Hell or High Water

Hi Guys!

In honor of the Albertans experiencing the effects of the major floods, I just want to take a minute to acknowledge the event of the last few weeks.

Yes, I know this isn't manga, but I felt that I needed to write this down because I think that some events are too important to forget, and believe me, I've forgotten more important things than I can count. By posting this on the internet, I know that it will stay there for a long, long time. I can only hope to make a few more people aware of the events of June 20th-23rd.

Because of the excessive rain, the Bow and Elbow rivers flooded and overcame neighborhoods in Medicine Hat, High River, and Calgary, as well as many other Southern Alberta communities. Pets were lost, property was damaged, and places were shut down for days.

Depressing. I know.

I certainly wasn't expecting it. You seem so sheltered, thinking that these disasters only happen in foreign places and that it fades away within weeks. But it doesn't. A couple days before, we were happy for the rain because all of these cities are really dry places, and let's face it. We all like to see a little green when we occasionally take a look past our computer screen and out the window.


BUT.

It was amazing to see all of these concerned neighbors and strangers getting off their butts and helping others. Many people volunteered their time, and donations to the Red Cross poured in. Strangers accepted strangers into their houses and gave them a place to stay. You could see all of the love.

 

 

What amazed me was that they got the Calgary Stampede up and running. A few events were canceled, but the midway was set up, "interesting" deep fried foods (deep fried pickles??? bleh.) were created, and they were able to drain most of the water out.

 

They sold these T-shirts to help raise money for flood victims, and I thought they were awesome. The problem was that they just sold either small or X-large. What is with that???

The best part is that they created a different shirt for kids. When I saw them at first, I thought it was a mistake, but then I realised that we were near the kids area. You know what they sold there? "Heck or High Water" shirts... lol. In my mind, I was like "What difference does this make?" Oh well.

If you guys are in the Calgary region, you should check it out!

Thanks again,
FP