If you鈥檙e a regular listener to SA国际传谋, you might recognize the voice of Phil Latzman, anchor and host at SA国际传谋. Phil also happens to be one of NPR鈥檚 go-to guys whenever there鈥檚 a hurricane anyplace near South Florida. But it wasn鈥檛 always that way.
On the weekend before hit in August 1992, Phil was young, living on South Beach, having a good time, playing basketball, going to the beach and listening to a lot of Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Phil and his friends were in their early twenties. When it seemed that Andrew might hit South Florida, they thought, 鈥淲here鈥檚 the party?鈥� They ended up at an apartment on the 12th floor of a building in Coral Gables. Best of all: the apartment had a terrace from which to view all of the action. They were drinking, talking, with the TV on in the background.
Phil spent some of that party on the terrace, filming with a video camera. He says he still has the tape somewhere, but sadly, he was unable to find it for this story 鈥渟o that we could all see the stupidity.鈥� Phil says:
鈥淲hen things got really bad, the winds were strong enough to lift me up like a flag.聽I felt the angle of my body sort of lift up even further and all of a sudden, I was going to be standing straight up the back of my body was going to be straight up if I didn鈥檛 do something.鈥�
His friends pulled him in to safety. For Phil, that experience and the weeks after the hurricane, were a time to grow up: 鈥淭he realization of what followed鈥搕he blue roofs鈥搕he fact that people had nothing. I was like, 鈥極K, I鈥檓 not rooting for a hurricane ever again.鈥欌��
He鈥檚 never told his teenage kids this story鈥撯�滻t鈥檚 embarrassing to admit you鈥檙e an idiot,鈥� 鈥揵ut he wonders if the airing of this story might be a good opportunity. Anyone who鈥檚 a parent is probably familiar with the tough situation of being honest with children about bad decisions made in the past. Good luck, Phil!
