Hurricane Florence's Impact
November 11, 2018
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Hurricane Florence struck the coast of North Carolina on the evening of September 13th, 2018. This storm devastated everything in its path and destroyed the homes of hundreds. The storm was not a CAT 5 as anticipated, but it hit land as a CAT 3 and still had just as much damage. Citizens of Onslow County were issued a mandatory evacuation the Tuesday prior, but the service members and their families stationed on Camp Lejeune were not on the same page.
The Commanding General did not issue a mandatory evacuation, but informed the families that they could only leave on terms of each individual command. The announcement left families far more stressed than the storm was already causing. Jenna Witkop’s husband is stationed on Lejeune and was thankfully given the okay to leave by his command quickly in order to ensure their safety, but she still had an opinion on how the base handled it.
“It seemed like they did not take the hurricane seriously at all. They forced people to wait until the very last minute to leave which made it even more dangerous since the storm was approaching and we didn’t know when it would hit. I have a lot of friends who can’t drive due to injuries and more that were forced to stay because their husbands could not leave,” Witkop states.
Many families were actually separated during the storm due to husbands and wives not being allowed to leave. Spouses left with their children to keep them safe, while their enlisted spouse had to stay behind in the barracks and risk their lives in this storm. Since it was not a mandatory evacuation, many commands chose to keep those enlisted from leaving.
“Base refused to issue a mandatory evacuation which made the situation so much more unsafe. Too many people stayed behind and they’re lucky no one died on base,” states Fran Sullivan, a Pennsylvania citizen who's daughter lived on base with her husband.
Many of these families did not get any money to leave either from the military and struggled to get by during the weeks the storm hit. Some were forced to use their leave days; which are supposed to be used to visit family or go home in case of a family emergency; in order to leave. Financially, a lot of these families struggled due to having to stay in hotels for weeks with no help from the military. A common misconception is that military families have a lot of money, but many lower ranking service members do not have a lot to be able to stay away for so long.
“Marines and their families who already struggle financially had to choose between evacuating or toughing out the storm. So many houses were destroyed or damaged, even on base. Since it wasn’t a mandatory evacuation, the military didn’t help,” stated Sayge Booth, a spouse on Camp Lejeune who evacuated her home at the last minute.
Booth and another spouse, Amy Burger, came back to their homes with large holes in the ceilings and destroyed roofs. Mold got inside the homes, making it risky to live in. Not only was the military not helping, but many insurance companies refused to help with major damages and improperly quoted families way below the actual cost of the damages. The safety of these families are still at risk to this day as the mold continues to grow every time it rains.
“We shouldn’t have to pay a contractor out of pocket for a giant hole in our home that is well worth more than what our insurance quoted. I’ve never been more stressed in my life for my family, its been almost two months,” stated Amy Burger.
The storm had lasting effects on North Carolina and Onslow County. Thankfully, the base is attempting to make up for its mistakes by fixing the homes that were damaged on base. They are also relocating families who lost their homes and belongings, but it will still be a long time before everything will return to normalcy.
Get Out and Vote!
November 10, 2018
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For months everyone posted on the Internet to “get out and vote!” on November 6th, but how many people actually went out? In Onslow County, the turnout was larger than anticipated. The small sticker that exclaimed “I voted” meant much more to many citizens of the county than it seemed.
Hundreds of people gathered at voting stations, churches, and government buildings to cast their vote and make a difference for the community. The Jacksonville Commons Recreation Center had many representatives there, including Judge Kirby and Donnete Amaro, president of the Democratic Women of Onslow County.
This county was recently hit by the awful storm Hurricane Florence, and has been through a lot. The experience was very eye opening for many as to how the government officials in the county handled the situation and what can be done to make it better if something this awful happens again. Many campaigns were geared towards bettering the community due to how much many of the citizens are struggling. Many were also determined to better the school systems after many students were unable to attend school until recently. The schools were destroyed, ripping away months of education from these children. There were no places set up for the children to still get work done and it took a while for them to announce whether or not that time would get waved or if they would have to make it up.
The community has always come together in a time of crisis, but this was a different occasion. Although everyone had different point of views, each citizen had the same goal: to make a difference for the future.
Profile Story: Marisa Ciappetta
July, 2017​
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Marisa Ciappetta’s love for animals has been obvious throughout her life. Ciappetta grew up around animals of all shapes and sizes varying from family pets, wild animals, farm animals, and even the deer in her backyard. Ciappetta attended college at the Vet Tech Institute in Pittsburgh directly out of college and is currently a veterinary nurse at the Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty and Emergency department. Ciappetta has also traveled all the way to Thailand to learn more about animals. Through this she kissed elephants, hugged tigers, and had the experience very few are able to have.
When asked why she wanted to be a veterinary technician, Ciappetta stated, “As I got older, I knew I wanted to dedicate my time helping animals. I wanted to be their voice, and help them whether it’s treating them or crossing the rainbow bridge. Animals, I feel, have feelings and can physically feel pain just as much as us. I feel I make a difference because my job is not for the faint of heart” (Ciappetta).
Many people do not know how much effort and work it takes to be a veterinary technician and how they are just as important to the well being of the animals as the veterinarian is. Ciappetta describes many instances of over exerting herself, both emotionally and physically. Sometimes Ciappetta and her coworkers have to wrestle extremely large animals down to keep them still, causing physical pain. Sometimes they must take the animal to their family and watch them say goodbye.
Ciappetta accredits a lot of her abilities to the trip she took in the summer of 2014 with Loop Abroad’s summer program that takes high school and college students interested the veterinary field to animal rescues in Thailand. She was able to put this experience on resumes in order to show her job experience and got to live among the elephants, which is something few people can say.
Veterinary technicians make about $32,490 per year and generally require only an associate’s degree (“Veterinary Technologists and Technicians”). Marisa went to school for two years and now has a very god job, but the school was much faster pace than most other colleges. The employment of veterinary technologists is projected to grow 20 percent from 2016 to 2026 (“Veterinary Technologists and Technicians”).