Storm
Wow! What a storm the evening of August 6th!! Our Ward IV community got hit hard! I saw a lot of damage as I drove around late the morning after. I also saw some neat scenes of people taking care of business.
Power was still out for some as I talked to a resident East of Highway 77 about 11:00 a.m. Zigzagging around Ward IV, I saw numerous homes with trees on their roof, some with tarps covering damaged areas. Almost all of us at least had small branches down and garden plants hammered by hail and wind.
But you know something? We are made of good stuff!! Every block had scenes of people out picking
up branches, raking or doing heavy lifting of sawed up trees. Buzzing of chain saws, scratching sound of rakes, conversations. Neighbors were helping neighbors. Tree company, city and Xcel trucks were everywhere. I smiled as I saw old pickup trucks scattered around the community. I’m guessing some were small operators realizing they could help increase family income while working for people who needed help. Good business sense.
It’s at times like these that I think about how we handle storms and other types of bad luck – or whatever we call disasters like storms. I believe in taking care of myself. I also know that there will be a time when I can’t take care myself – illness or injury or just “too old”. I guess that’s why we will always have a debate: How do we decide “I need to take care of myself because I can” and when
do we realize that “community needs to kick in and we help each other”.
The ideal is that it’s always individuals – hopefully with enough neighbors and non-profits helping – when an individual can’t fully take care of a need. Unfortunately, not enough people simply help a neighbor AND give to charities like Red Cross, Salvation Army and faith communities for tornados, terrorism or whatever else life throws at us.
What role should city government play when a storm ravages Bloomington? U.S. and Minnesota governments currently play the biggest role. But that’s one of the issues that the Bloomington City Council deals with too. One of the residents I talked to said she was impressed that, within an
hour after the storm blew through, temporary stop signs were out at intersections where signal lights had lost power. Did our tax money help save lives because city workers came out on short notice?
What role city government plays in a host of “city life” issues is, of course, something members of our city council must wrestle with – not easy, not simple, but important. If you elect me to represent District IV I will work hard to hear your thoughts, study details carefully, and speak out for what you and I think is right.
But you know something? We are made of good stuff!! Every block had scenes of people out picking
up branches, raking or doing heavy lifting of sawed up trees. Buzzing of chain saws, scratching sound of rakes, conversations. Neighbors were helping neighbors. Tree company, city and Xcel trucks were everywhere. I smiled as I saw old pickup trucks scattered around the community. I’m guessing some were small operators realizing they could help increase family income while working for people who needed help. Good business sense.
It’s at times like these that I think about how we handle storms and other types of bad luck – or whatever we call disasters like storms. I believe in taking care of myself. I also know that there will be a time when I can’t take care myself – illness or injury or just “too old”. I guess that’s why we will always have a debate: How do we decide “I need to take care of myself because I can” and when
do we realize that “community needs to kick in and we help each other”.
The ideal is that it’s always individuals – hopefully with enough neighbors and non-profits helping – when an individual can’t fully take care of a need. Unfortunately, not enough people simply help a neighbor AND give to charities like Red Cross, Salvation Army and faith communities for tornados, terrorism or whatever else life throws at us.
What role should city government play when a storm ravages Bloomington? U.S. and Minnesota governments currently play the biggest role. But that’s one of the issues that the Bloomington City Council deals with too. One of the residents I talked to said she was impressed that, within an
hour after the storm blew through, temporary stop signs were out at intersections where signal lights had lost power. Did our tax money help save lives because city workers came out on short notice?
What role city government plays in a host of “city life” issues is, of course, something members of our city council must wrestle with – not easy, not simple, but important. If you elect me to represent District IV I will work hard to hear your thoughts, study details carefully, and speak out for what you and I think is right.
