This morning I came across this quotation, which made me think of my recurrent “trying to get home” dreams.
“He knows he hath a home, but scarce knows where,
He sayes it is so far
That he hath quite forgot how to go there.”
Henry Vaughan, “Man”
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The Tornado: We still look out at our peaceful lawns and trees and wonder what the scenes are like a few blocks away. Although we felt the outer part of the tornado strongly at this house, we have seen no more of the aftermath than people in Oregon or Wisconsin. We scour the pictures in newspapers looking for familiar builldings. I keep wondering when the police will reopen the roads.
DeLand is a relatively small university town, and so the loss of certain businesses -- such as Dunkin' Donuts (my source of coffee beans), the ABC liquor store (my source of martini ingredients), or Sonny's Barbeque (my source for satisfying basic Southern nutritional needs), or Mi Mexico (essential source of enchiladas and chiles rellenos) -- is much more significant than in a city that sprawls over miles.
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Glad to see that you survived, (and have the priorities right .. heh)
ReplyDeleteI know that tornadoes have very localised effects, but one sad aspect of your story is the police action in closing off the affected area. It is understandable to prevent mere sightseeing and possible looting, but it also prevents neighbourly assistance.
ReplyDeleteRecently a container ship was wrecked off the coast of Devon and many containers were washed up on the beach. For a few days the police did not stop the crowds of amateur salvage workers, for they were not clear as to the law. How do you know if someone is rescuing the stuff or stealing it?
One family had put personal effects and heirlooms into a container and it went missing. After an appeal through the media, two brothers, who had taken the stuff home from a broken container on the beach, were shamed into returning the goods.
The police did eventually cordon off the beach and keep guard; but in doing so, innocent volunteers who could have helped save all the goods were excluded.
Our house was boarded up and we spent six months in the dark after Hurricane Erin hit us. One thing my wife and I did NOT appreciate were the people it attracted as "gawkers" coming onto our property and walking around the damaged area and peeking in our windows. So I have to think the police are probably doing the right thing.
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