I still monitor most of the weather guys and storm chasers on teh twittah. I haven't forgotten those few moments that lasted forever, when we got hit by a surprise tornado after a beautiful day of clear skies on April 9, 2009. I may not freak out quite so badly every time the wind blows as I once did, but I still get nervous when severe weather happen.
The same thing has happened in the last 14 or so months since the time TEXAS WAS BURNING after TS Lee gave us a lot of dry wind. We were driving home from town when we saw smoke on the horizon, and it seemed like Texas just burned, and burned, and burned. Until it didn't. It was rough, y'all.
I still get a little freaked out when I see smoke on the horizon. While I may have hidden my little checklist of "things to do before driving the magic bus to safety without fucking it up too badly", I haven't forgotten that I almost needed it not so long ago.
I was recently reminded of how awful that living nightmare was. I was on my way to Dallas to visit my friend the superhero, and we drove through some of the towns that had been affected on our way to the metroplex. Wikipedia provides a summary of what east Texas went through while that fucking asslord governor campaigned to become president instead of doing his fucking job.
What I saw was a haunting reminder of how bad it was. We drove past miles and miles of wasteland. You could clearly see where the fires had raged, consuming everything in their path. The billboards in Avinger thanking the firefighters were still there, a token display of the gratitude that all of us who lived through the fires feel but can't quite properly express.
Driving past all of that charred landscape was a bit like being in the twilight zone or something. It was far worse than the scars that remain on the earth just 8 miles from our magic bus from the fires that had us driving through smoke for what felt like weeks. We literally drove through miles and miles and miles of scorched earth. While the Bastrop fire in Southeast Texas got media more coverage, the Bear Creek Fire was a monstrously large part of what became known as the Northeast Texas Fire Complex. Bear Creek alone burned more than 43,000 acres. Y'all, this part of Texas lost a lot, and it still shows.
Some of the areas that burned have been cleared. Others have not. Either way, it was obvious where the fires had raged. I felt as if we were driving through a war zone or something. There was just so much destruction; it stretched for miles and miles and miles and miles. It was far worse than the scars one can still see driving westward through east Texas on I20, and that's pretty bad.
While I know that we escaped the Northeast Texas Fire Complex relatively unscathed, it was still pretty traumatic to live through. I can't even begin to imagine how horrible it must have been for the people of Avinger and all of the other towns we drove through.
Sometimes, times does heal wounds. While we never forget traumatic events, often we can forget precisely how horrific it was. Thank heaven for that.
I was in your neck of the woods when TS Lee decided to say hello. I was visiting some friends expecting to lay by her poolside and soak in some Louisiana sun...not so much.
ReplyDeleteTime has a way of healing wounds, it is a word we often don't want to hear when the wounds are fresh but time really does help us heal. We may not forget, but we can progress.
Hugs to you!!!
Yeah, I think Louisiana actually got some rain off of TS Lee. I can now remember having to dope the dog, because she gets so distressed when the wind blows or the thunder rolls. We had to dope the dog with benadryl for three days while TS Lee's dry winds blew and blew and blew. The whole time Texas burned, she knew soemthing wasn't right. She would just stand outside, at attention, staring off in the mid-distance while the smoke drifted across the RV park. I'm glad she has apparently forgotten.
DeleteAlso, next time you're in Louisiana, let me know. We'll do lunch!
Poor little girl! Doping her with Benadryl LMAO Funny how they pick up on the weather the way they do.
DeleteHellz, yeah, I need to make another trip down there soon. I have a bestie there that I miss dearly!
Oh honey, I'm so glad you guys were okay and so sorry for the losses. I think we have to forget how horrific things are, otherwise it would be impossible to go on. My youngest has made me check the weather - and show him the maps - every day since we went through Sandy. And at least that was sort of predictable. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteI had kind of forgotten you guys got smacked by Sandy. Even the predicted disasters are traumatic. (((hugs)))
DeleteIt was traumatic for me just watching it on tv and reading about it so I can't even imagine living through it. I worried about you, Sunshine and Molly and my whole family. I'm kinda glad it's raining balls right now. Soak it up, Texas, and save it for the summer.
ReplyDeleteOh, I know. As bad as all this rain we just got and all the rain that is coming can suck (because mud and fab shoes do not go well together), I will take it. When it is this wet, fire is less likely!
DeleteI am so glad you were unharmed in the fires.
ReplyDeleteWe have snowstorms and hurricanes but thankfully wildfires are rare up here, though there were some in the pine barrens this summer. I cannot imagine what it must be like to live in the path of wildfires or earthquakes. I'd be scared all the time. I may complain about snowstorms but once the snow has fallen all we have to do is shovel and wait for spring.
I'm kind of the opposite about snow. We see so little snow around here that people freak out over it. We get flurries and folks all run to the grocery store like doomsday preppers, and none of them can drive in it. I like snow but hate it when it happens because of the way people act about it.
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