SOUTH FLORIDA, October 30, 2012 — Man makes plans, and God laughs.

Americans are used to hurricane warnings that end up being mostly for naught. Outside of New Orleans and Miami, Americans take it for granted that some rain will come, but it will not be as bad as the scare-mongers in the media hype it up.

Hurricane Sandy was not that bad. It was worse.

While Florida received a day of hard rain, the Sunshine State ducked this one and is back to beautiful sunshine. The South Beach, Miami party scene was as festive as ever. Yet from the Carolinas all the way up to New England, there was misery. New Jersey in particular got belted.

Blizzard warnings are now in effect in West Virginia. Most people East of the Mississippi know somebody without power. Wall Street is empty as the global financial hub is under water.

The only things we can do are hug our loved ones and let our neighbors know we care. Human beings do not work miracles. That is why we are human.

Thirteen people were killed in the storm, never to be part of the American family again.

The presidential race was turned on its head as neither President Obama or Governor Romney wanted to be seen as being “partisan” in the face of tragedy.

Naturally, Obama could not help himself. Rather than link to the Red Cross directly, he sent out an email telling people to go to “My Barack.com” and then find the Red Cross link. Several hours later, just as the worst of the storm was about to rip much of the East Coast to shreds, Michelle Obama sent out a standard campaign fundraising letter.

While the Obama team has had their crass moments, the fact is that we all want to say the right things yet continue on as if nothing has changed. Should the people in Miami stop partying and feel ashamed that others are suffering while they are not? Of course not. The people of San Francisco had every right to celebrate their baseball team winning the World Series and their football team winning on Monday Night Football while the East Coast was getting battered.

So rather than wax poetic about a situation that we could not prevent and cannot immediately fix, the best we can do is seek solace in our fellow human beings.

This column is about you. Tell us your hurricane stories, and let us know how the rest of us can help. Think of the comments section as a command center.

I may be safe and sound, but virtually all of my relatives are in various parts of New York. As of this writing I could not reach my Aunt and Uncle in Coney Island in Brooklyn. Another cousin in Brooklyn had severe flooding. 911 was called, and that is all I know. Thankfully Facebook and Twitter allow me to check on others.

In addition to my real family, my extended family at the Washington Times Communities was in the line of fire. Our Senior Editor Jacquie Kubin lives in Washington, DC. Another editor, Catherine Poe, lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

I am politically conservative, Jacquie is middle of the road, and Catherine is politically liberal. They are still my “neighbors,” and their safety will ensure that the Communities continues to provide quality hard news and opinion journalism to people across the political spectrum.

Speaking of politics, my travels across America have made it impossible to reach out to every person who has touched my life. I was in Fort Payne, Alabama, two weeks before Katrina hit. I have spoken in 44 states, with the 44th one being Delaware only five days ago. I was safely away ahead of the storm, but my thoughts are with the people who stayed and faced the storm.

So to any person out there who has ever read anything I have ever written, the issue is not whether you like me or hate me, whether you worship my insights or curse my existence. The issue is that if ever there was a time for all of you to comment for the greater good, now is it. Whether you are in a position to offer help, need help, or at least know how to help, please let us know.

Anybody can surf the internet for information, but the best and most up to date information often comes from ordinary people living life. So please, let us know what is going on.

We can get back to fighting about partisan politics sooner than we really want to. For the moment, let’s roll up our sleeves and get the job done of helping each other rebuild.

We’re Americans. We can do this.

If you are on-line and need help go to http://www.redcross.org/find-help; If you came through the storm and want to help, the Red Cross is in need of blood donors use this link to find a donation center near you.

Brooklyn born, Long Island raised, and now living in Los Angeles, Eric Golub is a politically conservative columnist, blogger, author, public speaker, satirist and comedian. Eric is the author of the book trilogy “Ideological Bigotry, “Ideological Violence,” and “Ideological Idiocy.”

Eric is 100% alcohol, tobacco, drug, and liberalism free. Follow Eric on Twitter @TYGRRRREXPRESS

Eric Golub is an independent writer for the Communities. Read more from Eric at TYGRRRR EXPRESS

---

This article is the copyrighted property of the writer and Communities @ WashingtonTimes.com. Written permission must be obtained before reprint in online or print media. REPRINTING TWTC CONTENT WITHOUT PERMISSION AND/OR PAYMENT IS THEFT AND PUNISHABLE BY LAW.