5 Things I Want My Child to Know About the Flood

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5 THINGS I WANT MY CHILD TO KNOW ABOUT THE FLOOD - COLUMBIA SC MOMS BLOG (2)

For most of us in Columbia, the flooding we experienced and its aftermath are things we won’t soon forget. I remember seeing images of New Orleans after Katrina hit and thinking how awful it was, but seeing photos of devastation is a completely different experience when the images are of roads you drive on everyday, businesses you frequent and houses occupied by your friends.

As I, like so many others, have done what I can to aid the relief effort, my son is too little to understand anything other than Mommy has been glued to her phone more than usual, he’s been allowed to watch way too much Sesame Street and baths weren’t happening with regular frequency. Many of our children are too young to remember what this experience has been like.

When my son is old enough to learn about the flood he lived through, there are five things I want him to know:

Things Can Change in the Blink of an Eye

One minute my friend texted me to say she was okay; the next minute she texted me a request to pray for her family, as the National Guard had knocked on her door, giving her orders to evacuate immediately. People were safe in their homes when they woke up, and before nightfall they were in a shelter, their homes overtaken with water. If natural disasters teach us nothing else, it’s that you never know what’s going to happen.

flash flood warnings
Cell phones and social media made it easier to keep up with quickly changing alerts.

Clean Water is a Blessing

Where my family lives, we were lucky to fare the storm with road damage and a boil water advisory. Mere inconveniences compared to the heartbreak so many are suffering. But what the boil water advisory showed me is how much I take our clean water for granted. Turning on the faucet to brush my teeth or wash my hands is so habitual that no matter how many times I told myself not to do it — well, let’s just say I went through a lot of toothbrushes. As I continued to boil water to wash the dishes and clean my son’s fruits and vegetables, I thought about the millions of people who live without clean drinking water. What we’ve experienced is just a small taste of what people around the world suffer each and everyday. I know that I will be more generous from now on when solicitations from Charity: Water come. I may even start my own campaign.

Everyone can do SOMETHING to Help

As much as I wanted to roll up my sleeves and help metaphorical neighbors tear up their waterlogged carpets, we weren’t able to help in that way. It didn’t mean we didn’t help though. When my son asks what we did, I hope he’ll be proud to learn that we used social media to spread the word about evacuations and disaster relief assistance, we donated food and toiletries to families in need, we fed relief volunteers and worked with organizations to identify people who needed help. There are people who did far more than us, but the important thing is we did SOMETHING — especially in times of crisis, no amount of help is too small.

picture of NECHAMA truck
Feeding disaster relief volunteers is one way to help. Photo Credit: Laurie Slack

Together we do Extraordinary Things

During the flood and the day or two immediately following, it felt like we were on an island, neighborhoods isolated by inaccessible roads. People did what they could, driving donated items to shelters, volunteering at the local food bank, helping neighbors with their properties. But when people started collaborating through flood relief Facebook groups, their schools, places of employment and houses of worship, extraordinary things began happening. Temporary housing was found for displaced flood victims. Meals were delivered to a woman who didn’t have enough money for food after spending everything she had on a hotel room for her family. Smaller areas of town that were previously overlooked finally had groups of volunteers ready to pump water from residents’ flooded homes. The flood may have destroyed individual homes, businesses and roads, but we are rebuilding our community together.

People are Really Good at Heart

The people of Columbia proved Anne Frank’s belief to be true. People are really good at heart. There were stories of people who went to water distribution centers —  not to take water but to donate water instead. There were stories of people opening their showers, kitchens and bedrooms to complete strangers. And then there were the most amazing stories about people who, after suffering devastating loss themselves, donated the things they needed, helped neighbors when they needed help and fed volunteers when they were hungry.

All too often we hear about places that not only fall victim to natural disasters but also fall victim to their neighbors who loot. We hear about communities that instead of finding peace after a storm, suffer senseless acts of violence. I want my son to know that his hometown was not one of those places. I want him to be proud to have lived in Columbia — just as I am.

What would you add to the list?

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Cheryl Glantz Nail
The new mom of a baby boy, Cheryl Glantz Nail started her blogging and freelance writing career in 2008. She has written articles for several blogs and websites, including 24/Savvy and InterfaithFamily.com. Shortly after moving to Columbia, she turned her love of content writing and social media into a career in communications, currently serving as the Community Relations Director for a local non-profit. Prior to this career change, she enjoyed 10 years in education, both in the classroom and as a curriculum developer. When she isn't in front of her computer or wiping up baby drool, Cheryl can be found curled up with a young adult novel and a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream, looking at cats on Instagram, or attempting to be artsy. She blogs at Take a Second Glantz (www.secondglantz.com/blog), trolls Pinterest for recipes she'll probably never cook, and sleep tweets during late-night feedings.

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