Melissa Baldwin

This is a picture of Hurricane Charley from above. (www.cnn.com)

Melissa Baldwin, never heard of her, me neither until I started doing My Hero’s project. You don’t have to be famous or well know to be a hero; you just have to react to something when the time comes. That’s what Melissa Baldwin did, she reacted to Hurricane Charley.

This a picture of a hurricane from space (www.clipart.com)

On Friday, August 13th, 2004, Hurricane Charley came ripping through Punta Gorda where Melissa Baldwin worked at a Best Western. Melissa knew that if the staff, the guests and herself stayed where they were---without seeking shelter---they could all be killed. Melissa took it upon herself to make sure that everyone found shelter. This wouldn’t be an easy task. She would have to get 53 guests and all the staff members out of harms way. Melissa, who had some training by the Coast Guard, went around the hotel telling tenants to seek shelter with her and the staff. Some of the guests told her that she was overreacting and some guests were even on the Collier Bridge to watch the events of the hurricane. She knew that if they stayed on the bridge that they would be killed for sure, so in one last effort to get all of the tenants and staff members to safety, she went to the bridge and the decks of the Best Western to make sure that the people there knew that if they didn’t come with her, that they would be victims of the hurricane.

This is a before and after shot of Punta Gorda (www.cnn.com)

Melissa Baldwin, 33, saved over 60 lives because of her heroic actions towards the worsening conditions of the hurricane and her will to save others. She is truly a hero to others near and far. Because of her, there are 62 less victims of hurricane Charley. Since Melissa lived in the Punta Gorda area for a while and she knew what to do and how to react to a hurricane. Since she was trained, she reacted and it saved lives.

Melissa Baldwin is a hero to others near and far because she helped save other peoples lives, people, who if not for Melissa, would not be here today. She risked her own life to save others, even people who weren’t polite or pleasant to her the first time they met, but none the less, she took it upon herself to save everyone in the Best Western, including 53 guest and one of whom had a heart problem. Melissa Baldwin truly is a hero to others, both near and far.

This is the distruction or Hurricane Charley

Melissa knew that there was maybe a slight chance that she wouldn’t make it through Hurricane Charley, but she also knew that there were people staying in the Best Western who without a doubt wouldn’t make it through Charley if it wasn’t for her. You don’t need to be trained in hurricane rescue, but you do have to know when to react. Your decision to do so will make all the difference in the world to at least one person.