Nexus - 0803 - New Times Magazine-pages

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don't wanna cause panic. So they're keeping quiet. We're alla weeks had passed since I had been injured. Most of my teeth had bunch of god-damn sitting ducks! You got to get the hell outta turned a putrid grey colour because the nerves had died as a result here! This is a killer hurricane! Nobody's ever seen anything like _ of fierce blows to my head, complicated by my broken jaw. The this before!" final heartbreak came when doctors discovered the optic nerve in "Holy shit!" I exclaimed, shocked out of my mind. "You mean oth my eyes had begun to die off—which meant, because of the Andrew's coming over South Dade?" ead injuries, I was going blind. "Damn straight! That's exactly what I mean! They figure the This may sound strange but, regardless, it is the truth. Today, eye of the storm is coming right in over us! Those fellas at the in the year 2001, there still remain three ongoing tragedies created National Hurricane Bureau have known it all along! I'm gettin’ ry hurricane Andrew cover-ups—tragedies which remain unbear- the hell outta here now! Shit, man, this thing is a killer hurricane! able for the survivors to live with. Listen, I gotta run! Get your son and get the hell out now! You The first tragedy is the horrifying fact that the bodies of our ain't gonna have a shot in hell once it hits!" oved ones were intentionally confiscated from us by our own I ran into the apartment and called my son at work, begging him government and then so inhumanely disposed of. Without graves, to come home so we could get out. I had no reason to disbelieve or some kind of memorial erected in their memory, we have no anything I had just heard. I knew my neighbour well enough to ope of reaching closure. know he wouldn't fabricate anything like this. So I related the The second tragedy is the impact the cover-ups had in down- entire conversation to my son, Eric. He was playing, dismissing and ignoring our hor- stunned! Eric said he would leave work rendous suffering. within a few minutes, but as the minutes And the third tragedy is the great number ticked on they dragged into hours. . of Andrew survivors who were inevitably Another immediate course of action I took I lost 23 pounds during forced to join the ranks of approximately 10 after hearing the terrifying warning from my those wretched weeks of million other homeless Americans strug- neighbour was to phone the local CBS tele- being tr din th gling to stay alive on the streets. With 10 vision station located in Miami. I called e g appe! . e million Americans homeless, and another three separate times. Each time, my call devastation and still 32 million Americans going to sleep hungry went directly into the local news broadcast . each night, the United States Government room of meteorologist Bryan Norcross. had not received any can't truthfully claim to be a government for Although I never spoke to Norcross directly, medical attention. all the people. I did manage to speak to three separate indi- Maybe it's just me, but I honestly thought viduals working in the broadcast room. . . . the world learned a lesson from the I specifically stated: "I live in South Little did | realise Nuremberg trials in Germany: "Evil Dade, adjacent to Metrozoo and within walking distance of Country Walk, in a pre-fab apartment that is constructed to withstand up to 90 mph winds. Should Tevacuate?" All three individuals advised and reassured me that I was situated in a safe area. There definitely wasn't need for me to take any evacuation mea- sures. Meanwhile, one work catastrophe after another seemed to crash down on my son, until finally it was just too late for us to evacuate. By the time he got can only be defined as absence of empathy..." it would take another three weeks before a doctor would even agree to see me without any money or identification. SIMILARITIES IN TURKEY On June 20, 2000, I flew to Istanbul, Turkey, where I lectured at a major international conference. While visiting there, I was asked if there was anything I specifically wished to do or see. My simple answer came very naturally. "Yes, I would like to visit the areas that were devastated by the earth- quakes last August and November and home it was almost midnight. Within minutes of his arrival, spend time with the survivors." Andrew slammed into us with full force. The following day my simple wish was granted. I was gra- ciously escorted by a medical doctor who had unselfishly devoted ONGOING TRAGEDIES FROM THE COVER-UPS many hours of practice in the devastated regions. When he It's not easy dealing with the anguish I feel because of all the informed me that 20,000+ died in August 1999 during the Izmit perpetrated lies. So much suffering resulted. It took three-and-a- earthquake and that another 20,000+ died in November during the half weeks before my son and I managed to escape the devasta- Bolu earthquake, I was stunned. This was not what the news tion on our own. Homeless and penniless, with no insurance to media had reported. cover our losses, we slowly made our way north towards Broward "Are you saying that between the two earthquakes last year, County, our only possessions being the clothes on our backs and a over 40,000 people died?" I asked. demolished van. The long, agonising journey turned out to be His eyes filled with tears. "Yes," he nodded sadly. "Over another nightmare from hell. 40,000 people perished, between the two disasters." Over 4,000 people were officially listed as "Missing" in The horrendous destruction I saw matched every word he stat- Andrew when we parted South Dade. I had lost 23 pounds during ed. I walked over areas where the earth had opened up, swallow- those wretched weeks of being trapped in the devastation and still ing entire buildings before closing back up again, like a giant had not received any medical attention. Little did I realise it white shark gulping down its prey. I understood when weeping I lost 23 pounds during those wretched weeks of being trapped in the devastation and still had not received any medical attention. it would take another three weeks before a doctor would even agree to see me without any money or identification. ONGOING TRAGEDIES FROM THE COVER-UPS It's not easy dealing with the anguish I feel because of all the perpetrated lies. So much suffering resulted. It took three-and-a- half weeks before my son and I managed to escape the devasta- tion on our own. Homeless and penniless, with no insurance to cover our losses, we slowly made our way north towards Broward County, our only possessions being the clothes on our backs and a demolished van. The long, agonising journey turned out to be another nightmare from hell. Over 4,000 people were officially listed as "Missing" in Andrew when we parted South Dade. I had lost 23 pounds during those wretched weeks of being trapped in the devastation and still had not received any medical attention. Little did I realise it would take another three weeks before a doctor would even agree to see me without any money or identification. By then, six 38 + NEXUS APRIL — MAY 2001 Little did | realise Continued on page 83 www.nexusmagazi ne.com