I evacuated on Wednesday evening and as I drove away in silence with my partner and pets I kept thinking about the things that I left behind and how I would mourn them. I cursed myself for leaving behind all of my beloved books. The very last thing I grabbed off a chair while walking out the door was the vintage leather hunting jacket I stole from my estranged parent. I hope to never speak to them again and yet I couldn’t bear to leave it behind.
I’m grateful I could return home and my apartment was still standing and safe. When I came home the dinner we were eating when we had to evacuate was rotting on the table. I prepared go bags and transportation but couldn’t prepare for seeing that. the grief is unending. I hope you and your loved ones stay safe. Thank you for writing this.
This was so beautifully written and so tragic. I will be thinking about the “Two Manhattans” scope of this tragedy for a long time. I’m not the praying type, but I’m thinking of you and wishing you happy birthday from North Carolina. It’s heartbreaking and terrifying to think how both coasts of this country have experienced such shocking devastation within only a few short months. I’ll never get over what Hurricane Helene did to our mountain towns, the areas that were supposed to be refuges from the climate crisis. As Americans, we didn’t even get through winter without another apocalyptic event. I’m so sorry for you and your neighbors and just so sad.
I evacuated on Wednesday evening and as I drove away in silence with my partner and pets I kept thinking about the things that I left behind and how I would mourn them. I cursed myself for leaving behind all of my beloved books. The very last thing I grabbed off a chair while walking out the door was the vintage leather hunting jacket I stole from my estranged parent. I hope to never speak to them again and yet I couldn’t bear to leave it behind.
I’m grateful I could return home and my apartment was still standing and safe. When I came home the dinner we were eating when we had to evacuate was rotting on the table. I prepared go bags and transportation but couldn’t prepare for seeing that. the grief is unending. I hope you and your loved ones stay safe. Thank you for writing this.
This was so beautifully written and so tragic. I will be thinking about the “Two Manhattans” scope of this tragedy for a long time. I’m not the praying type, but I’m thinking of you and wishing you happy birthday from North Carolina. It’s heartbreaking and terrifying to think how both coasts of this country have experienced such shocking devastation within only a few short months. I’ll never get over what Hurricane Helene did to our mountain towns, the areas that were supposed to be refuges from the climate crisis. As Americans, we didn’t even get through winter without another apocalyptic event. I’m so sorry for you and your neighbors and just so sad.