So where was I before Flo hit town????? Oh yes, I was remodeling a spare room. In the midst of my remodel project we had a devastating hurricane hit our little city. Florence came in with ferocious force and left horrific damage in her wake. We evacuated for 2 days to wait for her to pass and came home to a flooded city with friends and neighbors displaced by the storm of the year, maybe even decade (time will tell). We were one of the fortunate ones and our house was relatively unscathed but that was not the case for many.
We have been helping this week where we can and it is not easy work. Aside from the physical part, it is an emotional nightmare to watch your community struggle to cleanup damage and debris everywhere. Whole households are at the curb for the garbage pickup and many objects that hold memories have been lost among trash and river water. But the rebuilding has already begun in some areas and that is what we are focused on.
The strength and stamina of this community is inspiring, and although there is a long road ahead, I am certain there is a light at the end of the tunnel because there is still light in everyone’s eyes, and more smiles than tears. There are churches handing out meals twice a day (95,000 at last count), there are groups of volunteers in houses helping total strangers, and there is a city determined to rise up.
Just last night I was at a “porch party” in our own little neighborhood with friends and neighbors that want to get back to normal, or at least try to put on a brave face while still acknowledging that there is work to be done.
So my little remodel project remains. We are working on it when we can, in between cleaning up garages, pulling off wet drywall, cutting up fallen trees and raking up debris. I’ll get back to it, just as many get back to a “normal” pre-hurricane life in the near future. Stay tuned…
PS. My kid has made me proud, she has dug in, rolled up her sleeves (or she would if she had long sleeves), put her boots on and helped out. No whining or complaining.
