I have seen the many faces a disaster can leave. I have witnessed the anger and hate on the faces of those who threw rocks and bottles at the authorities and later burned downed businesses in their own communities during civil disturbances. I saw the despair and disbelief in the expressions of the police officers who were the main target of those rocks, bottles, and verbal abuses from the community, that they serve and live.

I have lived the aftermath of a major disaster, in Hurricane Andrew which came ashore on August 24, 1992, striking South Florida with powerful winds sustained at more than 145 mph. At times the wind gusts exceeded 175 mph. By the time the storm had moved out into the Gulf of Mexico, over a hundred thousand people were left homeless. Approximately 1000 square miles were effected. We were fortunate that the storm was a fast moving storm or else flooding waters and death toll would have surely risen.

The event was the highest financial disaster in our nations history. The eighteen months that followed created an enormous erray of emotions and challenges for the survivors. The different stages of the recovery efforts displayed fear, shock, displacement, hopelessness, and anger. An experience that will live with me forever and which I would not want to repeat. The children of Andrew grew up overnight. The innocence that they lost will never be returned.

The unexpected crash of Valujet flight 592 in the Florida Everglades on May 11, 1996. The different emotions and expressions illustrated in this tragic event were just as powerful as what I had experienced Living in ground zero with Andrew. There was the shock of 110 passengers and crew dying on board the aircraft. The fear of the unknown as we entered the swamp for that first recovery mission out into unknown territory. The feelings of being closed in as we entered the tall sawgrass each time causing a loss of sense of direction to the workers. The feelings of grief as we saw what we hadn't expected and the sense of determination as we met each challenge which were presented to us during the entire 5 1/2 week operation. The emotions and feeling of isolation from being on a small levy inlet for the length of the operations.

This article is a tribute to the men and women whose tireless efforts moved them undaunted through the rescue and recovery operations of a major disaster. Considering the physical and emotional drain an event of this magnitude can create, their display of selfless determination is amazing. Indeed their uncommon valor was a common everyday occurrence.

Most of us cannot imagine the horror of a disaster striking in "our" backyard, (it's always somewhere else, right?). For that reason I am committed to writing this article to prepare and hopefully assist every municipality everywhere. (from the major city to the tiniest hamlet) in the development of a solid action plan for the handling of a major disaster. I will try to keep this article informative without the emotionalism generated by this tragic event.

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