Dear friends, several people have made inquiry about my sporadic posting in the past week+ and asking if everything is okay. While I generally do not discuss facets of challenges that are of a more personal level, here’s the essence.
The post hurricane recovery process is exceptionally challenging and difficult. There’s so much to rebuilding an entire community, economy and social system in the aftermath of such damage; it’s almost too encompassing to explain.
Previously, as I worked in the aftermath of disaster, I always enjoyed the benefit of leaving after the first several phases of recovery were addressed.
This is not that.
Even the smallest life detail can be difficult when everything is in turmoil. My roof was structurally repaired by professionals about two weeks ago; I no longer have a tarp. However, now the work inside begins against the backdrop of shortages of materials and workers. If you don’t have buckets of cash to burn to go live somewhere else while you hire a contractor to do the work, essentially you end up in the role of a contractor yourself.
Living while this is happening is a series of complex challenges, I’ll explain.
Each night you empty a room into the garage. The next day workers show up to work on that area. When they finish, you then put all the stuff back inside (nighttime), and then empty the next room or area into the garage. This sequence continues as you go from room to room. Empty it the night before, workers do repairs, at night put the stuff back, then empty the next room etc. If a sub gets pulled away, or if a supply item is short, you have to refigure the plan on the fly.
Essentially, it’s a 24-hr a day operation and physically exhausting. When I get ahead, I jump online and try to catch up on what is going on, then update with analysis etc. On top of this is a loving God who never gives us more than we can handle, yet recently seems to have a higher opinion of my ability and capability than I do of myself – especially as He timed ‘Operation Sunlight‘ into the mix of literal life groundwork.
It’s almost over, and I smile skyward at discovering that He, as always, was right. And yes, through gritted teeth I will admit I am capable of dealing with it. There is a great story to be told for real lessons in the aftermath of how to deal with severe chaos and national disaster. Consider it “Recovery for Dummies” that I would have willingly purchased if someone had told me how faceted, complex and seriously long-term this is.
I totally understand why so many thousands of people just pulled up roots and moved away. I hold no judgement or negative opinion of anyone who looked at the horizon and saw nothing but overwhelming stress.
In the aftermath of a major national disaster, there is a stark realization that life changes dramatically, even the most mundane of tasks hits snags and becomes exponentially challenging. Yes, even for those who are life-skilled, capable and self-sufficient (in the most general sense). No joking when I say, the coping mechanism is to look only at the two feet around you, and not at the scale of what you are trying to accomplish.
There are many thousands of people in worse shape than me, and I consider myself abundantly blessed and thankful to be a survivor and not a victim. There are many more who have no support system around them and no immediate fellowship to assist. Those people need prayers, constant vigilant prayer, and hopefully as the capable group encounter the opportunity from those in need, they will stop, reevaluate, postpone their self-objective if needed and assist.
Unfortunately, in this type of situation, there are fewer people who do the pausing and reevaluation, and even fewer still who can stay on task and proactively work a step-by-step plan that creates the opportunity to pause and assist. You guys know what I am talking about, but you are a select group of thinkers.
So yeah, I’m ok. God is a loving God, who is putting me in the right place at the right time, with the right skills and providing me with a profound purpose. And if I start to get a little upset about being given such purpose, He finds a way to guide my head, painfully, into a not yet fully opened garage door right in the middle of my angered disposition.
I have discovered that God has a way of literally knocking sense into me, while simultaneously telling me to slow down and cherish the abundant purpose.
Love to all. Steadfast,
Sundance
ps. These two memes would be the forward and prologue to my “Recovery for Dummies” short story….
Ive built a couple houses for myself and a couple cabins too. The prices for materials in last 2-3 years have gone pure stupid. For example, a 4″ ABS adaptor used to cost 4$ 2 years ago, now they are 17$…Mortgage interest rates are not causing the housing sales bubble burst..its the prices of houses have doubled and the mortgages are just too much for the middle class.
Thankfully the lumber prices have dropped like a rock, that helps to a degree. The labor gouging that is going on in these hurricane-stricken areas are ridiculous. Guys are throwing out numbers that what we call….”I really don’t want to do it but if I do, I am going to make a boatload of cash”.
Sad this happens to people in need.
You are an inspiration, Sundance. God Bless You! Take care of yourself first …
I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through. God is Faithful and hold Jesus’ Hand throughout.
Thanks for the update, Sundance. We appreciate & are praying specifically for you, what you are doing, and what you, your family, & larger community are going through; for health & overall well-being; continued & increasing blessings beyond all we can ask or imagine…
Courage and Endurance, Sundance.
Post Katrina in NOLA, not only did I have all the situations and difficulties you mention but in addition, we had many ‘storm chaser’ contractors/workers and they contributed to the outrageous amount of property theft that we had to suffer through, in addition to NOLA’s home grown thugs/thieves.
My best friend/co-worker had his expensive dehumidifier that was running in his gutted two story house stolen. Further reconstruction conldn’t continue until the machine did it’s job, along with the Microban, bleach and borax. It had to be mold free.
Building materials on site and especially anything metal – ladders, copper coil or wire of any kind – all walked off overnight. We had three episodes of workers entering houses and stealing clothes, tvs, etc., in broad daylight in my imediate block in the Metairie subburb of NOLA. This continued for many months.
After watching foreign workers from ‘South of de border’ enter my elder neighbor’s house across the street while he/wife were evacuated (cuz all the fences were still blown down or floated off in the man-made flood) I leaned out of the upstairs window of my Cape Code cottage style house (where I lived while the first floor was being gutted and rebuilt) ejected a spent shotgun shell and told them to “Vamanos, or get shot”. ( My wife and Mother-N-Law were evaced to Panama City Beach by FEMA for 6 months at the time,… I stayed behind and quickly became a FEMA Disaster house inspector to make ends meet. I never want to see mold again.)
The foreign workers dropped their Loot, jumped in their pick up truck and took off pulling their small open trailer filled with looted appliances. After that, I spray painted my fence with “Looters Will Be Shot With Buckshot”.
Many ‘disaster tourists’ driving by for months/years would stop and photo my message and when one asked me why, I explained that “No, it isn’t intended as a racist statement,.. it’s actually Legal Notice,… in case I had to defend my home/family and the surviving family of anyone hurt in the process tried to bring civil actions against me for personal loss or damages!” The potential ‘perps’ would be forewarned, legally, and that would mitigate any following law suit.
The tourists still didn’t get it, cuz they didn’t live with the daily travails/crime that we had to cope with as we tried to rebuild our lives, properties and communities with very strained local law enforcement. The Nat Guard 19/20 year old Week End Warriors stationed in their humves at the intersections were of little deterrence.
My former Naval Officer father who raised nine kids would often tell us in times of difficulty (post Hurricane Camille) that “Hardship breeds Character!”
I am sure you have enough Character now to last a life time, SD,…. and thank you for all you have done and are doing to help your Community and fellow man.
Unless you have personally experienced and survived a hurricane or other natural diaster of equal destruction and death,…and lived through it’s aftermath, it is very hard to comprehend just how stressful and discouraging it can truly be.
Best of Luck! Prayer or meditations may help get you through and maintain your health and sanity. It worked for me and my wife, I hope this helps.
PS: My fence message worked to protect my family and property and NO, I have never shot anyone in my life to date,… Thank God!
I used scavenged pieces of my old fence to build a temporary fence across the front of my yard until my insurgence company paid for a new one in 2007, and it had the same message.
Sundance, I do professional mold remediation. If you need some guidance or consult on anything you don’t already have help with please let me know. Apologies that this is probably way late in the recovery process. You are very encouraging to many of us. I hope you have a succession plan for the Treehouse, none of us are permanent fixtures. Many blessings to you and yours. Respectfully,
bodinator
I’m sorry i missed this post. I was in Ft Pierce when 3 hurricanes plus 1 revisit decided to target the East Coast. I’m amazed you post as much as you do with such value to each. You have created a thriving community. “Seek to understand..” have become watchwords. God Bless!