Nature strikes back again

23 people were killed within 40 miles of my home last night. The number of injured are still being counted. At least five families are sheltering at the local Methodist church. Compared to Katrina, to Rita, to the earthquakes in the Middle East, the Asian tsunami, and all the natural disasters that are becoming more and more common, this barely registers on the scale of tragedies. But this is where I live, and while that does not make it worse, it does make it more real.

Last night, I saw dramatic lightning and felt light rain and the unnaturally hot temperatures that mean tornado conditions are ripe. Even after the tornados passed, the humidity stayed so high that I couldn't rest wondering when another would hit. I'm feeling very lucky tonight and guilty because I do feel lucky.

Ten miles from here, one family lost five of its members, and another is still missing. I can't even imagine what that would be like. My mind refuses to grasp it.

On the highway which once bypassed my town but is now its center, I saw industrial clean up trucks and huge flatbeds carrying flashing arrow road signs go north all day long. The prices for tree surgery have already gone up. All anyone can do is clean up and go on.

I wonder just how much damage we've done to our climate, if we really can clean everything up, how much longer human life can go on, what the next dominant life form will be. Tornados, hurricanes, monsoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, droughts, floods have been around as long as the earth has been around, but has the frequency ever been like this?

It's easier to think about the big questions tonight, because there's so little a single person can do about the really big issues. The reality of so much personal loss for all these families is harder to handle, but it's what we need to handle. When we think about the big issues, we can get paralyzed.

What I know I can do is help someone pick up trash. I can take water to the town whose water purification and sewage system was seriously damaged. I can toss the can of aerosol hair spray and put my collection of canvas totes in the car so I can use them when I go to the grocery store. I can take greater efforts to make sure my car is in its best condition so I'll use less gas and produce fewer emissions. I can plant those dogwood and mimosa trees I've been wanting. I can use lightbulbs with lower wattage and make sure unnecessary lights are turned off. I know that I can live a greener life. I just hope it's not too late to make a difference.

environment