As Hurricane Irma barreled toward Florida last month, Stephanie Kurleman and her family packed up three cars and evacuated to a friend’s home. “I thought I wouldn’t come back to anything,” Kurleman said, recalling the moment her family drove away from Clearwater Beach. In addition to the basics, she said they gathered documents, photos, her Bible, jewelry, plus the kids’ kiteboards.
When the storm passed, they drove back and found only minor damage. But the experience left Kurleman with an urge to purge. “I was weighed down by too much stuff,” Kurleman, 50, said. “I was prepared to start over with what I had with me,” she said, adding: “I could live simpler.”
In the past two months, thousands of homes in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, Mexico and California have flooded, flattened or caught fire. In a matter of hours or days, homes that took lifetimes to fill with furniture, clothing, technology, sports equipment, photo albums and family videos were reduced to waterlogged or charred debris.
The media spotlight on people who’ve lost large chunks of their lives may be stirring up aftershocks. Americans, even those outside the disaster zones, are starting conversations about how much stuff they have — and what they really need.