Letter of the Day: Soft cadences and wings

Editor, Daily News:

Re: The start of the new hurricane season.

I was visiting my mother when Hurricane Wilma struck Naples last October.

We went to the Palmetto Ridge High School evacuation center.

There were so many "Wings of Wilma" there that we can hardly list them all. We had heard so many horror stories about evacuation centers that we were delighted to see the wonderful facilities. We were cheerfully greeted by American Red Cross volunteers who answered all our questions and kept the food and beverages coming. We felt very safe with the constant presence of the sheriff's deputies.

And the people, especially the many children, in the huge gym were not only pleasant to be around, but were helpful and sharing and available for a laugh.

We were even able to sleep all night, for at "lights out" at 9 p.m. the gym settled down to a quiet murmur of the soft cadences of whispered Spanish and English.

Early in the morning, we walked around softly to see the many families sleeping — with the children in the arms of their parents.

With so many wings flapping all the time we were there, this was as pleasant an experience as one could hope for.

Charlene D. Long , Salem, Mass.