A different kind of hunting

     Hey guys, sorry if you missed your freebie doses the past few days, I have been forced by conscience to shift gears for a little while. Thursday night into Friday my area was hit with record flooding, in amounts our region has not seen since the 1970's. The photo to the left is of the center of my town after the flooding. That is our fire house and library, the pond across the street and the creek out back became one. Our town was shut down until the flooding receded. Our schools were closed from our first day till the following Monday. And, unfortunately, we were one of the LESS affected districts. Nearby Candor STILL had not been able to open their stores as of today, and get to return to school tomorrow. Still, their damage was menial.

     Owego, the next town over from Candor, had by far the most extreme damage. Their town was COMPLETELY under water. Citizens were evacuated by boat, and those who stayed behind were not able to leave until Saturday at the earliest. Their stores remain closed, and their homes are destroyed. They have no idea when their schools will reopen, or if they will be forced to send them to near by schools pending repairs. Either way they have to buy new school supplies to replace the ones destroyed by the flood waters after the students had to evacuate on their first day of the new school year. On Youtube, you can view videos of people's homes floating down the river and being destroyed upon impacting the bridge. Photos are beginning to circulate of looters ransacking homes and businesses, taking advantage of the crisis.

This is an area in dire need of help. With the fires in Texas, one can see how the needs of our people seem less extreme, but whether a house is burned down or falls slowly to water corrosion and rotted beams, they are both destroyed. It doesn't matter if they burn, or wash down the river, memories and lives are crushed. Relief HAS to come from somewhere. It is in this light that I have begun to TRY and help relieve the burden of those who have come to me with their stories, homes that were in families for generations that are now condemned; people who can not cry anymore coming in to buy supplies to dispose of their ruined belongings, and clean what is left of their homes. They NEED help. I am accepting donations of supplies to be given to these people. What supplies I cannot personally disperse will be passed on to local drives and shelters to be given to those in need. ANY assistance is appreciated!