My friend Jay lent me a monster pump and PVC (they were out of large diameter hoses at the stores) to help out my sister. After about fifteen minutes of PVC assembly water was flowing like a fire hose.
There were several men in the neighborhood who strolled by with their coffee and said "Wow, that's quite a mess you have there". Then they would chat with my sister, who they know is unmarried, and watch me carrying item after item out the door to the driveway by their dry feet. I envisioned these men coming to a horrific crime scene: "Boy, that's a nasty bullet hole in your head - sure looks like the Cubs are going to win today, huh?"
The real hero was a neighbor named James who could have stayed inside out of sight, strolled by with a coffee, or ignored my niece's plea for help. Instead, he chose to help his neighbor. James and I worked together walking through nasty water and carrying load after load of heavy, water-logged furniture to the curb. This probably took about 30 minutes of his time to make a positive difference in his community.
During the afternoon a police officer came by with a flier which revealed that the creek had crested and the water would soon go away. Apparently this was a revelation of some sort and needed protection being delivered. The remaining 3/4 of the flier detailed a list of items including: electrical, furnace, air conditioning, plumbing, and major remodeling / demolition work that homeowners MUST obtain a permit from the city to have before any work could begin. The permits, of course, are for the resident's protection. Surely this wasn't some kind of not-so-subtle attempt to remind people there is yet another expense and process that MUST be completed to start any kind of repairs on their demolished, smelly property, was it? And exactly where was the offer to help from this town to its residence? Well, it was at the very bottom of the damp paper. There was a delightful little URL people could go to for assistance: http://www.fema.gov/ Hope you saved your computer from the flood, you'll need one to get help nowadays.
On the drive home I called my brother Steve who's a sheriff's deputy and member of the Army National Guard. We talked for a while about how the town leaders missed a great opportunity to make their community better. What if the policeman had actually asked if there was anything you needed help with? What if off duty firefighters, engineers, city council members, and building inspectors just asked if there was something they could do for the people who, by the way, pay their wage? What about giving high school students the day off if they would help bring basement garbage to the curb? "Oh MAG (Middle Age Guy)", my brother reminded me, "What would happen if one of those people tripped and fell going out the door of someone's house?" Darn, he had me again - I usually don't have to be reminded that lawyers have ruined everything including helping others.
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