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Memories of the devastation from Hurricane Katrina like this shot of Ron's neighbor's house came rushing back this week in the wake of Superstorm Sandy (Ron Upshaw photo)

Ron: Why I'm thankful for my hurricane

BY Ron Upshaw  on November 1, 2012 @ 1:39 pm (Updated: 3:43 pm - 11/1/12 )

Watching people on the East Coast return to see what is left of their homes brought back a lot of memories for me. I was able to find the photos I took the first time I went back to our house in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina.

My expectation when I was driving my rental car was that our house was probably gone. All the news footage I had seen up to that point was showing empty lots. For some reason, I needed to make the pilgrimage to see it for myself.

I'm sure the people just hit by Sandy are having the same emotional roller coaster ride that I went through in 2005. My first reaction was glee and amazement. I was shocked that our house was still standing. Immediately I thought that I might be able to salvage many of the possessions inside. My guitar collection, computer, and the Ron & Don Show archive that I had kept for over a decade. I was also hoping that my wife's horse gear made it - her favorite saddle and all the tack she used almost every day.

Then your heart drops as you enter the building. It finally dawned on me, as it will for thousands of people in New Jersey, that this storm was much more powerful than I thought. As I walked through our little house, I came to the conclusion that it would be emotionally easier if I just walked away. So I took a few photos and some CD's from our show, and that was it.

The next few months will be the worst. This story will fade from the front page, but their lives will go on. There will be countless moments of sadness every time you go to get the most mundane item and it's not there. I can't tell you how many times I looked for a shirt or kitchen utensil that I knew should be where it always was only to remember - Oh yea, that's been destroyed.

If there is a silver lining, it's that time does heal. It does get easier. Insurance companies will finally send you a check. You do get to buy a new bed, and shirt, and plates. After a few years, it will become an interesting story to tell at parties. Then another storm will happen, and all the emotions will come flooding back. But the best gift of a big storm like this is that you become grateful - very grateful for what you have. That feeling of gratitude has never left me since my big storm. And things have fallen into place more than I could have hoped for. We're back in the city that we love, doing a show that we love for the best people in the world.

Believe it or not, I'm thankful for my hurricane.

Ron Upshaw, KIRO Radio Talk Show Host
Ron Upshaw is one-half of The Ron & Don Show on KIRO Radio (weekdays 3-7). When he's not behind the mic, he is most likely putting his smarts and even-keeled nature to the test by sitting on pocket aces at a local Texas Hold 'Em table.
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Comments (8)


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  • soo purletiv wrote...
    But then again...
    November 1, 2012 6:22 pm
    you are one of the survivors
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  • MonnyJ wrote...
    But then again
    November 1, 2012 7:30 pm
    ...That was a dumb thing to say. Of course when a disaster hits, tragically some will lose their lives. Yes, he is a lucky survivor, but the experiences like Ron's are still valid, and it's interesting to read his perspective...one that thousands and thousands are dealing with now. Great article Ron.
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  • soo purletiv wrote...
    @ MonnyJ
    November 1, 2012 10:38 pm
    "Dumb thing to say"? For reals?

    Many lost their homes, businesses, livelihood and even their lives due to Katrina.

    Many were too old to start over somewhere else. Many lost any and all means to start over anywhere else!

    Ron was a relatively young man with a network of contacts to get him back on his feet.

    I never invalidated or even criticised his experiences nor his perspective. I merely offered a different view. One that obviously violated your senses.

    You want to know what a "dumb thing to say" really is?

    Referring to Ron as a "lucky survivor" is a dumb thing to say! When mention of the storm and its potential impact to the area came, and the warnings went out, he left the area. Unlike many who ignored the warnings and either lost their lives, or were dependant on others who risked theirs to help them. He returned after the storm had passed.

    Not at all a "lucky survivor". More like a circumspect survivor.

    You obviously don't share my opinion. C'est la vie! But to refer to an observation that is contrary to your own perfect one, is ignorant and so little of you, to say the least......

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  • MonnyJ wrote...
    ok...my bad.
    November 2, 2012 10:13 am
    Your points are well taken. I just misinterpreted 'your tone' in your short comment. I see from this comment that (YOU) "never invalidated or even criticised his experiences nor his perspective" - Ok, I get that now. And I see you point that he was just a smart survivor in that he heeded the warnings given. My observation was what it was...definitely not perfect. Sorry if "my tone" gave that impression.
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  • justanotheridiot wrote...
    I wonder if moRon...
    November 2, 2012 8:19 am
    had to dig in a dumbster for food like what is happening now. This is so great huh moRon? People suffering and just think, in 5 years they can all just joke around the fire with a glass of wine about how great it is to lose pictures and family jelwery and everyother thing that is important to them. Another idiot. Ron and Don suck
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  • Sean wrote...
    Who could possibly give a cr4p...
    November 2, 2012 12:03 pm
    what Ron (and ESPECIALLY DON) thinks??? What a waste of time and energy. There have to be a zillion other more newsworthy things to talk about.
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  • Lillyrose125 wrote...
    I Get It
    November 2, 2012 12:37 pm
    I've never been through anything like this and you took me through what it must be like. Very sad. I also see what you are trying to say - for you, things turned out okay, but it was a traumatic thing to go through. I can't even imagine losing everything except that of course, if you don't lose a loved one or pet, you are thankful, but still...
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  • John S Paul wrote...
    To justanotheridiot and Sean -
    November 6, 2012 1:01 pm
    Better be careful with the mean comments that don't stroke Ron and Don's massive, over-inflated, self-important egos, or they might just ban you, like they did me from their Facebook page for pointing out their incredible stupidity. I can still load their F/B page, but my comments have all been deleted, and my ability to comment on their "stories" has also been disabled.

    So much for "Freedom of Speech", huh, you fascists...?

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