I’m writing this series to benefit Golden Harvest Food bank. This organization has boots on the ground in Augusta to help victims recover from Hurricane Helene.
Contribute here today to help these folks get back on their feet.
The newfound peace reminds us of our responsibilities. Today, we resume the rhythm of homeschooling.
Thankfully, we can ease into it a bit easier. My mom offers to watch our youngest two. They have a cleanup crew removing stacks of trees that fell in their backyard. The crew uses a beefy skid steer and mini excavator. And my son loves to gawk at excavators.
I make my way back to Kroger to top off my wife’s van. The line is better organized and reasonable today. People are still kind to each other waiting in line and grateful to the workers directing traffic.
I take the opportunity of a solid cellular signal to check email. Engineers from corporate have contractors coming to our plant tomorrow to make repairs. My first day back could get busier than I thought.
Back To School
School is a struggle to get back into. The older kids have already lost 3 days. Their activities that act as a release valve? Cancelled for the rest of week.
They want to see their friends more than catch up.
One melts down on her math test and has to go back to review the concepts. Meanwhile, the oldest two are upstairs chatting. They work slowly through their assignments.
Alas, our four-hour quiet period draws to a close with little to show for it. But we’ll take what progress we can get now with nothing else to do.
I can’t imagine what this would look like next week starting with the rest of the county.
Unfamiliar Territory
All the other things we need to track starts wearing on my wife. Keeping our new generator running needs maintenance. And when this is all over, we’ll need a plan to store it.
There are still several large trees behind our house that didn’t fall in the storm. They may next time, but they’re on a neighbor’s property.
The best path the county could give us is to write them a letter to show the insurance company so we can deflect liability after it destroys our fence. Or crashes into our bedroom.
Nearing the end of the first quarter of the school year does not help. The girls’ to-do lists keep lengthening.
Besides a couple walks around our neighborhood, my wife hasn’t been able to see cleanup progress like I have. With the pressures of the day, I suggest she take a ride to see for herself that things are getting better.
This was a mistake.
Too Much at Once
Remember, I had to go to work right after the storm let up. I saw everything at its worst. I have also watched conditions improve rapidly while getting supplies the last several days.
And I’ve been to Iraq, Afghanistan, the Panama jungle near the Darien gap, and the shanty towns in Johannesburg. Let’s say I have a broad baseline for how bad conditions can get and still be livable.
Not my wife.
Living here, there was a persistent image of order.
The trip today was trees nearly blocking roads or falling onto houses. It was driving over downed power lines. And it hit her all at once.
Those sights instilled an overwhelming dread for the rest of the day.
Georgia Power sends a text alert that evening. They push back our expected restoration date another five days. Ring notifications deliver spotty reports about looters in other neighborhoods.
She’s ready to leave town. Just like so many of our other friends did.
This doesn’t feel like a camping trip anymore. It looks more like the opening scenes of The Road.
And our road to recovery is longer than we prepared for.
Interested in helping other victims of Hurricane Helene in Augusta? Many areas are still without power or easy access to food.
I’m sponsoring a fundraiser for Golden Harvest Food Bank. This group offers direct help in my area. Contribute today to get these good people back on their feet.
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There’s more adventure to come. See what happens on Day 7.
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