Joel
I had first-hand news from Ken about what was going on in Iowa and the first
thing we brought up was actually you. We felt a great need to come together
and pray for you.
Just want to let you know that even as I am so far from where you're at,
you're in my prayers.
I look forward to meeting you when I get up to your place. And that might be
within the next year or so. In the mean time, hang in there. Our thoughts
and prayers ARE with you.
Kindest regards
Khen
> Joel Wilcox wrote:
> > Ken the Silver Nosed alluded a few days ago to my plight here along
> > the river in Iowa City. I've switched my subscription to digest mode.
> > I'll see if I can hang on that way. I've already seen expressions of
> > concern on list. I appreciate those and I'm sorry if I am unable to
> > respond to them individually. It doesn't mean they are not meaningful
> > to me.
> >
> > Where to begin? I've been through this once before in 1993 and lost
> > nearly everything. When we rebuilt our home, we raised and built an
> > entire level under the main living floor for a total of 9 feet of
> > elevation. This flood dwarfs the previous, which had apparently
> > dwarfed anything in memory and was the first instance of flooding so
> > significant that it went over the emergency spillway of the reservoir
> > 4 miles upstream. River waters will run through the emergency
> > spillway for a number of more days, perhaps a week, dropping the river
> > levels ever so slowly. It only falls about .75 feet over a 24 hour
> > period. Levels will drop a little more quickly as the pool at the
> > reservoir shrinks, but it's a horribly slow process. The reservoir
> > protracts the flood when it can't prevent it. I expect to be out of
> > my house for weeks to months and services will not be easy to restore.
> > The City has been more active this time in forced evacuation because
> > of the scale of displacement and will no doubt not let us return as
> > early as I might like. But even that is jumping too far ahead since
> > we are one or two thunderstorms away from being right back where we
> > were or worse. Everything is dependent upon reasonably good weather
> > from here on out.
> >
> > My mother moved into a condo across the road from us a couple of years
> > ago. When we took on water, we moved in with her temporarily. Within
> > a week it became clear that she would also need to evacuate. I feel
> > terrible for her. Our house since 1993 has sort of been designed to
> > take water and we have some flood insurance because we are still
> > paying down a mortgage. She has no flood insurance and is on a very
> > fixed income. She'll be back in her place before we will and clean up
> > and fix up will probably be straightforward. I hope. Much will
> > depend upon FEMA and how it responds.
> >
> > The entire city of Iowa City, and particularly the University of Iowa,
> > is in dire straits. My work involves bringing in the freshman class
> > via orientation programs in the summer, and we're clueless about how
> > to do this yet as the student union is full of water at the moment.
> > The arts complex (music and art and art history) are all in water
> > despite heroic efforts by town and gown to protect these buildings.
> > There is some question as to whether there will be a fall semester!
> > So it's not just a matter of few eccentrics like myself who choose to
> > live on a river getting a bit wet for a day or two. This is an
> > unmitigated disaster I'm afraid.
> >
> > Having been through what I had thought was the benchmark of all floods
> > in 1993, I know a little about the psychology of these things. The
> > outpouring of concern and support will diminish by inches just like
> > the flood waters. The real work lies ahead and it will be harder to
> > keep the good intentions mobilized as people try desperately to get
> > back to normal lives if they can. I am trying to think through how to
> > establish networks, focusing my first attention on my neighbors.
> > We've never been organized in any way and I don't think it has served
> > us very well to be quite so independent.
> >
> > I got my favorite Zuikos out of my house and into my mother's place.
> > While hers is also flooded now, I'm hopeful it will be possible to get
> > into it in a week or so and open it up. The stuff is high and dry but
> > her house is closed up and the lenses are out in the open air. They
> > will probably need to be cleaned. It is possible that they might have
> > been better left at my home, but one makes the best decisions one can
> > under these circumstances.
> >
> > I haven't been able to do any photography. It's too much like
> > photography at a funeral. I am recovering from a cold which started
> > up during my last day in my house as we were moving the last things up
> > to the second level. Stress levels were off the charts during that
> > time. I am better now, though I take something to sleep through the
> > night (didn't take it last night and paid the price). I expect to
> > begin to get back to a program of regular exercise as soon as this
> > cold is a little more cleared up. We've been offered a house to live
> > in and I think we will move in next week. I have been struggling with
> > the current circumstances emotionally because my kids are staying
> > elsewhere with friends. I don't need this or that house, but I need
> > my family and friends.
> >
> > We got a bit of good news tonight. Two of my neighbors eluded the
> > police and got to our properties by boat I told you we are an
> > independent lot). One of them entered my home and went up to the
> > second level (our living level). He called me afterwards and let me
> > know that we did NOT get water on the second level. This is very good
> > news for me as it validates all of our efforts in raising our home,
> > not to mention the preservation of so many possessions now stored all
> > over the floor, including boxes full of all of my books from my
> > graduate school days, clothes, tools, and furniture. There is an
> > immense amount of cleanup and fixup to do in the coming weeks and
> > months, but now I feel that there is a very valid reason to do it when
> > the time comes. I think I'll sleep better tonight (but I'm still
> > taking that pill).
> >
> > Best regards,
> > Joel W.
> >
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> 3:21 PM
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--
Khen Lim - Zone-10 LLC, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
"To sin by silence when we should protest makes cowards of people" - Emily
Cox
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them" - Walt
Disney
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