So here I am in Louisiana, wondering if we'll be washed away tomorrow. I'm in North LA, thankfully, but we are still expected to get some flooding, heavy winds and rain tomorrow and maybe Friday from good ol' Mister Isaac. We have a small generator, so we can run several rooms at a time and save our food in the fridge and deep freeze and stuff. (and let me straighten my hair. ahem) My poor Little Miss HATES storms though and keeps wanting to check the weather report. I'm determined to NOT let her see the swirling mass on the radar, or she'll be in my bed every night for a week!
My point today is:
It's easy to get caught up in fiction (especially us, we're a fiction blog after all lol) and its easy to think about how fiction often stems from real life and etc. Right? At first I was thinking about Isaac "wow, this could be good research for a future story". Which is TRUE. But...it sort of makes me feel guilty, like I'm downplaying the experience for those really going through it. People really are stranded on roofs and being rescued by firemen and helicopters and National Guard, guys. People really are flooded out of their homes and living with a mass in a school or public building indefinitely. People really are going to have to go home one day and see their scrapbooks and family heirlooms floating in water. People really are going to find their pets drowned or their family member is missing or their job was flooded out and they're unemployed. People really are victims of crime and theft during an already tragic time.
I think we should learn from these types of hard situations to make our stories realistc, yes - but more than that, I think we should DO something about it. Not just glean details for research or fiction but truly pray. PRAY. Send money. Volunteer time. Be connected to the event and the people there, not just try to savage the drama from it for our own uses.
Been thinking about that a lot today. Especially since this is hitting on the anniversary of Katrina. It brings all that back. My husband has family in Metairie and New Orleans (hence our last name).
What do you think? How can you get involved? Are you in a danger zone from Isaac right now?
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Aww, lil' miss :( stay safe you guys. Depending on how it tracks DFW may get one of the outer bands but nothing compared to LA.
ReplyDeleteIm definitely looking at it differently than I have before. Last Septemeber Upstate NY had one if the worst floods ever, I went through & it was one of the hardest months of my life. We didn't have power or water for 5 days. After that, my grandparents were living with us (my gma has Alzheimer's too) since they were flooded out. Trying doesn't even begin to cover it. And I know people are still suffering there because of it, One my cousins was flooded out & only this past weekend got back into her house.
So yeah, I definitely see hurricanes in a new light.