OCR Text |
Show Salute goes to many who sandbagged By Steven Wallis Eiprett Newt Edito' I don't like to be out in the summer sun without a hat on. Without a hat, sizzling summer rays easily cut through what little protection protec-tion I have on top of my head and spur a fast retreat into the house for some type of covering. Sometimes I forget my hat and have to pay the consequences. Monday last week was such an instance. Flooding along 1500 North and 1500 West seemed to peak Monday morning morn-ing as determined groups of sandbag-gers sandbag-gers worked shoulder to shoulder to stop Ashley Creek from swamping the homes along the street. The whole affair was like a parade groups of people filling sandbags sand-bags lined the sides of the street as pickups drove down the middle loaded load-ed with sandbags and people. The people came from everywhere to help. People from Roosevelt stopped to help. "People we didn't even know, who were just passing through, stopped stop-ped and helped," said a flood victim. The Larry Hacking family was a typical group of sandbaggers. Monday they started at 5 a.m. With a truckload of green and white sandbags, sand-bags, they backed into a water-covered water-covered driveway to sandbag the back of a flooded home. "I think I'll only take one bag at a time this trip," said Hacking, "carrying "carry-ing two at a time gets me tired too quick this late in the day." It was 10 a.m. "When do you get used to the cold water?" asked another sandbagger knee-high in water and lifting sandbags sand-bags from a pickup. The sandbags were unloaded faster than they were loaded. They were placed around the back of a home where water was already two feet high. They emptied their load and went for another. I went along for the ride. Several more trips and the backyard was cut off from the flood waters. A few hours later the water was down to a trickle in the backyard of the flooded home. It was a good feeling to see the positive result of their efforts. But now the water was flowing to the side of another home. A sandbag line was formed, bags were passed from person to person until the side of the house was reinforced against the flood water. The sun was getting higher and higher and my bare scalp was feeling it. Word got out that sandbaggers were needed on 500 West, so their truck was loaded with sandbags and shuttled to that area. Sand was becoming scarce, so the Hackings and crew went to a sand pit on Doc's Beach Hill, 3 miles away. Others were also at the pit. The sand was used to protect a house on 500 F.ast which Ashley ('reek threatened to flood. Hack on 1500 North, Just to see if things were okay, sandbaggers were offered sloppy Joes and pop. We didn't know who was handing out the food and drinks, but it was good. I.aler in the afternoon (he flooding suftsidi'd, and .sandlmggers returned to their Jobs or Just rested. There were no reasons for their morning's effort other than someone needed help, and they showed up. Many people's eyes were filled with tears as sandbaggers crowded around their home to sandbag it against the flood waters. It is a gixKl feeling when a community, communi-ty, in a time of emergency, will pull together as it did. Maybe it was Just basic survival instincts, but I don't think so. It was a time when the silent majority, majori-ty, not the too often publicized minority, minori-ty, came out to help. It was an exciting day. A day for all casual observers to take their hats off to the many unselfish sandbaggers. Sorry about the red, peeling ocalp under mv hut |