In the hours preceding hurricane Irene, Forbes magazine contributor Jeff McMahon was in The Bahamas and says he noticed two distinct kinds of humans here: panicked Americans and calm Bahamians.
American tourists crowded hotel reception desks and taxi stands yesterday, rushing to escape to the more beseiged airport, while Bahamians took in stride the necessity of additional work: screwing plywood over windows, stacking deck chairs and tossing them into hotel pools to keep them from becoming airbone in the coming winds.
Why such a difference in attitude between Bahamians and Americans? Here’s what one native Bahamian told me:
“I have lived through many hurricanes in the Bahamas. You just need a place to stay out of the rain and relax until it’s over.”
