The HEART of Texas May 3, 2016

Starting this week Experience Palestine will be posting weekly blog posts from guest authors.  We are honor to share with you, the introductory article written by John Lamb, an local resident, business owner and well... read on...

Nickel Manor in springtime - Photo by MYETX.com

This is not the post I was going to write.  I was going to write a wonderful document about all the things to see and do in the area.  Maybe even slip in a plug for my upcoming venue.  I had plans.  I had ideas.  I had words.

Then the flood happened.

It’s amazing how a catastrophic event can change everything: your viewpoint, your priorities, your very perception of the world.  The flood in Palestine late Friday night, April 29, 2016 was such an event.

I was having trouble sleeping when the phone rang. On the other end of the phone were the folks at Pint and Barrel panicking about water coming in and needing to get to higher ground.  My building is next door and tall so i said I’d be right down.  I didn’t realize at the time the severity of the flooding.  By the time I got there, they had already found shelter after pulling the doors off the hinges to get out.  Clever people.  As I looked down my outside steps, thinking I would go that way to fetch them, I saw that the water was covering the way and half-way up my lower level.  What I thought is unrepeatable here.  I went inside, found the basement half-full of water and the contents floating around like toy boats in the pool. After covering the floor under the roof leak, I headed outside to see if there was any help to be given.  There I saw cars also floating like toy boats in the pool.  I saw some start to crash into each other, and one rather errant one floating rather lazily in circles.  Turns out that one and another ended up floating down the creek and into the storm drain that goes under Kroger.  Amazing.

After a while, the water began to recede.  When it got the level where I could walk to the parking lot behind, I could see devastation all around.  Trees down. Wooden furniture piled against fences.  Ruin everywhere.  People getting back to their cars followed.  (Some getting back into “not their cars”, but that was short-lived once pictures were being taken.)  After securing my place, I headed home.  All of this is standard flood disaster stuff.

The next day came the miracle.  Another flood.  This time a flood of people. Not the gawkers and lookie-loos.  Not the vultures of questionable workmen looking to gouge the unwary and desperate.  No.  This was a flood of helping hands.  Angels in t-shirts and work boots.  They came early and stayed late.  They brought food.  They brought water. Many did both.  And not just a few.  By my estimate nearly 200 people showed at one time or another.  They were amazing- asking nothing but “How can I help?” then doing it.  (I’m welling up here just remembering.  Seriously.)  We had not heard yet of the devastation further west and the tragic deaths of a grandmother and her four grandchildren.  We were focused on the task at hand.  Clearing out, cleaning up, deciding what to try and salvage and what was a loss. 

 And still they came. And came again on Sunday!  It was an outpouring of the best in humanity.  Young and old and everything in between.  Especially the young ones gives me hope for the future.  For some it was their first time offering themselves in service to others… and they liked the feeling.  It was a feeling they would want to repeat.  It was a miracle of giving.  One man from the businesses affected told me on Sunday that he was going to have to leave.  Not because of the devastation.  He was overcome with emotion.  He had been through hurricane disasters in Florida where the only people who showed up were asking for money.  He had never experience anything like this.  Welcome to Palestine, Texas.  Today… WE were the “Heart of Texas”.