Concordia Students Affected by Hurricane Matthew

by Emily Kollbaum

Hurricane Matthew hit Florida shores on Oct. 8 after forming on Sept. 28 and carving through Haiti, Cuba and the Bahamas. The Category 4 hurricane impacted areas in Florida and South Carolina and produced high winds, heavy rainfall and flooding.

“We got hit with the outer edges of it on it’s first way up the east coast,” senior Brianna Bossle from Coral Springs, Florida, said, “It’s going to circle around and cut across through my hometown and across the state.”

She pointed out that hurricanes in Florida are similar to tornadoes, only with more preparation and notice. Senior Meredith Lock from Winter Haven, Florida, shared that her sister and brother-in-law had to evacuate because of the storm.

“It was not as bad (in Winterhaven) as they had anticipated,” Locke said. “It was a Category 4, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.”

Zachary Kollbaum and his wife Clarissa (Beving) Kollbaum, both Concordia graduates, are in their first year in Winter Haven teaching at Grace Lutheran School.

“I didn’t expect to hear about as many people not evacuating as what I had heard,” Kollbaum said, “There were many people on the coast line (where it hit the hardest) that did not evacuate and instead threw hurricane parties and road the storm out.” He also pointed out that they had two days off of school for “hurricane days.” These days are used for preparation and staying safe during the storm.

Overall, the impact of Hurricane Matthew was focused mainly on the shores of Florida and South Carolina, Haiti, Cuba and the Bahamas. Many families were evacuated north and away from the shoreline.