I fear I saw Ellicott City die today. Maybe there’s no need for cynicism – the town’s survived many floods in its quarter MILLENNIUM of existence but the sheer riot of water that I saw in the news today makes me fear that I’ll never get to visit those shops and walk those streets and play those venues again.
It’s not that I underestimate #ECStrong – I was amazed at how the community came together and raised literally millions of dollars to get those businesses back on their feet, to get this beloved town cleaned up, to replace the clock… but I get the impression those millions of dollars WEREN’T spent on new drainage ditches or water channels or unsexy things like making sure the flood of 2016 couldn’t happen again in 2018… cause it just did.
A friend immediately texted “wow, none of them are EVER getting insured again”. I must admit, I hadn’t really thought of it from that angle – that’s pretty unsexy too – but yeah, when it comes down to it is it a deluge or State Farm that can kill a town?
I completely believe in climate change – and I know the difference between weather and climate – and I trust the very real science pointing to the FACT that our world is changing around us… but somehow I never really expected to be seeing it close to home or so soon in my Lifetime. Like privatized space flight it’s a sci-fi future that I believe in, but never expected to see. But the weather is indeed extreme, and places are pummeled and I think maybe I WILL Live to see ocean-front properties drop into the sea.
Seeing the cars crushed into storefronts, thinking “damn, I should’ve bought those Predator toys from All Time Toys”, sad that I JUST found my favourite dish at La Palapas and fortunate that I hope to never NEED a place to take someone for a whimsical but flirtingly romantic first date again – seeing the water sweeping all these things before it, I would hate to lose this beautiful town and I would be very sad to see it vanish, but if a friend said “planning on rebuilding my business on Main Street in Ellicott City” what advice would I REALLY give them?
Over a foot of rain this afternoon. Kristen returning from the Eastern Shore, she had me worried. Not Our Cat having vanished because we’d had band practice? He had me worried too. The former returned cold and clammy and the cat came back absolutely muddy and bedraggled. Kristen took care of herself, but Prince was chased throughout the house with towels and brushes and is now snoozing on the cool tile in the bathroom on HIGH and DRY ground – and no amount of whining is getting him outside till the sun promises to shine again.
Water in the basement, standing water in the backyard. New reports showing Catonsville’s main street has also suffered substantially in the rains today. Videos from our sister shop Appalachian Bluegrass here in Catonsvillle show a torrent of water rushing down Frederick Road like “Never in all my sixty years”. I feel slightly guilty having sat at home through it all, mixing audio and watching the rain… I feel great relief hearing “no reported injuries at this time” being repeated again on the news.
