Thirty or so miles south of me, in and around places I like to hike, flash floods wreaked havoc last week. Many people were rescued, and surprisingly, only one person was killed. This seems nearly miraculous to me. If it had occurred over the prior holiday weekend, I imagine that the situation would have been significantly worse.
Even with only one death, the situation remains tragic. The loss of belongings and impact on livelihoods is significant. Social media is covered with stories of residents who lost everything, campers who lost a great deal, and outdoor outfitters and river resorts who will lose significant revenue this summer as they struggle to reopen. The immediate aftermath and reactions were of course devastating and heartwarming. Every terrible circumstance posted was met with seemingly sincere empathy and care. Folks posted immediately offering to use their heavy equipment skills to help restore roads. Donation drives were quickly organized; boats were offered for search and rescue. The list goes on and on.
However, within 36 hours or so, most of that goodness disappeared, or at least was overshadowed by the nastiness we’ve all grown very accustomed to. Thieves were scoping locations and collecting anything of any value that they could. Scammers began to descend on Facebook pages and groups. Insults were being thrown along with sanctimonious posts telling everybody how they should feel, how they should act, and how they should help.
Additionally, the photos shifted. At first, they were helpful for informing people about what areas were affected. They were accompanied by explanations of severity and breakdowns of what areas were accessible. Some of them were tagged with locations to help people locate vehicles, campers, and other large items that had been carried away. There were pets that were found. Eventually, it became carnage posting for clout. Sightseers and trauma tourists began to drown out the good things that were happening.
It’s such a shame. Early on, I assumed the lasting memory of this occasion for me would be Blackhawk helicopters rescuing over 200 campers. I thought it would be random kindness sent out to so many people. Instead I’m left with another reminder that Maggie Smith is correct: “The world is at least fifty percent terrible, and that’s a conservative estimate.”