--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are over 700 known dead so far. One…" description: "\"“There are over 700 known dead so far. One hurricane. And how many people has it hurt? How many are going to starve later because of destroyed crops? T..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/octavia-e-butler-2861_nature_there-are-over-700-known-dead-so-far-one_1554851.jpg" --- # There are over 700 known dead so far. One hurricane. And… ![“There are over 700 known dead so far. One hurricane. And how many people has it hurt? How many are going to starve later because of destroyed crops? That’s nature. Is it God? Most of the dead are the street poor who have nowhere to go and who don’t hear the warnings until it’s too late for their…” quote by Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/octavia-e-butler-2861_nature_there-are-over-700-known-dead-so-far-one_1554851.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/octavia-e-butler-2861_nature_there-are-over-700-known-dead-so-far-one_1554851.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/octavia-e-butler-2861_nature_there-are-over-700-known-dead-so-far-one_1554851.jpg) > ““There are over 700 known dead so far. One hurricane. And how many people has it hurt? How many are going to starve later because of destroyed crops? That’s nature. Is it God? Most of the dead are the street poor who have nowhere to go and who don’t hear the warnings until it’s too late for their feet to take them to safety. Where’s safety for them anyway? Is it a sin against God to be poor?”” [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights how natural disasters disproportionately affect the poorest, questioning whether societal neglect is a moral failing. **In simple terms:** Poor people suffer most in disasters, raising moral concerns. Key Takeaway Address inequality and improve disaster preparedness for vulnerable groups. Themes inequality disaster response morality poverty justice Mood somber reflective urgent Type social commentary ethical philosophical When to use this quote - urban planning - emergency management - social services - community outreach Key Concepts social responsibility structural violence ethical inquiry Questions to Reflect On - How can societies redesign safety nets for the most vulnerable? - What ethical obligations do we have toward the poor during crises? A Different Perspective The statement assumes all suffering is due to poverty, overlooking other factors like geography or governance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hurricane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurricane/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-late/) ## Related quotes > [America is a hurricane, and the only people who do not hear the sound are those fortunate if incredibly stupid and smug White Protestants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/america-is-a-hurricane-and-the-only-people-who-do-not-hear-the-sound/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [“He knew too what it was to live through a hurricane with the other people of the island and the bond that the hurricane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/he-knew-too-what-it-was-to-live-through-a-hurricane-with-the-other/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Even the poorest street is rich with people on it and even the richest street is poor without people on it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/even-the-poorest-street-is-rich-with-people-on-it-and-even-the/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“I met in the street a very poor young man who was in love. His hat was old, his coat worn, his cloak was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-flinn/i-met-in-the-street-a-very-poor-young-man-who-was-in-love-his-hat-was-3/) [Alex Flinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-flinn/) > [“I met in the street a very poor young man who was in love. His hat was old, his coat was threadbare - there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/i-met-in-the-street-a-very-poor-young-man-who-was-in-love-his-hat-was-2/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [I met in the street a very poor young man who was in love. His hat was old, his coat worn, his cloak was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/i-met-in-the-street-a-very-poor-young-man-who-was-in-love-his-hat-was/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [God made poor woman with no heart, But gave her skill, and tact, and art, And so she lives, and plays her part. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/god-made-poor-woman-with-no-heart-but-gave-her-skill-and-tact-and-art/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [You bear God within you, poor wretch, and know it not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/you-bear-god-within-you-poor-wretch-and-know-it-not/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [“Yes, they certainly are poor — Oh, my God, how poor! At the same time, never a sound comes from their room. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/yes-they-certainly-are-poor-oh-my-god-how-poor-at-the-same-time-never/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“All men are by nature equal, and however we deceive ourselves, as dear unto God is the poor peasant as the mighty prince.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/all-men-are-by-nature-equal-and-however-we-deceive-ourselves-as-dear/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Man can only describe God in his own poor language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/man-can-only-describe-god-in-his-own-poor-language/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Without Satan, with God only, how poor a universe, how trite a music!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/without-satan-with-god-only-how-poor-a-universe-how-trite-a-music/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [“He only who is reduced to nothing in himself, and relies on the mercy of God is poor in spirit”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/he-only-who-is-reduced-to-nothing-in-himself-and-relies-on-the-mercy/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [silence is the language of god, all else is poor translation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/silence-is-the-language-of-god-all-else-is-poor-translation/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs ! Believers who are poor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/god-blesses-those-who-are-poor-and-realize-their-need-for-him-for-the/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) ## More by Octavia E. Butler > [The lovely thing about writing is, well, two things. One, writing fiction allows us to bring an order to our lives that doesn't exist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/the-lovely-thing-about-writing-is-well-two-things-one-writing-fiction/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“It’s too easy to follow bad but attractive leaders, embrace pleasurable but destructive habits, ignore looming disaster because maybe it won’t happen after all—or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/it-s-too-easy-to-follow-bad-but-attractive-leaders-embrace/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“He rubbed his head again. 'Five years is longer than it sounds. So much longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/he-rubbed-his-head-again-five-years-is-longer-than-it-sounds-so-much/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“Se sono tuoi, stabilisci tu le regole. A chi importa che cosa ne pensano i giocattoli? Spazza via l'intera famiglia di un giocattolo, poi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/se-sono-tuoi-stabilisci-tu-le-regole-a-chi-importa-che-cosa-ne/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [I don't know how much of a market there is for space opera. Just because it's in the movies doesn't mean magazines are buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/i-don-t-know-how-much-of-a-market-there-is-for-space-opera-just/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“Freedom is dangerous but it's precious, too. You can't just throw it away or let it slip away. You can't sell it for bread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/freedom-is-dangerous-but-it-s-precious-too-you-can-t-just-throw-it/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“Sometimes I wrote things because I couldn't say them, couldn't sort out my feelings about them, couldn't keep them bottled inside me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/sometimes-i-wrote-things-because-i-couldn-t-say-them-couldn-t-sort/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“In the book of Job, God says he made everything and he knows everything so no one has any right to question what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/in-the-book-of-job-god-says-he-made-everything-and-he-knows/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“But there’s no power in having strength and brains, and yet waiting for God to fix things for you or take revenge for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/but-there-s-no-power-in-having-strength-and-brains-and-yet-waiting/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“After a few years of watching the human species make things unnecessarily difficult for itself I have little hope that it will do anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/after-a-few-years-of-watching-the-human-species-make-things/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“Self is. Self is body and bodily perception. Self is thought, memory, belief. Self creates. Self destroys. Self learns, discovers, becomes. Self shapes. Self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/self-is-self-is-body-and-bodily-perception-self-is-thought-memory/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [At school I was always taller than the rest of my class, and because I was an only child, I was comfortable with adults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/at-school-i-was-always-taller-than-the-rest-of-my-class-and-because-i/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“It was milk that had sickened her. Animal milk! These people cooked many things with animal milk!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/it-was-milk-that-had-sickened-her-animal-milk-these-people-cooked/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [Religion is everywhere. There are no human societies without it, whether they acknowledge it as a religion or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/religion-is-everywhere-there-are-no-human-societies-without-it/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“There is nothing new under the sun, but there are new suns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/there-is-nothing-new-under-the-sun-but-there-are-new-suns/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) [Explore all 131 Octavia E. Butler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) ## More Hurricane quotes > [The only two good words that can be said for a hurricane are that it gives sufficient warning of its approach, and that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/the-only-two-good-words-that-can-be-said-for-a-hurricane-are-that-it/) [Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/) > [That awkward moment when Mitt suggests getting rid of FEMA on TV and then Hurricane Sandy hits the East Coast right before the election.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-awkward-moment-when-mitt-suggests-getting-rid-of-fema-on-tv-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He was my anchor in the hurricane, yet at the same time, the hurricane itself, so that I nearly always felt safe and afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-simmons/he-was-my-anchor-in-the-hurricane-yet-at-the-same-time-the-hurricane/) [Kristen Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-simmons/) > [“Nothing is ever truly set by fate. In one blink, everything changes. Even though it should be a clear, sunny day, the softest whisper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/nothing-is-ever-truly-set-by-fate-in-one-blink-everything-changes/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed levees and exploded the conventional wisdom about a shared American prosperity, exposing a group of people so poor they didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/hurricane-katrina-overwhelmed-levees-and-exploded-the-conventional/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [For me, Katrina was my first trip back to the United States, but the most important thing, it showed everything that I had seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-greene/for-me-katrina-was-my-first-trip-back-to-the-united-states-but-the/) [Stanley Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-greene/) > [I was involved in some of the very first meetings that created the maps that showed what would happen if you had a Category…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-involved-in-some-of-the-very-first-meetings-that-created-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Praying for our Northeast friends as Hurricane Sandy approaches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/praying-for-our-northeast-friends-as-hurricane-sandy-approaches/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As George Bush's infamous for once saying by mistake, he said, "Mother Nature is a terrorist." So it was with Katrina - the devastation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-greene/as-george-bush-s-infamous-for-once-saying-by-mistake-he-said-mother/) [Stanley Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-greene/) > [After a disaster such as Hurricane Katrina, the federal government has a profound obligation to help those in need, .. Right now, the victims…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianne-feinstein/after-a-disaster-such-as-hurricane-katrina-the-federal-government-has/) [Dianne Feinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianne-feinstein/) > [The eye of the hurricane forms as air rotates up and out of the hurricane and some of the air that's being spun out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginger-zee/the-eye-of-the-hurricane-forms-as-air-rotates-up-and-out-of-the/) [Ginger Zee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginger-zee/) > [You are like a hurricane;I am getting blown away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bibeka/you-are-like-a-hurricane-i-am-getting-blown-away/) [Bibeka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bibeka/) > [HURRICANE, n. An atmospheric demonstration once very common but now generally abandoned for the tornado and cyclone. The hurricane is still in popular use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/hurricane-n-an-atmospheric-demonstration-once-very-common-but-now/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Gabriel's voice can reach me anywhere. Even in a hurricane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/gabriel-s-voice-can-reach-me-anywhere-even-in-a-hurricane/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [“A lot of disabled people probably died in hurricane Ian.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/a-lot-of-disabled-people-probably-died-in-hurricane-ian/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) [Browse all 362 Hurricane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurricane/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There are over 700 known dead so far. One hurricane. And how many people has it hurt? How many are going to starve later because of destroyed crops? That’s nature. Is it God? Most of the dead are the street poor who have nowhere to go and who don’t hear the warnings until it’s too late for their feet to take them to safety. Where’s safety for them anyway? Is it a sin against God to be poor?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Octavia E. Butler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/there-are-over-700-known-dead-so-far-one-hurricane-and-how-many/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hurricane" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/there-are-over-700-known-dead-so-far-one-hurricane-and-how-many/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/octavia-e-butler-2861_nature_there-are-over-700-known-dead-so-far-one_1554851.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/octavia-e-butler-2861_nature_there-are-over-700-known-dead-so-far-one_1554851.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/octavia-e-butler-2861_nature_there-are-over-700-known-dead-so-far-one_1554851.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are over 700 known dead so far. One hurricane. And how many people has it hurt? How many are going to…” — Octavia E. Butler", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Octavia E. Butler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There are over 700 known dead...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/there-are-over-700-known-dead-so-far-one-hurricane-and-how-many/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/there-are-over-700-known-dead-so-far-one-hurricane-and-how-many/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```