Interview with Rafael Garcia (Volunteer). Hurricane Andrew - Front view of a home in which a fatality occurred A concrete tie beam from another unit crashed through the roof of this home.Courtesy National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Adminstration Photo Library:

Interviewer: At what point did you actually realize that a hurricane was probably going to hit Miami?

Garcia: I would say about three days before that Monday morning.   I figured this was going to be the big one for  us here.  I had a pretty bad feeling about it.

Interviewer: Did you have enough time to prepare for the hurricane?

Garcia: Although I had that feeling three days ahead, I work so it was difficult to get supplies.  I would try to go to Home Depot after work but the lines were so big and the people were so rude that I really didn't buy any goods.  I did put tape on the windows and stock up on some food . I got a lot of water and food...just the essentials to survive this little catastrophe.  I moved in all of the patio furniture from outside and cleaned up all of the plants and put them inside.

Interviewer: Before the storm hit, what did you think it would be like? Did you expect the amount of damage that Miami did receive?

Garcia: Well, I never expected the storm to be so strong.  I don't think anyone can understand the force of a hurricane until you live through it. 

Interviewer: Was this the first hurricane that you have ever experienced?

Garcia: Well, except for back in '79 when I experienced Hurricane David. But it actually didn't hit here.

Interviewer: During the hurricane, at what point did you realize that you better take cover?  Where were you at that time?

Garcia: I would say about three o'clock in the morning, Sunday morning.  The wind was getting pretty strong, the windows were shaking and rattling, so I took cover in the bathroom. At that time, I was in the living room watching t.v. and the electricity went out and then things started getting real bad.

Interviewer: Was there a time during the storm that you thought you might not survive?

Garcia: At about five o' clock, the wind was getting so strong that the walls were shaking inside of the bathroom, and I thought the worst was yet to come. So I really didn't think we (my brother and I ) were going to make it.

Interviewer: What happened to you during the storm?

Garcia: We were lucky.  We received almost no damages at all, just a few tiles blew off of the roof. 

Interviewer: What did you do right after the hurricane?

Garcia: Well, immediately following the hurricane, I first received a couple of phone calls and then I tried to make some phone calls, but they were unsuccessful.  Then I immediately went outside and there were trees everywhere, it was terrible.  I was shocked of course.  People were coming outside, all of the neighbors. I walked through all of the streets in the back of my house and as I walked South I could see the damages getting stronger and stronger. 

Interviewer: What extent of damage did you receive from Hurricane Andrew?

Garcia: I would say a block away from my house, they got hit there pretty bad. But on my townhouse, only some tiles blew off the roof.

Interviewer: How has Hurricane Andrew directly affected your life?

Garcia: Well, it affected my life directly, but just for a short period of time. It affected my work...I couldn't go to work for about four days. It affected my other family members , I had to help them out. They got a little more damage than I did.  Also, I've been distributing food, water and supplies to my friends and family members.

Interviewer: What made you decide to volunteer your time and efforts to help those in need?

Garcia: I got electricity very, very quickly.  I was one of the few people out of my neighbors who got electricity first. I saw the devastation that was down in Homestead and the Cutler Ridge area on the news. Plus, on top of that, I did drive down to the Cutler Ridge area to see the damage the day of the hurricane.

Interviewer: Did you just drive into the damaged areas of Miami and search for people in need, or did you contact the Red Cross, or any other group, for locations to go to?

Garcia: I do have friends that live in Homestead and some distant family members that live in Cutler Ridge, so that's why I decided to drive down there. I wanted to try to find them to see if they were okay.  When I was there, I decided to get together with their neighbors and help out cleaning their neighborhoods.

Interviewer: Did you work in any shelters?

Garcia: Yes, I worked in a very small shelter off of Cutler Ridge. I worked there temporarily for only about three days, mainly distributing canned foods and water.

Interviewer: What were your thoughts the first time you entered the areas of Cutler Ridge and Homestead?

Garcia: Well, there wasn't much there, it was all just flat, devastated. I was shocked. I had to drive through people's back yards and front yards to get to Cutler Ridge.

Interviewer: Where was the first location you went to volunteer and exactly what did you do to help?

Garcia: First I went to Cutler Ridge to see my friend, and I helped him out. He had a tree that went through his living room.  Since I have two chain saws, I helped to clear the debris out.  After that, we proceeded to help his neighbors out.  They had a car turned over against the front door of their house and with my truck, we pulled the car out.

Interviewer: Can you describe the first week following the hurricane? Describe the work you did and the victims conditions.

Garcia: Mainly the first week, all of the neighbors I met with just all pulled together. We went from neighbors house to neighbor's house cleaning, helping them out.  There was a lot of personal properties lost. We rented trucks, moved their furniture out, whatever they could save. Mainly, I went to neighborhood houses to help out, more than the shelters. The conditions of the people I helped were terrible.  I mean, they've just lost about everything they own.

Interviewer: Can you describe what the conditions were like for the homeless in the shelters that were set up immediately following the hurricane?

Garcia: The situation was very bad. The people there were obviously homeless and the bathrooms provided were very overcrowded, the hygiene was very bad for the kids, there were long lines for food, to use the bathroom, to shower.  It was just terrible.   I really felt bad for those people .I tried to help out as much as I could.  I also took a lot of water down there. 

Interviewer: Can you describe the set-up of the shelters and the process of receiving and distributing supplies to the victims?

Garcia: The process was very, very primitive and they weren't very organized in the beginning when I worked there. It wasn't run like a business or anything. Whatever could come in could come in. It was first come, first serve and it wasn't too well organized.

Interviewer: Can you describe the general morale, or psychological states, of the victims? Did the people get along in the shelters?  Did any fights break out over food and supplies?

Garcia: It seemed like some people were able to cope with their problems.  But the majority of the people, I would say, obviously the stress got to them. If you did not have the type of food or water at the time that they wanted it, they would lose their temper. There was a lot of stress, even between family members there were fights, between neighbors there were fights. It was just the stress after the storm.

Interviewer: How long do you think it will be until things are back to normal?

Garcia: After what I saw down in Homestead and Cutler Ridge area, I would say somewhere in the neighborhood of two and a half to three years for things to come back to normal.

Interviewer: Do you have any other thoughts or comments that you would like to share?

Garcia: I think that Miami and all of their citizens, and the citizens of Homestead will pull together and try to resolve all of their problems in reconstructing after Andrew.