January 7, 2005
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High Water Mark
If we wanted to repeat our stomp rocket experience today, we'd have to take remedial swimming classes first -- and rent a wetsuit or two.
Things are a little moist around southeastern Ohio at the moment. I'm lucky to live on a hill, and all I need to get from work to the office is one bridge. Fortunately, one bridge is still operational. When I called back home to let the spouse know I'd made it without so much as a hem-wetting, he took a black-humor approach: "Well -- go out at your lunch break and do some disaster tourism, okay?"
So I did. I snapped the police at the high-water line on
the commercial road east out of town, the helicopter circling the closed routes, the rushing river pushing old plastic bottles and other bits of detris higher and higher toward the road -- covering the drains, the first flood terrace, the flood transit, the bike path, the parking lots, the dumpsters.
It didn't feel like true disaster tourism, because after all, I do live here, and even if I'm personally unaffected, these are places I know and frequent that are being -- not pummeled, but slowly and inexorably sodden and then overcome -- by the force of nature.
Admittedly there's a reek of the rubber-necker about it, but there's also a sheer element of awe. In the face of other true disasters flung across the globe, perhaps "awe" is too positive a word. But for anyone who thinks we humans have things under control, on a personal, here-and-now level, even the sight of a well-known playground turned pool begs the question.
Comments (10)
i made sure to build where neither flood nor tornado nor hurricane nor earthquake can touch me.... unfortunately, i built on top of a sinkhole.
nature is certainly in control.
We are to nature as the ants are to us. When we decide to trod across the anthill, we go and the ants are scattered and crushed. We, like the ants, can make small attempts to impede the onslaught, but with little true effect. A few ants find their way into our pants and cause considerable annoyance...this only causes us to stomp ficiously in our next pass over the ant hill. We build dams and change courses, however when the rivers awaken from their sleepy naps and decide to wander the countryside, our efforts often make worse the effects of their meanderings.
However, like the ants, we are irrepressable. When the boot unwittingly squashes the small world of the ant and passes aimlessly on, the ants scurry to rebuild maybe only to be squashed again. We do the same..with higher purpose?
Nature is a tool. There's no control in a hammer, only in the One who weilds the hammer. Just as there's no control in an of an automobile itself, only in the one who owns and operates it...
I didn't realize you were in Ohio. Are you close to the Ohio?
what the hell.... I wasn't aware that there was more than one Ohio, and which Ohio would be the Ohio? I hate it when I feel like I'm missing the joke, dammit!
The images and the words remind me of Emerson (as you always have). A little of it here, and later in his essays more specifically about how nature can so easily renovate the works of man.
I don't see a flooded playground in that picture. I see a water slide.
Look at all that water...
I just read your comments re: Yates over on eFairy's blog, and I had to come over and thank you for putting into words what I was thinking last night, but was unable to successfully do. You took the words right out of my mouth (or brain I should say). Bravo.
i come from a place that gets flooded so easily. all it takes is a little rain and most of manila becomes a huge waterlogged parking lot.
we proclaim ourselves almighty but nature always has the last laugh. keep dry.
hope you all dry out soon........forces of nature are hard to deal with.
lora
Holy smokes, I guess I don't watch enough news- I had no idea Ohio had major floods. I will tell you one thing, though- that kiddy area looks like a lot of fun to play on for even me! I just want to jump in there and swim to it and play king of the mountain!
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