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Hurricane Ida serves as a reminder today of the devastating effects that Mother Nature has been known to have.
Severe flooding. Houses washed off their foundations; roads and bridges destroyed. People stranded on rooftops, anxiously waiting for rescue. Others, gone in a flash.
And major power outages -- more than 1 million utility customers in Louisiana and Mississippi could be without power for weeks before the power grid is repaired, say officials who are describing the job ahead of restoring the southern power grid as "a marathon."
Monster storms such as Ida are truly frightening -- and nobody is immune from hurricanes and other acts of nature.
Ten years ago this month, Hurricane Lee ripped up pavements, washed away bridges and upended lives in central Pennsylvania. It was considered a 100-year flood, yet who isn't concerned there could be another like it before the next 90 years pass?
Who living here at the time could forget the sight of the bridge that carries Route 973 over the Loyalsock Creek just east of Route 87, suddenly gone? Or Route 87 north of Montoursville so torn up that it resembled a war zone? Or the warped Lycoming Valley Railroad bridge that suddenly looked more like a roller coaster track than one used for trains?
Rebuilding was costly and took time. Indeed, those three pieces of infrastructure alone collectively cost $25 million to rebuild. That's saying nothing of other property damage.
No, we are no match for the powers of Mother Nature. The best we can do is to prepare to survive these big events and then help one another in the aftermath. This includes preparing emergency kits, as recommended by the American Red Cross, and then keeping them up to date and paying attention to what is going on.
The Red Cross recommends that each emergency kit includes enough supplies for each member of the household to last three days.
Meanwhile, those whose lives have been shattered by Hurricane Ida could use your help today.
We may be far removed from the southern states taking the brunt of this storm. Still, we can help through making financial donations to organizations with boots on the ground, including the Red Cross and Salvation Army, or through volunteering time or giving blood.
We, the people, have always come together to support one another in time of need. This would be one of those times.