St. Augustine Mayor Nancy Shaver
(Folio Weekly)
After the storm-
You can really tell who we are as people and as a community at a time like this. Our true selves come to light—and we are St Augustine Strong—kind and caring and generous—and tough—and resilient. This storm has hundreds of stories of people just helping, young men just showing up on Water Street to help clear debris, volunteers staffing and helping the Emergency Operations Recovery Center in Davis Shores, owners and employees working round the clock to get Café Alcazar and Meehans, and many other of our businesses open. St Augustine Hurricane Recovery on Facebook quickly matches needs with help. There is a long list of other acts of caring and kindness.
I thank each and every one for being part of the amazing fabric of our hometown.
As I’ve been across our City, I am awed but not surprised by how we are coming back. And if you were not affected by the storm—let’s support our businesses, and keep helping out neighbors.
Make no mistake—while many people came through with only a few branches to clean up—there are 300 of us who were hit hard, throughout our City especially in Davis Shores. And as in many disasters those with few means to recover are in a very tough spot. Many people are displaced with no place to go, and have little or insurance. St Francis House our homeless shelter, needs to rebuild. FEMA assistance will take time in coming—and will still likely leave gaps which we’ll figure out how to fill.
This is a marathon, not a sprint—and an emotional roller coaster, of gratitude for being alive, grief at our losses, and frustration. In the coming days and months there will be much to do—but we are in this together. After 451 years we’re not going anywhere.
Nancy Shaver
Mayor, St. Augustine, Florida
Saint Augustine — dike it!
ReplyDeleteI applaud the Mayor's celebration of the human spirit to coalesce and work together in extremely hard times, and yes, the acts of caring and kindness are laudable too.
She is also correct that our true selves do come to light — but we are also Saint Augustine Weak — stupid, divided and lacking in fairness — and lacking in foresight — and vulnerable.
This storm reveals hundreds of lessons that need to be heeded to rectify those negative qualities. I will spare you the litany of remedial actions that are needed. Read past issues of this excellent web site and my own;
http://saintaugdog.com/
Yes, we are in this together, but in the future — in the Mayor's metaphoric "marathon" — we must insure that we are in this with equal opportunity.