that day. burned in my mind. seems like forever ago, and yesterday at the exact same time. i can remember the timeline of events so vividly. september 6th, 2011 the rain started and everyone thought nothing of it. just another spurt of rain, maybe some smalls creeks and streams would flood. but then it happened. september 7th, 2011, the waters rose. and rose. and rose. until the large creeks started pouring over their banks onto surrounding land, homes, towns, streets. so fast that no one had time to react. so fast that it was too late by the time we knew what was happening. i consider myself lucky. yes, my office (my family's small business) was flooded, but we were able to relocate a month after. yes, my family's river cabin (more like a second home) got over 2 feet of water, which is enough to ruin everything. but we powered through (mostly my dad, so much thanks to him) and fixed it up and were able to spend this amazing summer there with each other. yes, one of my best friend's homes was covered with water and destroyed (along with all of her belongings inside). but we all rallied and they are now back in their home, with all new things to fill their house and make it a home again. so why am i lucky? no one i loved was hurt. everyone i know who was directly effected is either back home, or has relocated and seems to be happier than ever. no, it wasn't easy. in fact that was on of the hardest, most grueling times in my life. the destruction was heart breaking. the labor to tear it all down and fix is back up was back breaking. the toll it took being away from my office for over a month was enough to drive me insane. but we all survived. we all rallied. and we're all stronger because of it.
so here's to all the survivors, workers, volunteers and everyone else in between.
happy one year flood anniversary.
my old office...
front office
parking lot covered in mud
neighbor whose foundation caved in
car with bleachers on top of it
bf's destruction
mound of things "lost"
can't imagine having everything i own being put into a trash pile
bless this home with love and laughter
gutted aftermath
their kitchen
following are photos from google:
Oh my heavens. I didn't realize this was a year ago. I remember hearing and reading about it. I'm glad none of your loved ones were hurt, but I'm sorry so much damage was done. You have a beautiful outlook on it though and I am proud of the strides your community made.
ReplyDeleteyepp, it was definitely a crazy time. being positive is the only way to survive these things or else you'll drive yourself nuts. trust me, i'm nuts enough in other departments of life :)
Delete