By Derrah Getter, Journalism senior
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Sleeping on the floor of a radio booth in the College's Innovation News Center (INC) is something I never thought I’d be proud of, but after 36 hours, I was just as giddy as ever.
During Hurricane Idalia, which hit Florida on Aug. 30, 2023, as a category 3 storm, 17 students accompanied nine INC news managers to cover the dangerous storm’s arrival and impact. Over the span of two days, our live cut-ins were broadcast on WUFT-TV, Gainesville’s local PBS affiliate, every three hours like clockwork.
Leading up to Idalia’s arrival, I wasn’t anticipating this opportunity. To be totally honest, I wasn’t even taking this hurricane seriously. Having lived in Florida for the past 21 years made me look at the arrival of a hurricane like any other day. But my mom and grandma told me to make hurricane preparations, so I did. On Aug. 28, with my low fuel light on two days before the storm was projected to make landfall, I was waiting in line to get gas when a notification popped up on my phone. The INC was soliciting volunteers to help cover the hurricane before, during, and after the storm’s arrival.
Before getting out the car, I responded in the parking lot of my apartment complex with the non-perishable food items I just bought still sitting in my trunk. Where I would sleep and how long I’d be on campus didn’t even cross my mind. I began that day preparing for Idalia’s impact, but I was now preparing for how it was going to impact others. In that moment, I began to care.
A few hours later, UF announced its closure beginning at noon on Aug. 29. I went to sleep with Weather Nation on in the background, hoping my brain would soak up what was being said.
Tuesday started out as a typical day. As I was walking to my 9:30 a.m. class, I was overcome with uncertainty. Sandbags suddenly lined the building’s doorways. I sat restlessly for the entire 50-minute class. I thought about how the other students would be spending their day. Did they prepare, or would it be another Tuesday for them?
I went home and began researching, watching and reading everything I could think of. At this point, my mind was racing. How could I cover a hurricane when I’ve only ever covered a severe thunderstorm? I was second guessing my ability and was too focused on my lack of experience. Idalia was inching up the west coast. My time to think turned to time for action. I packed three days’ worth of food, an overnight bag and headed back to campus.
Upon my arrival at 5 p.m. on Aug. 29, I was informed I would be going live at 8 p.m. It had been almost a month since I had been in front of the green screen. It didn’t matter now, all that mattered was getting the latest info and getting it right. I jotted down notes and began building my forecast for the show. By 8 p.m., Idalia was a category 2 hurricane.