How Do you Handle Hurricanes? Take the Quiz and See

It is 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 9, 2024. Hurricane Milton, a category 5 hurricane at this hour, is gorging itself on the warm waters and humid temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico as it prepares to menace the west coast of Florida.  Milton follows Helene whose chaos crippled western North Carolina and west coastal areas of Florida where they are dreading the certainty of more destruction and power outages.

 Local weather reporters bask in their five minutes of fame as viewers fixate on the latest track predictions, while fielding calls from worried friends and family whose well-meaning concern compounds our own anxieties.

 My husband and I have been in the public opinion research business for 30+ years.  We developed a personality quiz based on archetypes. Since I had time on my hands, I decided to analyze how each of the four archetypes might approach a hurricane or other such natural disaster.

The Sage

The Sage is the visionary among the archetypes. They are strategic thinkers. The Sage is logical, analytical, and straightforward. This is the person who will find new and innovative ways to look at the world and to solve problems.

 Pre-hurricane, the Sage would have been fascinated by the meteorological reports and may have downloaded a chart from the National Hurricane Center to graph the trajectory and path of the hurricane. Post-hurricane, without access to the internet, the Sage would turn to their library. Sages love books. Unplugged, this would be an opportunity to learn something new like… a new language, a musical instrument, or cooking recipes. As a Sage, you won’t mind the isolation. You will enjoy the time to pursue the life of the mind you so enjoy.  

The Dreamer

The Dreamer is idealistic, empathetic, and expressive.  A driving motivation for this archetype is authenticity. Dreamers are very creative and expressive.  Many poets, playwrights, novelists and other creative writers come from this group

 The Dreamer can’t stand it!  They must volunteer and help in some way.  Whether it be donating money, food, clothing, or even opening up their home for people who have suffered losses. Creativity is important to the Dreamers among us and they will use this time sequestered inside to engage in something creative. Even sans power, they will delve into their arsenal of art supplies to sketch, paint, sculpt, or even doodle. Dreamers are nurturers and tend to focus on the needs of others.  Use at least part of this time afforded you to do something you love. 

The Caretaker

Caretakers value organization and punctuality, and they seek out that quality in others.  The Caretaker is dependable, task-oriented, and responsible.  Systems are their friend.

 Caretakers are probably the best prepared of all the archetypes for a disaster.  They are the epitome of the Scout motto. They will have purchased the requisite batteries, water, canned goods, and propane well before the mob hysteria hit.  They are conscientious about not venturing out when a curfew is imposed, not wanting to add a burden to first responders. Since you are responsible and organized, you will have games, books, and probably even a casserole prepared.  You can relax and be at peace knowing your trees have been trimmed.  Caretakers, however, have a tendency to over-anticipate and prepare.  Try to use this gift of time for at least a little fun. 

The Rebel

The Rebel lives for today, views work and fun as the same, and will try new things on the spur of the moment. Enjoyment and being active are essential to the Rebels in our midst.  Rebels tend to be non-conformists and are more spontaneous than other archetypes.  After all, rules are just suggestions to Rebels.

 Rebels react in a couple of ways to disasters. They may be positively gleeful about this extra gift of time.  They are flexible and the best at adapting to new and unplanned situations. You will be the fun one, sitting on the floor playing games with grandchildren. Being the gregarious one, you don’t mind sharing your house with others who have lost power.  On the other hand, after a couple of days you might begin to chafe at your lack of freedom and imposed house arrest.  You probably will be one of the first out to check out the damage. You will see this as an adventure. You are probably the one to say “rules are just suggestions” as you ignore the governmental admonitions to stay in place.

 Which of these descriptions fits you? Which one fits your partner?  Click here to take the KQuiz and find out.