Saturday, October 01, 2005

Aftermath

After a damaging storm, I observe the following:

Survivors tell their stories even to strangers.

People try to make money from the misery.

People who never have to ask for help find themselves receiving help and feel uncomfortable.

The street lights are gone.

Debris makes driving on city roads difficult because it pokes out into the street.

Everyone's car is filthy inside and out.

People tell you sad stories then talk about how lucky they feel to be alive.

People think that other people have it worse than they do even if they are standing on the empty slab of their home or business.

People need community whether it be their neighbors or church or bar much more when the world is unrecognizable.

People make quick decisions, often bad decisions, because the stress level is high.

People get sick from the stress, the heat and bad food.

Old people die because they can't face re-building or living through these conditions.

Losing one's mementos hurts.

Either tempers are hair-trigger or kindness spills out.

Pets are stressed.

Fragile people become even more fragile. Strong people begin to lose it.

Religious nuts have a field day.

Children have nightmares, get sick, act out and stop feeling safe anywhere.

Concerned,
St. Casserole

15 comments:

Jules said...

Oh Cass, I cannot imagine. prayers for all of you.

mibi52/ The Rev. Dr. Mary Brennan Thorpe said...

What you describe is very similar to behavior I found amongst friends who were in close proximity to the Pentagon and the WTC here in DC and in NYC after 9/11. A different kind of Toxic Shock Syndrome...

Prayers continue for you and yours. Virtual hugs, too.

Unknown said...

Weeping and praying for you and all those in your community. Bless you as you return to your church today.

jo(e) said...

Wow. What a list.

Anonymous said...

What a good list to share. I understand what you are saying. It's the same in along the coast. If theres anything I can do, let me know.

jomama said...

Thanks for the report.

It sure beats CNN and the others.

Esther said...

Found you via seawitch. My heart goes out to you all. Los Angeles was sort of like this after the Northridge earthquake, but only a small fraction of the magnitude of what you're going through. Yet pieces of your post bring back similar memories. Hang in there. It will hopefully get better. Seems like you have a lot of people in your corner.

Anonymous said...

Mr. C comment:
First, Glad LW is home.
Second, some perspective on the photo. The houses in the background are about 100 yards or so away from the concrete-tabby steps.
Third, except for really old, stone or thick concrete buildings or really new steel-concrete buildings, this is what the Coast looks like for at least two blocks for the entire 26 miles of the Coast line. In Hancock County it is worse.
Mr. C

Theresa Coleman said...

(o)
I've been leaving blogstones because I know that nothing much can be said to ease anything. Friday Mom and I are starting a pile -- and building an Ebenezer.
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us." I Sam 7:12

St. Casserole said...

I love the blogstones!
I know the Story.

Jody Harrington said...

I worry about the Katrina survivors in Mississippi and the Rita survivors in southwestern Louisiana and east Texas whose plight doesn't get the national (and political) attention that the New Orleans situation does.

My older daughter,in law school at UT, reported that two young men in one of her classes from Port Arthur and Orange (TX) now have their extended families living with them in their apartments for the indefinite future because those cities (among many others) are still unliveable.

These two hurricanes created a tragedy of almost unimaginable scope--and yet all you hear day after day on the national media focuses solely on New Orleans.

I pray that everyone affected will get the help they need.

Anonymous said...

heart-wrenchingly beautiful list St C.

prayers and love
Lorna

~pen~ said...

i just wanted to let you know i was here and am praying for you (all) still.

peace.

Kathryn said...

And me...I'm listening to Kevin Prosch "Kiss the Sun" as I type, - this was part of our worship on broken ness last week
"When the rock falls,falls upon you
And you get no music for the pain
You open the windows, the windows of heaven and then you hold me
And you crush me like a rose..
Though you slay me, I will trust you Lord"
It just seems to fit.
Hugs and prayers xx

Anonymous said...

That is something normal. After a disaster, people are usually vocal about thier experiences. They want to know how hard and painful it is to be in that situation. Most of all, they want to share things that will help the listeners to be aware and be prepared should another disaster comes