Losing Loved Ones...A Wonderful Tribute to Jean & Chris

Monday, August 29, 2011

                "Volatile Irene, Most-But Not All-Escape Wrath"

"After threatening the mid-Atlantic for days and prompting mass evacuations, Hurricane Irene struck Delaware and its neighbors only a glancing blow, leaving it bound for the record book as the storm that, "could have been 'The Big One.'"... Saturday night into Sunday morning, Irene's center passed less than 10 miles east of Fenwick Island and Ocean City, Md, and rumbled ashore along New Jersey's barrier islands hours later.  It was Delaware's closest brush ever with the eye of a hurricane, and only the third to have crossed into the Garden State." (The Wilmington News Journal, August 29, 2011)

Tragically, two of my sons closest friends lost their lives during Hurricane Irene.  Delaware's Governor, Jack Markell commented on the deaths of these two men:

"While we had hoped and prayed our state would get through this dangerous hurricane without the loss of life, we now know that is not the case.  I offer my condolences to the families and friends of Christopher Valentine and Jean Baptista, as I know this will be a time of great difficulty for their families and those close to them." (The Wilmington News Journal, September 2, 2011)

Have you ever lost someone you loved in a natural disaster?  

According to The Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) , The Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 (http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/ADSR_2012.pdf)  over the last decade, China, the United States, the Philippines, India and Indonesia constitute together the top 5 countries that are most frequently hit by natural disasters.  The Centre has been active for more than 35 years in the fields of international disaster and conflict health studies,with research and training activities linking relief, rehabilitation and development.  The Centre promotes research and provides an evidence base to the international community on the burden of disease and related health issues due to disasters and conflicts, in order to improve preparedness and responses to these humanitarian emergencies.

In order to cope with this terrible tragedy, family and friends of Jean & Chris created this wonderful tribute~ watch, remember, and add your thoughts and tributes for these wonderful, young men.

"Gone But Never Forgotten"