different. it looks really, really different. and so much property has been co-opted for sorting the debris into recyclable and non-recyclable waste while they try to figure out where to send it. baseball and football fields and parking lots dedicated each to one thing: sodden mattresses, or lumber from downed structures, or refrigerators and other home appliances, or cars. it's bizarre in photos, and absolutely horrifying to see in person.
we took Lucy to our little beach here in town (a bay beach, protected from the worst of it) on Saturday, and along the way we saw some of the worst of what our town got. one home sits on 8 foot pilings, and the water mark was another 6 or more feet up the actual house...so storm surges in that area were 15 feet or higher. the drive to the beach was a wasteland of marinas and homes that didn't make it through the storm. it was incredible.
there are hundreds of boats stranded on Forsythe Refuge (i took Karen there when you all visited that time in April) that washed up during the storm. that's protected land and they've been putting it out there for weeks that if you're missing yours, call them to schedule a site visit.
our little bay beach is TINY now, where it used to be a decent size. most of it is covered in dune grasses that washed up on the shore in huge mounds, several feet tall and covering the majority of what remains of the beach. i posted photos on Facebook (Lucy's first beach day) but not of the bad stuff. there's too much of that, and i've made a point of not shooting any destruction we didn't need for insurance purposes. i thought i might, before i saw it in person. but it was just too sad, and too daunting, and too...yeah. way too personal. so many people lost everything. insurance, for those who had it, doesn't come close to covering the cost of rebuilding and replacing, but it helps. those who didn't have flood insurance are largely SOL.
there is progress, though. faster in some places than others, but all progress is good. the waiting and wondering was super hard.
Jason's folks find out this week or next whether their house will be condemned. that's WAY faster than anyone anticipated. their town won't be inhabitable for a very long time yet, but at least they'll be able to start to rebuild sooner than later. progress
so glad you guys were able to give a day to help out the center in Breezy. thank you
i bet it was so, so needed...even if they do have Workzilla on their side
