What is this? This is Houston, 12 days after the hurricane.
About 1/3 of Houstonians are still waiting for their power to be restored. Those who have power share with those who don't. Extension cords criss-cross our neighborhoods. On busy streets they keep these temporary lines in place with duct tape. In this photo, the yellow cord connects Glenda and David to Esther. The green one ties Ken, Karen, Avery, and Vaughan to us. People extend themselves. Jessica announces on facebook: "Anyone need to do laundry? Come over now. We have beer too."I am moved by all these acts of kindness.
Every house has its own pile of tree branches and severed trunks in a neat pile along the curb. I'm not sure how all this could-be mulch will be removed. However biodegradable, it's an awful lot of stuff.
Most of the traffic lights are still broken. Travel, even short trips, can be very trying. But Houston maintains its cordiality and civility. This morning I saw three huge orange cranes that trim trees and fix electric wires lined up on 11th Street. They needed to make a left hand turn at a corner where there is no stop light, not even a stop sign. All the cars stopped to let them go first. That's another good example of Houston chivalry. We brake for tree guys.
my aunt/uncle down the street from you (kinda/sorta) still are without. but they've got window units hooked up to their generator!
Posted by: Robyn | 24 September 2008 at 04:55 PM
love the image of the colorful crisscross electrical cords as a symbol for neighborly intersections and interactions.
Posted by: Marcia | 24 September 2008 at 09:15 PM