Interview with Michael Tang ( Metro Dade Police Officer) conducted by Dan Jenkins, October 23, 1992, Miami, FL. Hurricane Andrew - Buildings on the Deering Estate Still-water marks from storm surge measured at 16.5 feet. Courtesy National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Adminstration Photo Library:

This is an Interview with officer Michael Tang, a MetroDade Police Officer, in reference to Hurricane Andrew and the Roles of the Police, in General During the Aftermath and Occurrence of the Storm.

Jenkins: Exactly how long have you been a police officer?

Tang: One year.

Jenkins: Could you please describe your educational background?

Tang: I have a high school degree and have done a little bit of college.

Jenkins: How old are you?

Tang: Twentyone.

Jenkins: Please describe, from a personal standpoint, what was your situation during, the actual impact of the storm?

Tang: We were basically in an Alpha Bravo shift, which is twelve hours on, twelve hours off, seven days a week. Basically we were on the road working till about an hour before the storm hit.

Jenkins: Exactly what time was this?

Tang: It's hard to say about two a.m. three a.m. But it was hard to tell because we were so busy, I didn't really keep track of time.

Jenkins: How were you assigned to your station during the storm?

Tang: I was assigned to uniform duty basically you are out on the road, we were assigned to our normal district which is the Doral district.

Jenkins: During the hurricane itself, where were you stationed?

Tang: At the Doral Country Club.

Jenkins: What were your experiences at the Doral Country Club and please, be explicit, for example, if anything happened, I'd like for you to recount it.

Tang: O.K., first it was ironic because I thought that this was a really safe place to be in fact, members of the squad were making jokes how we'd be the best treated there, 'cause Doral is known for, y'know, fancy service. Anyway, when the wind began to pick up and move trees around our cars too... it got too windy to drive, so we parked and ran into the hotel. I didn't do anything like, call my family I thought it would be like the others. It would turn like the other hurricanes did. Driving to the hotel was crazy the car started shaking real hard and you couldn't really go that fast because now you’re really freaking out trees are coming down and you could see cables slapping together and falling, the green glow of transformers blowing up. About that time, I began to wish I'd prepared better at my house bought more to eat.

Once we spot inside, we could no longer hear the police radios so I monitored Channel 7 and kept in tune with them, and basically got a really good view of it all. It was quite an experience and I lived to tell it and it’s something I'll never forget.

Standing right in front of the main entrance they've got big glass double doors. We were watching them, wondering which one was gonna go first, and if we would be fast enough to dodge it. We were just trying to face the situation with humor we almost got a pool going to bet which door would blow in first, and which person could best avoid it. We were joking, but it actually happened. I was standing next to them, talking on the phone with my mom, checking to see if everything was O.K. All of a sudden I heard the wind really start to pick up it was really strong and something just told me to turn around and when I turned around to look, I just dropped the phone and ran. The whole glass piece just fell in one piece and slapped the ground, glass went everywhere. The whole Doral crew was there trying to close it up, everyone had come into the room, curious to see what was going on with all the screaming and running around. I was lucky to move 'cause it would have fallen right on top of me. Once that happened I was sure that there was gonna be a whole lot of damage out there and it was serious.

Jenkins: Let's talk a little about what your official involvement was, as a police officer, after Hurricane Andrew had moved through the state. What was the first thing that you did after the storm, in your official capacity as a police officer?

Tang: Once we left, the whole squad was together, the sergeant had been instructed that once the hurricane had passed, we were to go out and make sure that if there was anyone trapped or something. Luckily, we didn't find anyone like that at that time. We basically didn't run into anything. However, we did go out and do a lot of damage assessment, try to see what roads could be used and to where or how far and try to document this on paper. When I saw the amount of damage in the Doral Park area, I thought for sure that we'd taken the worst of it, having not gone down South yet.

We couldn't get calls through emergency and the radio systems weren't working, so you basically had to stand by a phone and call in any information you had. Since the 911 system was out, emergency calls were going directly into police precincts. It was tough to get through.

Jenkins: What kind of problems, specifically, I guess, horror stories, did you hear about because of the absence of the 911 system?

Tang: Well. the uniform guys usually get the tail end of information the brass kind of likes to keep everything hushed. However, my third or fourth week after the hurricane I went to the communications center, and the dispatchers told me the situation was impossible. Anyone who needed help at this time was almost on their own. I can tell you, though, that we did a great job, and the dispatchers did a great job, in restoring the system, getting help to people as best we could and restoring places to some degree of normalcy. By the second day we could transmit and receive calls. However, there were still too many calls, too many emergency situations and not enough people.

There were a lot of gas leaks. At any point someone walking along smoking a cigarette could have ignited the neighborhood. There were a lot of car accidents, a lot of calls concerning possible fatalities and/or injuries. We knew that our department couldn't provide, and we needed help from other agencies. A lot of people from up North of us came down and volunteeredpolice officers, fire rescue people, etc..

Jenkins: Let's turn now, if we could, to your involvement in the Homestead, Florida City, and Cutler Ridge area, where you were stationed. Could you please describe your thoughts as you worked your first day in the area?

Tang: My first time down there we were told we were going down South because that’s where everything was worse. I remember it like it was yesterday. We had a field force, which consists of 1215 cars in a row with lights and sirens going all the way down to Cutler Ridge and we I distinctively remember this it was dark, there were no street lights anywhere so it was very, very dark. With the little light we had from the car, I could begin to see houses without roofs, cars overturned. As I rode by, I was at a loss for words. I was kind of like in shock, I really didn't know what to expect when the sun came up. We got to a rendezvous point, which was directly across the street from the Cutler Ridge mall. I had no idea that I was in front of the Cutler Ridge mall until someone pointed it out, that the place over there with, no signs that was practically leveled was the mall. I'd seen the mall prior to the storm, and would have known it had I been by it again. This time I was right there and didn't know where I was at. I had to be told twice I couldn’t believe it, I didn’t know what street I was on, whether I was facing North, South, East, or West, just because of the destruction there. When the sun came up, there were some National Guardsmen out in the streets already, and I saw the Holiday Inn in Cutler Ridge with practically the whole side missing. I could see into the rooms and I saw that across from there was a pile of rubble that used to be a Peache's record store. It was no longer there, the roof and walls were gone.

I'd seen, pictures of places like Beirut after bombs had exploded. This area was worse than Beirut. Once I saw everything, when the sun came up, I really got a grip of, wow, we're in for it, that it was gonna be a long time rebuilding, trying to get this to where it used to be.

Jenkins: Officer Tang, I'd like you to relate your reactions, from a personal standpoint, as you interacted with the people of Cutler Ridge, and witnessed the destruction and suffering they were going through.

Tang: Well, for the first time. I think I felt and it is a sad way to feel, but I think to them I was like Knight in Shining Armor, in several cases. Like once, we had to take food down there to some of the lower income areas, migrant labor camps, and they were scared to come out, a lot felt they would be deported if they were found. I'll tell you one story I’ll never forget. We were helping to distribute food and supplies. There was one family there, they had about four babies, and when we gave them what they needed, the smile that came to their faces was incredible. Many of the people would tell me that they hadn't eaten for two days, had no water, etc… One child, whose I don't know, tugged on my pants leg. All he wanted was a Coke, and we didn't have Coke. All we had was water. But in my lunch box I had two Cokes for myself, so I opened it and told the little boy he could have anything he wanted. I didn't want any of it, I basically didn't want to eat after this poor child begged me for a Coke. I mean, all he wanted was a Coke, and it was real hard ...it's kind of bringing tears to my eyes right now as I'm talking. I tell you, I went home after that day and cried.

At this point in the interview, Officer Tang was obviously distraught. After allowing a period of time for Officer Tang to compose himself, we continued the interview.

 I never thought I'd see something like that. Once I gave him the Coke, I was, like most officers, since we are supposed to keep our cool, but it's pretty hard, though 'cause we're human beings, and uh, I kept my cool and we brushed it off, the guys in the squad joked that it could've been a great Coke commercial. I'd have made millions and stuff like that, but when I went home that night I cried, and it's happened many times since.

We were just out there helping the people, and every now and then you'd get really, really low, because it was just depressing and you would just see the destruction, and we were working a minimum of 12 hours, we had no days off, we had 130 officers lose their houses, from MetroDade alone, and 33 of them were from the station, and it was just really hard to see everyone like this. It was like no one was really there, our bodies were but our minds were elsewhere. How can we help our fellow officers as well as the community? Every now and then, when you get to a really low point, something would happen to get you back up again. One day, in the car, we saw an elderly Hispanic couple who had filled their car up with water. They came up to us, and they said they wanted to donate this, but we can't find a way to donate it. So they gave it to us and we gave it away to everyone we could. Every time I would get really low something like that would really lift me up. It was just so tough to see people who had never thought that this would ever have to stand in line, or make a line two blocks long, just to get some bread and water. A lot of people were embarrassed to have to do this. Here were people making over 30 to 40 thousand dollars a year, and had nice homes, nice cars, who thought they were set having to get whatever we could bring to help them survive. A lot of people in this area are independent and could never have seen themselves seeking help from others.

Jenkins: Officer Tang, what was the official role of the police in South Dade immediately following the storm?

Tang: Well, other than the helping roles, which took most of our time, we had a problem with looting. A lot of places didn't have windows or even walls. They were wide open and very vulnerable to looters. The big problem with the looters was that many of them were people who would never have stolen otherwise. The Publixes, WinnDixies, all these places people were there taking food only. Our Job is to protect businesses,and, y'know, prevent crime. The business owners were, a lot of them, there protecting their businesses. We were really undermanned at that point and we had word come down from the brass was just, kind of like y’know, "warn and dismiss", unless there was something really serious. But I also think a lot of police officers as well as brass itself and the business owners knew that we had to take off our uniforms and just be human beings. Most of the initial looting weren't antisocial people, but were people who were hungry and needed food. It was quite awhile before the Red Cross, and especially the military, set up an organized food distribution plan. Even so, a lot of people weren't able to get to these distribution centers because even if they had a working car, there was no gas down there. A lot of us who understood this were able to be human beings. We warned them, told them not to come back, we kind of went our way and they went theirs. Each one of us, deep down inside, wanted to tell them to come back and get whatever they needed, but we couldn't basically say that, but I think we all felt that way, It would have been real hard for me to arrest someone who’s taking food. At the same time we felt strongly the other way when we saw people carrying televisions down the street and there was no electricity down there. There was no way to rationalize that. We saw people rolling cars off of South Motors property. We felt strongly opposed to that. There was no gas and no keys. How could you use it? These were strictly for criminal activities taking advantage of the situation. It was easy to arrest them, but people who were hungry and stealing food, they were just using their instincts for survival.

Jenkins: How long were you stationed in the Cutler Ridge area?

Tang: We were stationed down there starting the day after the hurricane, about 45 weeks after that.

Jenkins: We just talked about police roles. Did these roles, as time went by, become more strict in terms of enforcement of laws?

Tang: As the weeks went by, we began making more and more curfew arrests, if the person didn't really belong in the area, we questioned people, y'know what are you doing here walking when you live in North Dade, etc. Like on US 1 there were a lot of places, Circuit City was one of them, that were wide open. We began enforcing more, having more patrols throughout the neighborhoods. As far as looking for looters and people who were doing home invasions in that area, that was a big focus. We became more organized as time went on. Days we distributed food and helped care for the people, and at night we made sure everyone was squared away and where they were supposed to be.

Jenkins: You said you were stationed down there for about 4 to 5 weeks. I'm sure that during your time down there you had experiences with price gougers. Maybe you could relate one story about prices gouging that might be interesting?

Tang: I'll tell you one of my favorites about a. gentleman who came all the way from South Carolina with a big truck full of generators and he was selling them for $1500S2000. He parked along US1, and he was not familiar with the area or the neighborhood, not familiar with the delinquents that hang around in that area he was in. He got a gun in his face. They took his truck, his generators, and all his money. ( Laughter ) It brought happiness to me. We attended to him, we made an effort to look for the truck, because it was wrong and a crime had been committed. However, deep down inside. We were all happy 'cause here was someone who was taking advantage and make profits out of people's misery, and people were out there trying desperately to get a hold of anything that could help them. And to see that happen, it was like a surge, kind of like justice was served. It happened backwards. but it worked. It was great. To me it was anyway.

Jenkins: Officer Tang, did the MetroDade Police Department have an emergency or contingency plan for a hurricane that you could put into effect that was formulated before the storm hit, or was it a last second panic rush to get things done?

Tang: I really don't think we had a formal plan per se, however, I'm not in the brass. If they had one I didn't know about it and it obviously didn't work, if any plan could have worked in this situation. I could tell you that if anything like this ever happens again, we gained a tremendous experience through this hurricane that is hard to believe. After a few days, there was more organization, though there were too many chiefs, and not enough Indians. A lot of people were doing things out there without knowing what others were doing, at least at first. But I really don't think there was a plan as far as hurricanes go. But due to the racial tensions and the diversity of ethnic groups in Miami, we at MetroDade have the best plan for riot type situations, which is an emergency situation calling for immediate action and mobilization. But not for a hurricane.

Jenkins: Do you think, with this experience you've gained, that an emergency plan for hurricanes might be drawn up now?

Tang: We had a lot of people from South Carolina, police and other help oriented volunteers who brought their experience from Hurricane Hugo down to us and passed it along. I think that they already have a plan setthey don't want history to repeat itself.

Jenkins: Officer Tang, this is a highly personal question, How has Hurricane Andrew changed your perspective on your job?

Tang: It's definitely changed it. Before the storm, I knew that the community was pretty segregated, y'know it is. I saw for the first time everyone helping each other and, I've always felt that way, that you should set aside your race, your religion, whatever, and think of one another as human beings. It brought hope into me because of seeing people riding in cars together or walking and talking together, carrying a woman's bags to her car, that I would have never believed would be seen together before. It even brought the department together. Sometimes you have to work with people you don't like, it's just like anywhere else. In a situation like this, we learned to set things aside and work together.

Jenkins: What kind of visible changes have you perceived in the actions, motions, emotions, and policies of your colleagues?

Tang: A lot of changes have happened. I told you a story off the record of a colleague who had a house in Country Walk. He’d just gotten off work, I mean a lot of us had no power, eating cold cuts and getting tired of it. We were working 12 hour days, no days off. It was just very hard. We were looking out for other people, but we had not much time to look out for ourselves. But you only had time to eat, sleep, and wake up to go to work again. Anyway, my friend had just gotten off work, he was outside his house in Country Walk, and a lady ran up to him and said, "Officer, officer, could you do this or that for me?" He replied, "I'd like to help you, but I've got my own house to look after and I'm not working right now, and if you don't mind, I need this time for myself and my family's problems .

He's a human being, not some emotionless robot. He had massive problems himself, he can't solve everyone else's

Jenkins: Do you see this whole Hurricane Andrew situation changing or having an impact on law enforcement in South Florida?

Tang: I can't really say for sure whether it will change or not, but I know for a fact that it's definitely prepared us. I think that if we can handle this, we can handle anything because well, I talked to some law enforcement people from South Carolina who had gone through Hurricane Hugo, and they simply said that Hugo was a walk in the park comparatively. They would say that as they looked around and see what we have to look forward to, and we have our work cut out for us. We'll be working for quite a while for years, we have along way to go, but it's definitely changed as far as relationships with the community. Some of the people have changed toward us. I think that in Florida there's a lot of negative feelings toward police because of past corruption, and abuse of police powers. I think for once they saw the good in the police department, so I think it's changed. Some people now appreciate us because we were there to help them.

Jenkins: That's going back to the old concept of the "Peace Officer".

Tang: Exactly, I always liked the old way where the police officer knew everyone's name on the block he walked his beat on. But now, because of the crime rate, and the population down here it's hard to do that. However, it was good to drive down and people would stop us to come inside for a drink, or just stop by for whatever, that was good. So it's definitely changed, we've gotten closer to the community.

Jenkins: Do you see any positive outcomes from Hurricane Andrew?

Tang: Definitely, like I told you about the community relations, there were a lot of situations like that, where people showed their appreciation. People who had their own problems still volunteered to help whoever needed it. I think we all owe ourselves a pat on the back because South Florida, the people of South Florida, did it themselves. The military and other organizations helped, but South Florida came through. There were many negative things, but so many positive things with people coming out of the woodwork to help out. Low and high income people were all together, helping one another, making the same movements, sharing the same stories, and even helping one another out when they were all in desperate shape. It just brought the community a little closer.

Jenkins: What effects do you see in the future? Will these changes carry over into the future?

Tang: Yes, they can. I hope it does continue, but we have a long way to go. I really see people learning from it. I hope so. As long as the rebuilding is going on, these people will have to work together, and. that's gonna be a while.

Jenkins: Are there any special or outstanding stories that happened after the hurricane that you can blame on the hurricane? Maybe there's a story you can relate where it took a little time for the effect to come into play?

Tang: He could only think of one real outstanding incident, but declined to discuss it on record, as it refers to a colleague and friend of his.

Jenkins: Could you tell us abut the police officers in your department who lost their homes? It's my understanding that there is a large number of police officers living down in the heavily affected areas. Could you talk about their plight?

Tang: In our unit, which is approximately 130 officers, 33 officers lost their homes. One guy in our unit lost two houses, one in Country Walk, and one somewhere else down South. It's hard to imagine having to go out there and work still. He's the platoon commander on the day shift. He's the leader of our field force, so he has to be out there. Working with no days off is hard for these people. It's hard to be left homeless, having to find somewhere for you and your family to stay, and still have to go out after dealing with your own problems. There isn't any time to rest or recuperate.

Jenkins: What kind of arrangements have these officers had to make, the ones who have lost their homes? How have they provided for their families?

Tang: Many have gone through the P.B.A which is our bargaining unit. They've really helped out by locating hotels. Many officers are still living in hotels, and ah, a lot of people have provided things to us to help us, because, like I've said, and maybe I'm beating a dead horse, but we're out there working way more than normal, trying to help others when many of us have big problems of our own. So, a lot of agencies have really helped us out.

Jenkins: Officer Tang, I asked this question to you previously, and you balked at answering on the record. Would you care to relate this special story that involved one of your collegues?

Tang:Well, there's a high stress level already, and then with the storm, it's even greater. We have one particular sergeant whose name I won't mention, who had a recent incident where the long hours, the loss of his father, and. the destruction of the storm all contributed to an enormous amount of stress. This guy went down in a police car to the Miami Herald building with the lights and siren on, and started shouting, "Read the paper! Read the paper!" Asking for Rick Sanchez and generally yelling nonsense. He was under a tremendous amount of stress, and he's always been the kind of person to always keep his cool. He's the last guy you'd think this would happen to. The long hours, the hysteria, all these things have built up inside all of us, and there have been times that we had chapel services, or if someone needed a day off, people would volunteer to help out. We had psychological services offered to us. The constant pressure, the constant misery you're exposed to, and he just blew up. He couldn't take it.

Jenkins: What exactly did he do and what's been the resolution of the case? How is the police department helping him?

Tang: It's hard for me to talk about it because it's private, and sad to see someone who you look up to and admire do what he did. You know it was a natural reaction that a person might make. But he's being looked at and analyzed by some good people. The department, I hope, will keep him on duty, maybe off the street, and try to work with him to get his problems straight, and once the department feels that he's able to go out and get back into the police function, he'll hopefully be put back out there. For now, I'm sure he's still on the payroll.

Jenkins: When you look around you at the police department, do you see any other people that might be so stressed out that they could cause problems later on, and if so, could you elaborate on what might be done to take care of that situation?

Tang: It's happening to everyone, including me. I've been so overworked and stressed to the point where I've become very lackadaisical. Certain calls, emergency type calls come in. I've noticed this now, and I'm careful not to be like this anymore, and I wasn't following my officer safety skills anymore. I'd just walk up to any building, or whatever car, not knowing anything, and not checking it out beforehand. I wouldn't even be paying attention. A lot of other people were the same way, so it's been hard. The occasional days off we're getting now are helping, but there were times where I'd walk away from a situation where I could have easily gotten drilled if something had happened. Things like work schedules have become more like normal, and the department has been working with people to make sure their needs are met. They've been very supportive.

Jenkins: Is there anything that you'd like to add other than what we've discussed?

Tang: There are so many things I've experienced and it's tough to hit even a small portion in here, I guess I'd like to say that I'm really proud of, and it's kind of a bad way to be proud, but because of this disaster and misery, for the first time I feel like a true policeman, kind of like the old days where the primary responsibility was to help people. It wasn't about chasing bad guys, they were helpers, servants of the community and I think we all feel that way. When there are people who need help, and you are able to help them, you go home and feel good, even with the pain and emotion that is there. I feel really proud of myself, and proud to be a member of the community helping to rebuild.

Jenkins: Thank you, Officer Tang, for you time and candid answers.