Flooding is something you think of as happening to other people, you never think it will happen to you.
That's what I used to think, but now I know that flooding happens to even those of us whose homes or personal belongings weren't destroyed by the filthy, disease born water.
This last week of seeking safe shelter, worrying about loved ones, praying for those who lost everything physically, some even with their lives, I've been affected by the floods. I had no water damage, in fact I don't live anywhere near the flooding, but the pain of seeing people dirty, tired, scared, lost and most especially hopeless has touched the deepest parts of my heart, soul and life.
The need is tremendous. Watching families cleaning up their mess and dragging their life's hard work out on their front yard, only to have looters come through and heartlessly pick through their belongings so they can make a profit from the devastation is outrageous. Those looters should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
And just when I thought that life was going to take on some semblance of normalcy in the community,
regarding cleaning, reorganizing etc.there are new things that are impacting lives without them even being aware of it. I found out in the local newspaper that for all those helping with the clean-up efforts, there could be dangerous airborne illnesses lurking in standing water and anything that came into contact with that water.
If the smell left behind after the water receded is any indication of what's lurking, I'd say people would be well advised to heed all the safety precautions. The smell is so putrid it robs you of your breath, it is a combination of smells. Rotten trash, mud and sewage baking under the 90 plus degree weather for the last week. Yuck.
I don't know how this will all turn out, but I do know that hope is here and it is well and alive. Through its people, I believe that this city's tragedy will bring people closer to their community, each other and most especially, to God.
I feel the affects with every story I hear, whether on a local news channel, in the local newspaper or from someone first hand and for those of us who didn't lose our life's work, we share with those who did by lifting them up and out of the mire and the muck and helping them to find firmer ground.
We are a community. We are strong. We are Columbus.