Hurricane Fran By Randy Mcbrayer

In Wilmington, North Carolina, Mary Wasson, a local resident, recalled an event that happened to her daughter during Hurricane Fran. "The top 35 feet of a tree snapped off and did a somersault in the air over part of our house. It did a 180 in the air." Another story about the hurricane, told by resident Granger Soward, talked about how his backyard got covered in four feet of standing water, with a manatee in the water (“Postcards”). Randy McBrayer, another citizen who experienced this tragic event, shared his story. In 1996, the devastating Hurricane Fran hit South Carolina. McBrayer, a resident of South Carolina, willingly shared his story about his involvement in this event. Hurricane Fran majorly affected the Atlantic coast.
In 1996,

many events occurred. In Atlanta, Georgia, the Summer Olympics happened and the U.S. won with a total of 101 medals (“1996”). In the Atlantic Coast, around thirteen hurricanes hit one after the other. Hurricane Fran started as a tropical wave off the coast of Africa on August 22nd. It eventually became a tropical depression, and then on August 23rd, it developed into a category three hurricane. Hurricane Fran hit the United States on September 5th and ended on September 8th. Hurricane Fran drastically impacted areas from South Carolina to Ohio. North Carolina had the most damage, and North Virginia got the most rainfall. Hurricane Fran caused a total of twenty-six deaths. It was a category three hurricane when it hit the United States. Hurricane Fran did so much damage that it cost $3.2 billion for the U.S. to fix it (“U.S.”). Randy McBrayer, who worked as a police officer at the time, shared his view of the event.
Randy McBrayer recalled that when he heard about the hurricane, it didn’t really phase him because he had become accustomed to all the hurricanes hitting where he lived.

Once Randy and his family heard about the hurricane his wife and son, Molly and Kevin, left to go to Columbia, South Carolina. While they had the chance to leave, Randy had to stay behind and work in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. The city’s police station, which he worked for at the time, paid for him to stay and work. Once news of the hurricane started, he had to work twelve-hour shifts at a time, and when he did not work, he slept. Randy’s first job before the hurricane hit was to warn people to leave if they could, and to protect properties from looters. McBrayer recalled one event that he remembered in particular. He told about how he walked through the street and saw a nine x nine pane of glass fly through the air from an air doctor store. He also remembered driving and having his windshield wipers fly off his car due to the amount of wind (McBrayer). Once the hurricane actually hit, all officers got called to the police station to wait out the hurricane. He guessed that the hurricane only took four hours to pass them. Afterwards, Randy didn’t have time to think about how he felt. He had to immediately get back to work. A lot of flooding, wind, and looting occurred due to the hurricane that Randy had to deal

with.
Randy McBrayer recalled that this particular hurricane did not have a huge impact on him. He has survived many hurricanes so this one did not really phase him. Both McBrayer’s house and family survived the hurricane so he did not have to worry about that. As mentioned earlier, his family left Charleston and his house, located far enough inland, did not get any wind or water damage. He only recalls a few trees getting lifted up out of the ground. The hurricane only impacted him in the sense that he had to work overtime. McBrayer also talked about how the hurricane caused businesses to close and lose money. A lot of damage occurred during this hurricane. Some being; fatalities, down power lines, infrastructure, damaged bridges, debris all over, water floods, insects, no electricity, water had to be boiled, roads got closed for the first ten days. Another downfall, jails and hospitals got filled up so people had to work overtime. After ten days, McBrayer said that objects start going back to normal for most people if the electricity and water turn back on.
Randy McBrayer shared his story about Hurricane Fran. He talked about his family and home. McBrayer also talked about what events he experienced during the hurricane and what he did as a police officer during Hurricane Fran. In 1996, the devastating Hurricane Fran hit South Carolina. Randy McBrayer, a resident of South Carolina, willingly shared his story about his involvement in this event. Randy McBrayer had the chance to share his story, and so does anyone. Take the chance to share a story.