If there’s one thing that brings people together, it’s a natural disaster. One big takeaway from Hurricane Ian is just how resilient Floridians are when it comes to weathering these annual storms. Living in central Florida for a little more than a year now, I was spared the worst of Hurricane Ian’s wrath along parts of the gulf coast like Naples. My neighbors were fully prepared with hurricane parties, candles ready to be lit and alcohol ready to be consumed. But others weren’t as lucky.
A colleague of mine who drove down the coast saw first-hand the storm’s awful impact on animals with horses in two feet of water and dead pigs up and down the sides of the road. In surveying the damage, two political rivals raised eyebrows when their previous war of words paused long enough for them to actually trade compliments. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has accused President Joe Biden of hating his state, while Biden has criticized DeSantis of “playing politics with human beings” after flying migrants to blue states. But then came kind words.
DeSantis said his state was “fortunate to have good coordination” with the White House and the Federal Emergency Management Agency and that “we appreciate working together.” In turn, Biden said DeSantis has “done a good job,” and that despite different political philosophies, “we’ve worked hand in glove.” One thing we can always rely on after a natural disaster is that our politicians have no choice but to work together on providing federal relief to hard-hit areas. But sometimes that goodwill doesn’t last very long, and they’re back to trading barbs. It’s easy to forget that we are all aligned as human beings and that ultimately everyone is connected.