The weather in Miami, Florida is about as unpredictable as our university’s football ranking. Sweltering sun, to scattered showers, to surprise storms, you really do always have a mystery to wake up to outside your window.  

One thing us ‘Canes tend to encounter are some intense downpours. With storms such as Eta and Ida sweeping the East Coast this past year, we are really living up to our Miami Hurricanes name. Local10 reported that Miami saw 82.19 inches of rain last year, an increase of 20.29 inches from a normal year.   

Instead of letting us all deal with constant puddles and unpleasant shivering during class, I asked some University of Miami students what they do to weather these storms:  

What would students wear for a rainstorm?

The Classic Umbrella

Sophomores Sophia Emmanuel, Abby Shultz, and Fernanda Salas all wrote that they would bring an umbrella, and often leave it in their bags year-round just in case. Although umbrellas are often an adequate strategy, unfortunately, when a storm gets too fierce, they sometimes fail to keep us from the wind. Sophomore Andrea Orellana said, “I was running towards the Shalala student center in the rain and my umbrella fully flipped inside out on me and broke! I had to throw it out. Miami storms gets intense man.” Additionally, according to an article by JollyBrolly, umbrellas often break due to weak metal ribs, broken handles, and connections that are simply not strong enough within the material. Therefore, it is extremely important to make sure that your umbrella will keep you protected and will not break!

The “True South Floridian” Strategy

Junior Esther Caii said that she would bring nothing and pray. Junior Madi Mutzman agreed, saying she, as a “true south Floridian” would just bring regular clothes. Let’s be honest, with the unpredictability of Miami weather this can sometimes work. They may end up drenched, but they may also end up completely dry with no extra rain gear to carry around.  

Miscellaneous Answers

Other answers varied, from old shoes, towels, and sweaters, to boots, rain jackets, flip flops, ponchos, and windbreakers.  

Do students enjoy Miami Rainstorms?

Senior Ally Sample simply wrote in saying “RAIN SUCKS,” in all capital letters, while Junior Jamie Kushnir said, “I love thunderstorms. I find them relaxing.” It really depends on how prepared you are for the rain, how adjusted to the rapid storms you become, where you are located and what you do or don’t bring.  

Can you share some experiences with natural disasters?

Natural disasters can range from being the source of a minor inconvenience to a life changing catastrophe. While some storms leave the grounds a little slippery or moist, others create wildfires, flood homes, and uproot the lives of thousands of people. 

Sophomore Riley Hanes brought to our attention a personal experience she had in reference to helping her friend deal with a major natural disaster. She reported, “my friend Kaitlyn goes to Tulane and she had to evacuate, she couldn’t get a flight home so she came and stayed with me for a few nights until she could get it sorted out. I was glad to get to see her, but I felt bad that she couldn’t stay at school.” 

These situations can be extremely intense. CNBC News said that Hurricane Ida had the potential to cause over 95 billion dollars worth of damages, making it one of the top ten costliest hurricanes to date. Though effects can be incredibly consequential, being kind to each other during any storm, pandemic, or general situation can get us farther in life together. 

During difficult times such as these shared above, we also need to look out for not only our physical health, but also our mental health, as well as that of those around us. The American Psychological Association reminds us that after being exposed to a major disaster, we may feel particularly sensitive, deal with intensified feelings or genuinely feel stress. While this is extremely important to recognize, the APA also reminds us to seek help from friends, family, and therapy, to try to create more of a sense of routine, and to also give ourselves times to adjust, when something large or small in our lives changes, natural disaster or not.

Although it is often difficult to predict the severity of storms, no matter the extremity, we should individually stay prepared, with food and water always stored for when extreme cases occur. In today’s world, it is extremely important to know that when you are weathering the weather, whether you are in Miami, or elsewhere in the world, you are not alone.  

words_jamie moses. design_sal puma.