Lynne Guey

the product of immigrant strife and bourgeois achievement. i seek ataraxia; stories warrant my devotion.
The inside of what was once a free-standing trailer in Ringgold, GA, one of too many examples of devastation caused by April’s tornadoes.  It’s since been converted into a sun shielding area for volunteers cleaning the whirwind’s aftermath.  What remains from these terrifying twirl-de- forces is this: homes with beaten infrastructure, unfortunately far too battered and exposed to support any notion of a home.  After spending the day clearing out debris, shingles, and shattered glass with other volunteers, while perpetually trying to escape a leering beetle, I could not imagine laboring like this day in and day out. Called it quits after 4 hours.  Through the morning, the sun beat down on our raking backs. Clouds arrived by early afternoon, beckoning a brewing storm .  With that, we put our rakes and shovels to rest and left the premises before Mother Nature did her thing. I looked back and saw a war zone. A church with half its community room exposed. Faded, ripped, now barely recognizable photographs scattered in the brush. Wooden constructs that probably once supported both human dwellings and termite life.  It all lay dead and dismantled in clumps, once an establishment of life, now just a reminder of once was.   The relief effort will continue tomorrow, the day after, and after, and after. Today I saw volunteers who have been cleaning up for weeks.  I could barely muster 4 hours of my time.  How truly difficult it is to face off against Mother Nature.  For those who pick up the pieces after a lost battle, thank you.  Towns will be rebuilt because of you.  Tweet

The inside of what was once a free-standing trailer in Ringgold, GA, one of too many examples of devastation caused by April’s tornadoes.  It’s since been converted into a sun shielding area for volunteers cleaning the whirwind’s aftermath.  What remains from these terrifying twirl-de- forces is this: homes with beaten infrastructure, unfortunately far too battered and exposed to support any notion of a home.

 After spending the day clearing out debris, shingles, and shattered glass with other volunteers, while perpetually trying to escape a leering beetle, I could not imagine laboring like this day in and day out. Called it quits after 4 hours.  Through the morning, the sun beat down on our raking backs. Clouds arrived by early afternoon, beckoning a brewing storm .  With that, we put our rakes and shovels to rest and left the premises before Mother Nature did her thing. I looked back and saw a war zone. A church with half its community room exposed. Faded, ripped, now barely recognizable photographs scattered in the brush. Wooden constructs that probably once supported both human dwellings and termite life.  It all lay dead and dismantled in clumps, once an establishment of life, now just a reminder of once was.  

The relief effort will continue tomorrow, the day after, and after, and after. Today I saw volunteers who have been cleaning up for weeks.  I could barely muster 4 hours of my time.  How truly difficult it is to face off against Mother Nature.  For those who pick up the pieces after a lost battle, thank you.  Towns will be rebuilt because of you. 

Tweet

  1. lynneguey posted this