Wednesday, June 18, 2008

a river runs through it

I currently live in the parched southwest in the middle of a drought, but I'm a midwestern girl to the core and many of the places close to my heart have been effected by the flooding. I thought I'd share a few photos.Above is a picture of what remains of the Sutliff Bridge in Iowa, a place with many fond memories. When I was in college, just down the road, we used to head to the little store/restaurant/saloon next to the bridge on Sunday mornings for greasy fried food after a rough Saturday night, heathens that we were, we called it church. And now, it's gone. Below is Hwy 1 between Mount Vernon and Iowa City. MV is where I spent 4 years at Cornell College, and I called Iowa City home for two years after that. The home I lived in my second year in IC is located just a couple of blocks from the Iowa River and was located in an evacuation area. Matthew and I drove down this very highway last year on our way back to California after our wedding:
Finally, my home town has faired better, but the mighty Rock River still rose high enough to flood streets and scare residents real good. Below maintenance workers fill sandbags to protect my high school, which is located on the river.
According to Cornell's website the campus has been turned into a red cross center. The campus sits on a very big hill and was never in any danger. Disaster relief workers are staying in the dorms, as are a number of women and children who had to evacuate a Cedar Rapids social services shelter. In all the tragedy, I'm glad that my alma matter is opening its doors to help. I only wish I could do the same.

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