined the business fraternity and took advantage of a Global Viewpoint trip to London.<\/p>\n

Bracero Serrano returned to Puerto Rico after he received his degree and worked for his father\u2019s engineering and development firm for 15 years. Since 2010, he has been the new projects and OREO department manager with Reality Realty, PSC.<\/p>\n

The Convocation that almost wasn\u2019t <\/strong>
\n<\/strong>You wouldn\u2019t think a hurricane in Florida would affect Missouri Western, but when Hurricane Irma was predicted to hit Florida and then head for Georgia, the University Advancement staff\u00a0 had to think about canceling the R. Dan Boulware Convocation on Critical Issues scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 12.<\/p>\n

On Friday, Sept. 8, staff got a call from the speakers bureau to let them know that, if the hurricane affected Atlanta, the Convocation speaker, Martin Luther King III, may not be able to fly out of there on Monday, Sept. 11.<\/p>\n

Staff decided not to cancel on Friday, but to wait and see what Monday brought. As it turned out, King was able to travel to St. Joseph and return safely back to Atlanta, so the Convocation events went on as planned.<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Three major hurricanes, Harvey, Irma and Maria, hit the Carribbean and southern United States within a few weeks, causing loss of life, injuries and billions in damages. We spoke with several alumni in those areas who were affected, and what follows is an accounting of their experiences with the storms. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[54,26,25,18,48],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2090"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2090"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2090\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4503,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2090\/revisions\/4503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}