During my recent visit, Anne drove me around. I was curious about how the recovery is going. It's a very slow process. Clearly, Cedar Rapids is trying to rebuild. But it ain't easy. In many neighborhoods, some people re-invested in their property, other people had to walk away. The abandoned houses are still boarded up, full of black mold and vermin. The day we were there, the downtown was eerily quiet. Even though things are dry now -- and the rebuilding is evident...it must be a struggle to find new tenants to replace the bankrupt businesses...
It was such a gorgeous summer day. It's impossible to visualize all that water and the devastation it caused...
As we drove around, Anne and I were quiet. I was thinking how sad it is -- even now, years later. So much loss. And I was thinking about Joplin, Missouri...a much more recent tragedy. Their tornadoes were so sudden, killing over 100 people...I can't even imagine how they'll recover.
Maybe the truth is that you don't always recover....you just move on.
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