As we remember the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina on residents of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, I’m cleaning up from the results of a flood in my apartment.
From the moment I noticed the stain on the ceiling, to the 10 minutes it took the landlord to shut of the water to the building while I covered everything with tarps, enough water broke through the Sheetrock to damage the carpeting beyond repair.
I’m talking about a few inches of water and an event that lasted about 90 minutes, while the plumber removed soaked sheet rock and insulation, and we removed the rest of the damage. The pipes were replaced and soldered together; the water is back on. The soggy carpeting is gone. Now I have to clear space for the carpenter to rebuild the ceiling. After that, the carpeting will be replaced.
The upheaval has consumed all my energy. I cannot imagine suffering through two years of this.
I cannot begin to fathom the impact of a real flood over a period of days, weeks - and ultimately years. I ached for Katrina victims before. I ache more deeply for them now.
In my case, it’s a matter of emptying the contents, most of them undamaged, from one room and store them in every available space, including the car. I’ll have a new ceiling by Labor Day and brand new carpeting by the end of next week.
A few hours of breathing the moldy fumes of wet carpeting was enough to trigger anaphylaxis. I’m on medication now. Had I been caught in Katrina, I’d have suffocated before anyone could have rescued me. The thought sends chills down my spine.
More than the war, Katrina has stood out in my mind as the proof to the world that we Americans cannot take care of our own. George Bush should never have been allowed to occupy the White House, but once in, he should have been impeached before the end of his first term.
We will be paying for Bush’s abuses for generations to come.
It’s one thing to know something intellectually. It’s another to live it. I am grateful my experience was brief and my problem is being solved in a timely fashion. I pray we come to our senses before the next Katrina.