It's very surreal to go through town passing Utility trucks and construction vehicles. The fairgrounds transformed to feeding, distribution and Red Cross station, the High School is a shelter for those who are out of their homes. The last time our city flooded was 1913.
Going to the grocery was interesting, as the power outages had many refrigerated items out of stock and instead of neatly displayed on shelves items are in crates stacked in aisles. The aisles are full of pallets to the point of struggling to fit a cart through, and single file rules. Wait your turn to pass a pallet to reach the peanut butter.
The stories are so sad. One clerk stocking shelves was telling another clerk about a conversation with a lady who literally lost everything to the flood. The lady re-telling the story wished she had her purse with her she would've given the hurting lady her cash ... to get started replacing things she needs.
The post office was overwhelmed. The clerk there was on his last nerve. I was going to challenge him not to go "postal," but that was not a good time to use that joke!! He said that they are overrun with people who don't have a home so they have to have their mail held or forwarded to someone they know. Each person needs to fill out a card, and everyone is functioning in shock. When we worked the Katrina relief we faced this "shock" element daily. At first you're in survival mode, then in denial along with shock...hoping this is a temporary state, then realizing you have a whole "NEW NORMAL" to deal with. And no-one has FLOOD INSURANCE.
My prayers go out to these people and I'm hoping to be helpful in some way. We had standing water in our garage and in our basement, but other than a musty smell from the carpet, we're great, right in the heart of Indiana's flood.
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