Nose for News by Sarah Stultz

 

As soon as the storms passed Saturday, it was clear there was going to be damage all over the community. A person only had to take a glimpse outside during the worst of the storm to know we wouldn’t walk away unscathed.

While some just had a few downed branches, others had entire trees uprooted. Still, others had it even worse with trees that fell on portions of their homes or garages.

We were lucky at my house. We had what we believe was an old phone cable ripped out of the back of our house and a few branches that came down, but otherwise we didn’t have any major damage. My corn got flattened at my garden plot, but all the other plants seem like they will bounce back.

I saw two homes listed for sale that had large trees around them fall down. At least one of the homes was damaged. “Those poor people,” I thought to myself, as I passed one of the homes. These people are trying to sell their house, and now they have to put in several more hours of time and effort — and most likely money — to get it cleaned up.

Though it is difficult to see hardship in our community, it is always heartwarming to see residents come together after these large storms.

Even before I left my home to go out and take photos of the storm damage Saturday afternoon, I saw posts on Facebook of others going out and helping their neighbors. One person was even taking a generator over to a church that was having a wedding later that day so that the wedding could go on as planned.

As I drove around to capture a few photos for the newspaper, I saw more neighbors helping neighbors firsthand.

On Sunday, I saw posts online about a group meeting to go out and help with storm cleanup -— people willing to help complete strangers who might be struggling to get the branches and debris cleaned up on their own.

It’s wonderful to see people pitching in to help each other, and I’m grateful to live in a community where the residents watch out for each other in times of trial.

Now, as we move forward, I hope this same attitude can linger after all evidence of the storm has passed.

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Tribune. Her column appears every Tuesday.