6am brought with it no rain and some light. The clouds were still grey and dreary, but compared to all the chaos of the last two days there was a sullen hush to the world outside. As the hours passed on, evidence of life could be heard outside. Honking horns, rakes, yelling, children running, or leaf blowers and chainsaws running.
Lady Hiva and I decided to go see if Boeing made it through the storm.
People were out cleaning up all over the city. Many trees were down and being disposed of and the ones that were still standing looking looked bare and sad with their branches stripped and torn off. It reminded me of when you go to get a hair “trim” and the stylist takes liberty to “butch and cut” to their hearts content and all you are left with is a mess to deal with until something better grows back.
The road is covered with a thick layer of black mud that workers are out removing one shovel full at a time. They pack it into gunny sacks and cart it off. The brick mosaic boardwalk along the bay all had to be pulled up and piled ready to be taken away too. Trash and debris laid everywhere. Although there were hundreds of people with brooms and rakes trying to clean up, it looked like such an endless task.
As we got closer to work the silence and the smell worsened. The flood waters have gone, but it left behind all the trash and….hmmm “other things” that don’t smell so great. Piles of trash collected in the fence lines, against walls and on the fallen trees. Walking through the gates I had to hold my breath and tiptoe through the trash.
It was quiet inside. The solemnness must be preparation for the long clean up mixed with a rest after the storm. Even the workers inside were working quietly. I was trying to explain to Hiva how high the water was and what we all saw yesterday, but it sounds so trite and like a ‘fish tale’ when you see no water in sight.
Boeing made it! He braved the storm with the other ten or fifteen cars parked near him. I was so thankful. He started right up and we drove off to get some more bottled water—just in case there is a round two.
Here are some photos that Yahoo! Gathered from yesterday that we thought were really cool:
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