Surviving Irma: Salem (MA) woman recalls harrowing experience on St. Thomas

[Miles Archer]

Surviving Irma: Salem woman recalls harrowing experience on St. Thomas



Stephanie Moffat stands in downtown Salem, where she used to work before moving to St. Thomas. Moffat is staying at a friend's home in the area after being displaced by Hurricane Irma.

http://www.salemnews.com/news/surviving-irma-salem-woman-recalls-harrowing-experience-on-st-thomas/article_a753258c-9f3e-11e7-9301-efa40e438119.html

SALEM – In the onslaught of Hurricane Irma, Stephanie Moffat pushed two mattresses up against the closet door as a woman and her 3-year-old daughter huddled inside.

Moffat felt her St. Thomas apartment shudder as 185 mph winds slammed the hurricane prevention panels against the sliding glass doors before eventually ripping them straight off. It was pitch black, save for the beam of a flashlight.

“All of a sudden I heard, ‘Stephanie, it’s flooding in here, come get us!’ I pulled off the mattresses and there was 6 or 7 inches of water (in the closet),” Moffat said, “It came so quickly into the bedroom so we all spent the night in the hall while the storm raged.”

As her apartment began to flood, Moffat grabbed clothes, towels, blankets — anything she could find — to absorb the water pouring in.

[genxlib]

1. That is horrific and I am glad she is safe.

But am I the only one that thinks this story smacks of anglocentrism?

I get that it is a local story about a former resident but it seems kind of insensitive to frame the story around the white woman that got out.

I think the irony might be lost on them since the article states. "According to Moffat, many people staying on the island felt neglected as the media focused on the storm’s path ahead to Florida and not the damage it left behind." Ya think?

I am probably being too sensitive but I do think we seem to be forgetting our island friends. All of them really but we have no excuse to forget the ones that are US citizens.

[Blue_Adept]

2. You are being too sensitive

Local story about local person. That's how local papers work.

And sadly, the territories have always been neglected and you know that the bulk of people don't even realize that they're American territories and American citizens. It's beyond frustrating.