The Ice Storm

The ice storm was predicted but there was really no way to prepare for it.

That morning, there was no power anywhere. Tree limbs were intertwined with power lines and they lay across streets, over cars and houses, draped over lawns and driveways. The sun was shining so bright it was almost painful and everywhere we looked, everything was encased in ice. It was bitter cold and treacherous. Familiar landscapes had been turned into wastelands of ice and the weight had brought down trees, fences, billboards, telephone poles and street signs. I had managed to get the cats to the vet's where the kennels were powered by generators but Josh and I had yet to find shelter. I packed sweatshirts, jeans, and essentials as quickly as I could, turned everything off and made my way to the car, feeling as if I were jumping ship. The first four or five motels had no vacancies and the next few wouldn't take dogs and it was beginning to look grim before I finally found a room at La Quinta. They had heat, water, lights and they took us both in.

For the next couple of weeks, a hotel room was to be home. I went to work in jeans and with Josh and was more fortunate than many. The entire city had been victimized by a force of nature and recovery took months. The cold did not diminish for days and so the ice was sustained - it was magnificent and horrific and destructive all at the same time. Blizzards had been common enough in New England but they'd been childs play next to the destruction and damage this storm inflicted on our small southern city. For many, the wounds were deep and would take a long time healing.

During the aftermath of Katrina, as thousands of evacuees flooded our city, I was to think about the ice storm and it's effects frequently. New Orleans was a grand old city with a one of kind culture and nature had simply waved her hand and it was gone.

Still, inexpicable tradgedy and random destruction cannot match human endurance and resiliancy. We come back time and time again - we fall and get up time and time again - we dig in and dig out.
It's our nature and though we are not as powerful as Mother Nature, we are a force to be reckoned with. The human spirit may be forced to give ground but not without a fight - we don't seem to know when we're licked and we turn our backs on giving up, even when surrender would be a wiser choice. Nature's lessons can teach us much about choosing our battles.