What's on the Horizon

The whole world knows that for the last week Southern Alberta has been in a State of Emergency due to an unprecedented amount of rain in the mountains which caused the snow to melt overnight and go rushing through all our rivers, creeks and streams.  So many towns were hit that for the first couple of days we were all simply stunned silent in front of our television sets.  Just when we had given a sigh of relief that Alberta was going to be spared the disasters that had happened around the world, almost near the end of our “rainy season” we had not once heard “danger of flooding”.  Then suddenly there we were in the midst of the biggest flooding that we had ever seen. 

       I have lived through a number of floods to the point where I used to joke “just call me Noah”.  In 2005 I was particularly badly hit when I had more than a foot of water in my basement for over a month.  I got to the point where I just had to turn my mind off and not even go down in the basement because I simply could not cope.  There was no use in trying to suck the water out because the ground was so saturated that it just kept coming in through my septic tank.  It was a nightmare.  When I look at the pictures on television and then drove by High River (which is the town next to my own) and saw just how deep the waters were, all I can say is “there are no words”.  These are not the scenes associated with Canada, much less Alberta.  To see Calgary flooded throughout the downtown core, well, as I say, it is mind numbing.

       Just when we think that everything is going our way, Mother Nature, the Universe, God, the Fates, will somehow come along and slap one upside the head.  One can never be utterly complaisant nor can we be perfectly prepared for anything that may come along, because what comes along is always a surprise. The old age “prepare for the worst and hope for the best” may be wiser than we think when we are young and full of vim and vigour.  Watching the activity of the cleanup in Calgary and the anxious way people line up to help is heartwarming.  In times of crisis we see two contrasting types of behaviour, we see all that is good and noble come out of certain people, and then with others we see the scheming, criminal like mind peak into action with plots of looting or benefiting from the situation.

       People are interesting creatures, one can never typecast humans into one set of characteristics.  We are almost white, through almost black, with a lot of grey tones in between making up the good and bad in human nature.  In the end, what will triumph?  It is really hard to say, but I always lean toward believing in the good.  That’s the optimist in me.

       Albertans, I salute you.