Friday, December 2, 2011

The aftermath of our windstorm two nights ago is still under way.  I have a girlfriend visiting from Canada who’s accustomed to seeing hurricane damage.  As I drove her around last night, she was stunned at the volume of widespread damage from our storm.  Our journey took us to another friend’s house who lives in one of the cities that’s been declared a state of emergency. 

That entire city has been without power—of any kind—since the windstorm began—two days ago!  To help ease some of that friend’s frustration, I rounded up a group of us to come over and hang out, visiting with one another by candle and fire light as we sipped wine, nibbled on munchies we, who have electricity, brought to share and conversed with one another.

It was a nice way to spend the evening.  In addition to all of us getting to spend time together, my friend’s mind was taken off the fact that every bit of perishable food was ruined.  That they had no Internet, heat and only intermittent cell phone access.  That for all intents and purposes, they felt as if they were isolated in a forgotten time and space as the rest of society continued to circle around them at their usual blinding speed. 

Since there’s no electricity in that entire town, no repairs have begun.  Stores stand empty, their doors locked, handwritten notes of apologies taped to their entrances.  Giant trees, having toppled during the unrelenting gale force winds, can’t be chopped up, though some of the more major branches have been moved to the sides of roads in an attempt to make them passable.  If one has a higher profile SUV as I do, and are driving through the area after dark, they have to be mindful of low-hanging branches that have broken somewhat loose of their trees. 

Driving through this area felt a lot like I imagine navigating an overgrown jungle would—obstacles laying in wait around every corner.  It was so pitch black that seeing through my polarized windshield proved a challenge.  And if I had to turn a corner, that inability to see what lay ahead opened up the possibility for having my car collide with massive trees still blocking the road ahead. 

Driving through my own town today, I was again stunned at how much damage we sustained.  How massive trees that once graced our greenbelts, parks, schools and private properties now lay like downed soldiers on a battlefield.  Earlier, I watched a woman attempt to navigate her way around and over downed tree branches intent on completing her morning walk.  As I watched her, I considered the path I’ll run later today and wondered what obstacles I might encounter.

As I spoke with my Canadian girlfriend last night, I stated how, although we Californian’s have a reputation for being cold, self-absorbed and in too much of a rush to consider what’s going on around us, I stressed how, when faced with a disaster such as the one from this windstorm, we gracefully pull together.  We dig in.  Help neighbors we may never have met before.  We do this without being asked because it’s the right thing to do.  Most of all, we step up in this manner because, despite our negative reputations to the contrary, we do care about our fellow man and won’t hesitate to lend a helping hand when needed.