We enjoyed our time on the beach last week in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Hurricane Ivan made landfall in Gulf Shores only 5 months ago. If you visited the area, you'd be surprised at how much destruction is still remaining. My husband's brother, who was visiting from the Chicago area, said there would never be this much construction left undone in Illinois. He said the Unions would take care of it and it would have all been done by now. He couldn't believe the slow Southerners, having so much left undone 5 months later.
He didn't see the truth.
The truth is, the hurricane was so devastating that when you look around, you think you are looking at unfinished business, when really you are looking at how much has already been done. And it is amazing.
Whole houses have been removed, water and sewer lines entirely redone, phone and power lines replaced, more debris than you could imagine has been hauled off, the sand has been sifted...there is so much that has been done. There is still so much to do.
I'm attaching a photo which I took from our beach house, "A Minor Reflection." My photo only shows how pretty the beach still is. Notice how close the water is to the houses now.
Two houses down from ours was a house wrapped in yellow "Do Not Cross" tape. It was sliced in half by the hurricane so that it is now in a V shape (the house is on stilts). The beachfront of the siding is ripped off, so you can see hanging ceiling fans and a recliner in the living room, cupboards in the kitchen. To the left and right of our house are two beautiful homes that don't have decking or stairs. Cables are hanging loosely under the houses. Over 2 feet of sand was blown out from under all of the homes.
We tend to get caught up in the latest news, forgetting those who were in the news in the past. Hurricane Ivan is all but forgotten to those who live elsewhere, but to us on the Gulf Coast it is referred to daily as "The Storm."
If we are so affected by such a localized storm, one which cost us money but not many lives, how much more affected are those who were in the tsunami?
Please, let's not forget about those who suffered from the tsunami. They still need our prayers.
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
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2 comments:
Well said! How easy to forget the suffering of yesterday...especially when it isn't your personal story. But so many are still living it...thank you for the reminder!
Even Alvin's Island is still closed on the beach...now you know it's still bad-looking out there!
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