Sunday, November 6, 2005. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 70 days since Katrina. Sometimes I think I’m doing well, dealing with the way things are these days, but every once in awhile, I have a meltdown. This morning was one of those times.
It has rained less than a handful of days since the storm, and I know I should be grateful when it does. But words cannot adequately describe what happens when the Mississippi muck that completely blankets all the streets in our neighborhood is rained upon. It becomes thick, pasty, oozy and slippery. I wouldn’t even go out in it if I didn’t have to, but I do because we have two dogs, and dogs need to be walked occasionally.
One of the dogs, Harley the beagle, actually belongs to our daughter and son-in-law, who are both serving with the 101st Airborne in Iraq. Harley is old, a bit overweight and arthritic. He’s pretty slow just getting out the gate, but we’ve discovered that once he gets going, he can walk pretty far. As can our dog, Jim, a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Under normal circumstances, they can be walked at the same time. Except when it rains and the muck becomes thick and disgusting. Even the dogs don’t want to be in it.
Living amongst the devastation is bad enough without compounding it with Mississippi muck. Though the neighborhood looks better than it did in the first few days after Katrina, it still looks like a war zone. Most of the houses are completely gone, and the few that are still standing are totally uninhabitable. The debris has begun being picked up and hauled off, and that’s a good thing. What’s bad is that the truck drivers drive way too fast, not only stirring up a significant amount of dust, but also becoming pretty much an accident waiting to happen. As I drove down Nicholson Avenue in Waveland yesterday, one nearly hit me head on! I realize that FEMA is only going to foot the bill for debris removal for a certain amount of time and that the drivers get paid by the load, but driving anywhere has become downright scary.
This past week has been an emotional rollercoaster. On Monday I returned from a short trip to St. Louis, where I visited with my family and did some much needed shopping (a high.) The heavens opened early on Tuesday morning and muck was everywhere (a low.) Also on Tuesday we found out that our daughter, Kate, was pregnant and will be leaving Iraq any day. We’re going to be grandparents (another high)! Yesterday it rained again, compounding the whole muck situation (another low.) Thank goodness that the highs and the lows are balancing each other out!
It’s safe to say that emotional ebbs and flows are normal for people who have experienced what we have. What worries me is that there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. I guess all we can do is take each day as it comes.
Editorial: Not coming back
EMAIL THIS
TRACKBACKS
Trackbacks are links to weblogs that reference this post. Like comments, trackbacks do no appear until approved by us. The trackback URL for this post is: http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451b0aa69e200d8349e3f1f69e2
advertisement
I am a member of the Rhode Island Urban Search and Rescue Team. We were deployed to help search for missing people in the rubble in Hancock County. Most of our searing was in Waveland and Bay ST.Louis. I will always remeber how nicw the citizens treated us and our search dogs. My black lab Max and I walked through the mud and rubble for 12 days. The mud was like walking through wet glue.
James Rawley (Sent Nov 9, 2005 12:08:13 PM)
When our house burned a couple of years ago the best things that got out of the fire was my husband, our two cats and two dogs (one of them was the reason we got out to start with). I thought that maybe when we got the house rebuilt we'd at least have our beautiful yard still intact. Well, the 15 feet of water that was driven up from the bay not only destroyed the house that was being re-built but it took the yard with it. It is just all thick, crusted, dried mud (and now very slippery mud) and all plants and trees are either brown or ripped apart. When we take the dogs out there they just stand by the car and look confused. Ten years in making this a home and taken down in a few hours. I fear our 15 year old dog will not survive to return this time.
PS: God bless the rescue dogs and their people!!
mary, Pass Christian, MS (Sent Nov 9, 2005 4:28:29 PM)
I don't know how we're going to get that stuff cleaned up. I miss green grass!
mn (Sent Nov 9, 2005 5:51:58 PM)
Maria,
I just got home today from Waveland, I was working at the Tents in the Kmart Parking Lot for the past two weeks. After driving down the streets of Waveland and talking to many of your neighbors. I have a new appreciation for the life that i live in california. I am praying for you, and I will be back in december to help clear out the houses that still stand for those who need the help.
The people of Waveland are an inspiration for there good attitudes in such hard times. You are an inspiriation.
Matt
Matt Hardwick, Sacrament, CA (Sent Nov 10, 2005 6:21:42 PM)
Nov.13
This may be an obvious thing to point out, but just in case, I'd like to suggest dog owners put plastic booties or the equivalent to PROTECT their dog's paws and forelegs from any contact with the toxic sludge and mud - even the dry caked stuff. Remember, dogs LICK to clean themselves too.
Pets are STILL enduring unimaginable anguish in NO. SEE pics here with links to ONGOING pet rescues. justthinkingaboutit.blogspot.com
(NOT spam - ZERO profit in ANY way by visiting this blog - only links to animal rescue orgs that are STILL in the thick of the suffering)
CaringCanadian (Sent Nov 13, 2005 3:50:03 PM)
SEND A COMMENT
PLEASE READ: All comments must be approved before appearing in the thread; time and space constraints prevent all comments from appearing. We will only approve comments that are directly related to the blog, use appropriate language and are not attacking the comments of others.