Hurricane Andrew Survivor Writes Powerful Message For Those In Path Of Matthew.

Hurricane Mathew is the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the United States in the last decade. So far, hundreds of thousands in Florida are left without power and reeling from the aftermath of the storm. As the hurricane begins to move north, residents of the southeastern United States are still being urged to evacuate with states of emergency declared in Flordia, Georgia and the Carolinas. Despite the dire warnings and predictions, many residents are choosing to stay home and ride out the storm… but the story below should make them think twice.

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Reddit user Charlie8005 took to the internet days before Hurricane Matthew made landfall, with an urgent message for the masses. Charlie8005, also a Floridian, decided to ride out category 5 Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and barely survived to tell the tale. Below is his timely warning for residents who dare to stay behind – get out while you still can.

I was one of those people who said “it’s no big deal”. I refused to evacuate, deciding instead to stay for the show. I had a cooler and I had beer and it was all hype anyway. After all, I had been through hurricanes before.

If Matthew is capable of delivering even half the punch of Andrew, get…out. Trust me when I tell you – get out.

Even before Andrew made landfall, I knew I made a serious mistake. I went to my plan B very quickly, which was to upend the dining room table to cover the doorway to the hall. I will never forget the sight of my sliding glass doors waving like jello before they exploded or the sound of wood splitting and snapping. The last image in my mind of my house, before I went into the bathroom, was of tree branches and a flash of sheetrock. The image is burned in my memory forever.

For hours, I held the bathroom door – it was all I could do. I had a Coleman light that shined harshly, and I remember seeing the water bleeding through the walls. Worst of all was the sound. The best I can describe it is as 6,000 maniacs screaming wildly. You never forget it.

There was nothing heroic about my decision to stay, it wasn’t cool and it wasn’t fun. It was the least logical thing I’ve ever done and remains the single worst decision I’ve ever made. In the end, I should not have survived, but I did. When it was over – and for all my effort to keep the door closed – I wasn’t able to get out (I had to go through the ceiling). My house, but for the bathroom and two closets, was gone, my car was gone, my neighborhood was gone. I was trapped in hell. For as horrible as the storm was, and the crippling fear it gave, the aftermath was worse. There was no way out.

I write this with the hopes that someone in the path might see it and think. Don’t be a fool. Get in the car and go.

We hope that Charlie’s warning is well heeded. As the President said yesterday, “we can replace property, but we cannot replace lives.”

Share the word to save lives!