Governor Perdue said Tuesday that “The best of people comes out in times like this.”, and some stories are already coming out of people helping themselves and their neighbors deal with the Atlanta floods.
Take, for example, the story in one AJC picture of two men clearing out a house in the middle of the flood. Neither had met before that moment, but one man owned the house and the other had once considered buying it. In another picture, you see a kid chipping golf balls into the water, making the best of a bad situation. In another, you have two brothers on top of a mobile home trying to get in and salvage what they can – in the middle of flood waters that appear to be at least 3 feet deep. (These stories and their pics can be found here, and many more pics of the floods from the AJC can be found here.)
Also coming out are actual news accounts of neighbors helping neighbors. The most prominent I’ve seen so far is the story of Mercedes Bell, who by Weds had already stripped out most of her carpet and drywall with the help of a neighbor and her friends.
Individuals helping individuals. Families helping families. Friends helping friends. Neighbors helping neighbors.
THAT is the American Way. THAT is what makes this nation the best nation on earth.
The strength of this nation is NOT our government, but our people, and in times of catastrophe, that strength shines like a lighthouse on a stormy sea.
