Our readers might have noticed a decrease in posts in the last couple of days. As many of you know, I am located in Miami, which recently got a good hit from Hurricane Wilma.

The eye of Hurricane Wilma crossed the state of Florida in just 6 hours on Monday, and with that, I believe that about 4 million homes across the state lost power. In just Miami, Broward, & Palm Beach counties here in South Florida, we still have about 2.4 million homes/businesses without power. (I’m one of them.) But I’m one of the lucky ones. I have water, and I don’t have to boil it before I drink it, as most people in Broward & Miami Beach do. I didn’t have my windows blown out from the pressure or flying debris. My roof didn’t collapse. But many others weren’t so fortunate.

A friend just told me that people are fighting over bread in the grocery store and ice at the distribution centers. People are waiting hours and hours to get a little bit of gas for their cars or their generators. I also know people that have had a delay in receiving their paychecks, and have basically run out of money.

There is a definite sense of desperation from the public here, and I can tell you…I was better prepared than a lot of people, but if my situation had taken a turn for the worse (more damage to my home, etc.), I would have needed a lot more supplies. In order to prevent looting and to increase overall public safety, a curfew has been in effect for all of South Florida, and continues, from about 8pm to 6am each day. To enter into many neighborhoods, identification is needed to prove your residence in that community.

I am very thankful for my suerte this week. But I have to say, seeing and hearing what I have, I get a sense that in situations such as this (Wilma, Katrina, any other disaster), we really need to be prepared to take care of ourselves and our neighbors. We need to have enough supplies on hand that we don’t need to rely on outside help. Finally, we need to lend a helping hand to help out those around us in need, instead of fighting. Additionally I ask everyone in this area to conserve resources as much as possible. If you have water, please don’t overuse it. If you don’t need to go out in your car, stay home or take a walk - conserve gas.

I may not be able to post again for a while, but will be reporting back as quickly as possible. All photos taken in the Financial District (Brickell), of Downtown Miami.

From Brickell Avenue in Miami, Florida, this is Rebecca Carter reporting live!