Wednesday, August 31, 2011

feeling lucky

After a week that seemed like a page out of a doomsday novel. . . earthquakes, hurricanes. . . life in Washington has quietly settled back to normal. We were lucky, very lucky, considering the scope of the destruction wrought by Irene along the east coast. My heart goes out to all from North Carolina to my home state of Maine. My family is safe and well, but there are so many others who are not.

Every morning I walk past the Newseum on my way to work. Lining the entrance are daily copies of the front pages of local newspapers from all over the country. There you can find the local interest stories sadly lacking from The New York Times, or on CNN. Entire communities wiped out or stranded by flood waters that continue to rise. Historic buildings and bridges washed away by water. Many tough, but tired people. It is summer now, but these folks will soon be headed into a cold New England winter. It's hard to think about.

But, here are some ways to help on an immediate, local level:

* American Red Cross of Vermont & New Hampshire Valley
* American Red Cross Connecticut Region
* The Preservation Trust of Vermont

And here in Washington, the National Cathedral sustained several million dollars of damage in last week's earthquake. You can help the repair effort.

If anyone has additional suggestions for local aid organizations, please add them in the comments.

Here's hoping you are all safe and well.

4 comments:

Style Court said...

So true about the local stories. I've been thinking of your family up North.

Janet said...

Courtney ~ all the little stories that are par of our collective history! Family is all well. . . just a few trees down. You are so sweet to think of them.

LINDA from Each Little World said...

My sister lives in S. Woodstock, Vt. and we could not reach her for a few days. I quickly discovered local blogs and news sources so I could see what was happing in her town and keep up with it til she finally posted on FB. All their phones including cells were out for quite a time. Her house is still standing and habitable but it is going to be a long haul. The devastation of these lovely communities and the landscape is hard to comprehend. Thanks for mentioning how folks can help. Glad your family is OK.

Janet said...

Ms. Wis ~ I am glad to hear your sister is safe. But, I am worried again with all the rain expected in the next few days. It's going to take a long time to recover, but those Yankees are tough people and will pull through. I am happy to help in any small way that I can. Big hugs to all your family.