To know one life has breathed easier because you have lived. That is to have succeeded. - RW Emerson

Friday, June 21, 2013

The Flood of 2013

My city is flooding.

This morning I went to neurology/neurosurgery grand rounds, and everything felt completely normal. They had two crazy cases they discussed, and I walked out feeling awesome. Then I went back to my lab, and saw what was going on in the city. I felt like I was being punched in the stomach. This can't be real. This stuff doesn't happen where I live, only on the TV in distant lands.

I have spent my entire life watching other cities all over the world crumble in natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis and floods, but never have I ever had to live it, that was until yesterday. My city is flooding and there is nothing I can do about it. I live on top of a hill, or as they would say in Ontario, on top of an escarpment.  I'm safe, I don't think the river is going to rise over 100m, yet I also feel the panic. So many people have been forced to evacuate, and the entire downtown area has flooded. The upside is that I had to leave work at 11:30 because they shut the power off in our building (I still don't know why...), but the rest of the hospital is fine.

I went to go buy water at the store today...and of course its all gone. I then went to target, and thankfully got four 1L bottles. I didn't want to buy more than that out of fear of being too greedy in this time of disaster. I brought 2 L to my grandmother, along with an umbrella. As of yet, our water and power are all on, but I fear that it may change in a few days. I also bought more food, such as a dried goods, canned things, 4L of milk, a crap load of juice because I couldn't find anymore water, and some more fruit. I have never had to respond to a natural disaster before, so I am new at this stocking up on supplies thing...I was proud that I remember to buy a flashlight though.

I feel very trapped here. I get that feeling on a normal basis, but when I do, I just drive back to the mountains of BC to my parent's house or to one of our cabins. But those roads are closed and/or completely washed out. So I am trapped in Calgary. I HATE FEELING TRAPPED!

I just want to go home....(which is also flooding, but I feel safer in the mountains).