A Week like No Other

I keep thinking back to last Thursday (the 20^th) when we were told to leave work because of the evacuation order for Mission.  A group of us walked over to the river right behind the office to check it out and we were all joking because it didn’t seem so bad.  

In the giddiness of an early dismissal from work this didn't look too bad.
 

It seemed hard to believe that it was really worth evacuating us and we all figured at worst we would get a long weekend out of it with Friday off as a “rain day”.  When I woke up Friday morning and saw how much of my city was full of water I was blown away.  It was surreal and unbelievable.  It was the start of what feels like a very long, stressful and emotional week.  Yet at the same time in a lot of ways it was one of the best weeks of my life. 

The best way to I know how to explain what has been going on with me is to break it down to a few different parts.  The first is the flood itself, the second is the greatness of individuals that I have seen come out of the flood and the last is work.  Each area has had a different effect on me but all of them together have created a week that I’m not like to ever forget.

After waking up early on Friday I found myself glued to my television as more and more reports and images came in about the flooding in our city and around Southern Alberta.  I was worried for a great deal of people in my life.  A handful of some of my very best friends were all living in areas that were being inundated with water and my heart was breaking for what they potentially could be losing and I was worried but hopeful that everyone was safe and sound.  As I heard from all of them my fears were put to ease on their well being and I knew we would just have to wait and see how the rest would turn out.    

As crazy and bad as things looked there was at least some humor to be had.  Rumors began to circulate, on twitter mostly, that the big cats from the zoo were evacuated to the city jail to be locked in cages there.  This of course was just one of the contingency plans but it seemed to have everyone laughing and joking, including our Mayor who said ‘he wanted that photo’.  Of course for all the jokes that started to pop-up (things like how were the Flames going to be able to drain the Saddledome with only one cup?) the seriousness of the situation also began to set in.  The images that were being shared on TV and social media were almost unreal.  I went out to take a few pictures Friday morning and even though I saw it for myself, to see so much water covering our streets was just really hard to believe.  It was shocking to say the least.

It is surreal to not only see water on the streets but an empty downtown at 8am on a Friday

As the water began to recede though not only did it reveal how much damage the city was going to be dealing with but it also began to reveal the true spirit of Calgary.  Actually to be fair it started to come out on the Thursday night as people were beginning to be evacuated from homes.   Quickly on social media and kijiji people were speaking up offering places for people to go.  The ones that touched me the most were the ones that were not only opening their homes to people but to their pets as well.  This desire to help continued to grow.  As people were allowed back into areas that had been flooded out it wasn’t only the residents that went back but volunteers also moved into the areas.  Adults and kids alike were all coming out and were willing to get dirty or even just bringing food, water and support to areas that now looked like war zones.  It was inspiring to hear the stories but I couldn’t have prepared at how wonderful it felt to actually experience this love and support.

On Tuesday (the 25^th) I went with my current house guest and good friend to her condo to offer any help that I could.  I was a little worried because I’m not the most physically fit and I certainly have no clue what to do with tools but I was willing to give it a shot.  When we arrived we quickly got to work cleaning up mud, water and random debris from her basement and garage area.  Time flew by surprisingly fast and although it was hard work it didn’t seem as bad as I was prepared for.  As the morning turned to afternoon it was time to take a break from the basement and that is when I first experienced some of the warmest and most sincere interactions I have ever known.  I do not always have the best luck with large groups of people but there were on insults tossed.  Instead I was greeted with so much support.  We got offers of food, water, and help.  There was even one gentleman walking around who stopped just to say hi and encourage us.  It reminded me that there are good people out there.  I will admit it renewed my belief that humans are capable of doing great and wonderful things.  It filled my heart with so much pride and joy it made the afternoon go by even quicker.  By the time I got home that night I felt completely exhausted and yet surprisingly rejuvenated all at the same time – it felt like a strange contradiction of emotions. 



Dirty never felt so good!

Helping out at my friend’s condo gave me a little bit of focus and distraction as I waited to hear what my future was going to look like.  I don’t live in an area that flooded but my office was right in the middle of it.  Holy Cross is actually only a few blocks from my friend’s condo so when I saw her basement I knew there wasn’t much hope for my building.  As the information came out we quickly learned that we did in fact end up with water in our basement which affected our servers which of course impacts on our phone system as well.  As the week has gone by there was much speculation about what was going to happen, where we were going to go and what we would be doing as things were fixed.  I’m not a huge fan of change and I’m even less happy about not knowing the details so I have found this week incredibly frustrating.  I give so much gratitude to the management and staff that were dealing with all the details but I hated not knowing.  The good news is we have a place to go now.  I’m not thrilled about the idea of the move because it is going to increase my commuting time but I keep reminding myself that it will be temporary and it could have been worse.  I mean at least I still have a job and there is somewhere for us to move to. 

 

I have to admit that after spending part of my afternoon grabbing stuff from my desk in the dark Holy Cross building I am feeling a little more grateful about how things have turned out.  We looked down the stairs and saw how high the water came up in our basement and I was shocked – I never considered work would actually get water even though it does sit right next to the river.  I know it’s a little crazy. 

A pitch black basement lit by a flash and a couple flashlights.

 

When I went to my desk I found myself getting a little more emotional though.  All around my desk I have pictures of friends, family and even what I call my wall of fame which consists of pictures from my meetings with famous people and as I looked at them in the glow of my flashlight I found myself reminded of what really matters.  It was one picture in particular that set me off.  Thursday morning I had actually just put up a new photo of me and my Nan and when I saw it I just knew that things would be ok.  Sure the next few weeks are going to be crazy and inconvenient but compared to so many people in this city I really have nothing to complain about.  I decided in that moment that I would look at this change as something positive and go into it with an open mind.

This week really has been a week of ups and downs but it is a week I will never forget.  In the end I know the memories that will stand out the most are the positive – the good will and love that fills this city and makes us who we are.  Life is starting to get back to normal, even if that normal is a little different than it was last week.