Collection

My husband and I left on Saturday and by Monday morning we were in Memphis. We remember watching the satellite view of our house at the home of friends and realized that, to our horror, our lives were permanently changed. We remember the horror we felt when we saw the water up to the eaves of our lower roof. We knew that our car which was parked in the driveway was flooded and all of our possessions, furniture and appliances, clothing, papers, books, mementos, art were all ruined.

When we were allowed to return, the stench was almost unbearable. The rotting food and whatever else was in the flood water made a smell I remember today. Also, everything was gray. The grass, trees, houses, cars, the boats which ended up on the neutral ground miles from the lake - all were gray.

Finally, we remember how dark the city was for many, many months. Swaths of the city had no lighting and visually blended into the lake.

I also remember feeling so very thankful that our family was safe.