Windstorms, Ice Storms, and Rain Storms
When I woke up yesterday morning and heard the rain crashing down on the roof and saw how dark it was outside I knew this storm was different from others. For starters, my 100 lb. dog refused to get out of the bathtub so I could take a shower. Normally, he’s very brave during storms (i.e. he just hides in the corner behind the bed). Then when I opened the back door to load up my car like I do every morning before heading to work, I had to turn around and head back inside to change my shoes because our driveway had become a shallow river. My last clue that disaster was striking was the rising pool of water that I stepped into on the floor board of my car. My first thought was, “Of course this would happen to me!” After all, I did just spend my last paycheck getting my brakes fixed. My next thought was “Thank goodness I’m marrying an insurance agent- He’ll know what to do!”
While my fiancée assessed the damage to my car yesterday (which turns out will be relatively minor), I kept my eyes glued to the television. I was relieved that my flooding situation would be manageable, but horrified at the images of cars submerged underneath several feet of water and UofL employees being rescued from campus. Several of our neighbors have flooded basements, and my fiancée Russ recanted story after story last night of clients of his reporting complete losses of vehicles and equipment and damage to their homes. I listened to the radio on my way to work this morning about the loss of tens of thousands of books and three bookmobiles at the downtown library! I realize in hindsight that I am one of the lucky ones.
I guess one could say our community is becoming rather proficient at responding to sudden natural disasters. Whether its windstorms, ice storms, or rainstorms its amazing to watch my family, co-workers, classmates, and neighbors work together to quickly assess the damage and restore what has been broken. If I’ve learned anything in the past year, it’s that I live in a community of resilient people who care about one another.
