We've turned the corner but others,...

I wanted to let all of you know that for us the worst is over. The shop is empty and the landlord has started re-construction. Our valuables in the bank were all wet and those that could be salvaged are being restored. The others have been disposed of. Ken is staying until July 4th and then will come home. We are so lucky. For so many people in Cedar Rapids, the worst may yet come. Not only did they loose everything except for the clothes they were wearing, I have heard that 2000 homes will need to be demolished and NOT rebuilt. There are already problems with housing for all the displaced people, arguments with FEMA and tons and tons of bureaucracy that people will have to wade through to get any financial help. So many people lost everything. There are so many farmers who's fields were wiped out and it is too late to replant. There are businesses that are so devastated that they can not rebuilt. There are all the employees who are out of work because their company was flooded. And of course there are the museums, librarys and theatres,....
Although nothing can ever be the "same" after a disaster like this, there is a sense of hope and determination that is present everywhere. There is a little grumbling, but people will get by that. Restaurants are re-opening, essential businesses are running out of garages and any space they can find and the trash (three football fields full of it) is being hauled away. Ken says that there are volunteers all around who are helping those in need to clean up. It is that positive, strong attitude that helped our ancestors originally tame this wild country and perhaps it will help us to learn to co-exist with it now.