Perhaps little crises are God's way of putting us on notice, that we can come together to help each other and work to improve our community and plan for major disasters. I'm referring to the recent pipe brake about which Quitman's newly elected Mayor, Eddie Fulton, wrote in "Notes from the Mayor" in the Nov. 6, issue of The Clarke County Tribune.
I love waterfalls and geysers! However, although I missed seeing what Mayor Fulton described as a scene that, "Would rival Niagara Falls," I'm sure this was a wild exaggeration. I've actually seen many majestic water falls and they are quite marvelous and awe inspiring, some of God's most wondrous natural creations. I seriously doubt the breaking of a relatively small ten inch water pipe could rival any of God's great water falls or geysers! However, the admirable response of everyone involved to this minor crisis was worthy of note and commendation!
I was fortunate to spend an entire summer working in Yellowstone National Park. This gave me ample opportunity to explore its many geyser basins and see many fantastic eruptions of geysers not often seen by tourist who may only visit for a day or two. I also was quite impressed by the many grand waterfalls in Yellowstone, including Tower Falls (132 feet), the Upper Yellowstone Falls (109 feet) and the Lower Yellowstone Falls (308 feet) of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. In my opinion the Lower Falls is every bit as worth seeing as is Niagara Falls, especially since the latter has been quite spoiled by overdevelopment into a commercial tourist trap. Also Tower Falls is worth the hike down to its base that one may gaze up at this grand cascade of water as it plunges from a lofty 132 feet into the Yellowstone River.
By the way, Niagara Falls ranges from about 160 to 176 feet high depending upon where one takes measure, so the Lower Yellowstone Falls certainly rivals it in height. Of course some 150,000 U.S. Gallons of water plunges over Niagara fall per second, which is pretty hard to beat! Hence anyone who is aware of this fact, or who has actually seen Niagara Falls, must agree that the relatively small amount of water which can exit through a ten inch pipe is NO Niagara Falls!
Now I do not wish to jump on anyone's case. I'm sure Mayor Fulton was just exaggerating to make jest of a bad situation. Indeed, I realize his primary purpose was to praise the admiral effort everyone made to help. But it is important that our mayor keep matters in perspective so that when a real disaster comes along, it may be treated with the cool, calm and collective nature of someone grounded in reality and not given to panic. We had a taste of such real disasters when hurricane Katrina blew through and were quite fortunate to have not suffered so greatly as did our neighbors along the Gulf Coast.
It is important that our mayor convey a real sense of matters to the public. For example, how much damage in terms of money was done by the broken ten inch pipe? What did this pipe brake cost the tax payer and our city? These are critical concerns because from what I can gather the City of Quitman is already hurting for money in these difficult times.
I would really like to know what this pipe brake cost me as a tax payer and how much is it going to cost to insure this type of thing does not happen again anytime soon? Was this covered by insurance, or do the tax payers have the burden of repair cost? Also, what emergency funds, if any, does the City of Quitman have? Is there any way our wonderful little town can get a Federal Grant or State dollars to upgrade our infrastructure before we end up with other serious man made disaster which may take life, as in the case of the pipeline explosion last year? Indeed, has any assessment of the cost of upgrading and maintaining infrastructure been done for Quitman?
Life is precious and sometimes it is the relatively small crisis like a water pipe breaking which put us on notice and give us time to reflect and take stock to be sure we are prepared for whatever else may come along. For example, is Quitman really prepared for being struck by a killer tornado? How many homes in our area have tornado shelters? What about the alarm system for our community? Is it the most modern system we could have? Is there any way that our community could be made more safe and that we could get more money to prepare for future disasters? Where do residents who live in trailers even go to take shelter if there is an approaching storm?
When I was a child I was a scout and it was the scout's motto to be prepared. I believe this simple idea has helped me throughout my life as I always try to be prepared for whatever might come along. Sometimes it is not possible to be prepared if one lacks the funds or resources. But it certainly helps to at least have that first aid kit handy, a fire extinguisher, a smoke/CO alarm, and an emergency plan ready for one's self and family. In fact, every home should have such an emergency plan as one never knows what may come tomorrow.
As one who believes in the power of prayer, I also believe it is important to pray for our leaders, that they may be wise, make intelligent decisions and work to the best of their ability to provide our community with everything that it needs to provide quality services and a good life for all its citizens. That's why it bothers me when I hear things muttered in jest like comparing a ten inch high pressure pipe busting to Niagara Falls. I do not know if Mayor Fulton has ever seen Niagara Falls, except on TV or in the movies, but if you ever stand at the base of such a natural wonder of the world, you will be awe struck by the thunderous roar and shear power of nature which confronts you!
It is important to be able to put matters in a proper perspective, because if anyone thinks a relatively tiny break in a high pressure water pipe is like Niagara Falls, then they may not be ready or prepare to deal with really serious disasters. This is because they obviously have no idea how powerful the hand of God or nature can be and the great scope of disaster that could come on any day from a tornado, a flood, a raging fire storm or other major disaster. It is important to know this so that as a community our leaders may take proper action now, to prepare for the worst. This means coming together to make plans and gather the monies and resources now, that we can build a better and more safe community that is ready for any worse case scenario.
Perhaps the newspaper could also do a better job in letting the community know just how prepare is Quitman for a real disaster? Also, what action is being made to upgrade our infrastructure? This includes everything from water and gas lines to drainage ditches. I know the drainage ditches near my own home are in need of repair, filled with debris, unlined with concrete and damaged by erosion. Plus there are cracks in the roads which go in front of my home. If everyone else sees similar degradation of the infrastructures around their homes and in their neighborhoods, this indicates that we really have some serious issues that need to be dealt with now, not later.
I recall how amazed I was the very first time I saw Old Faithful erupt, sending a geyser of water high into the sky, the wind carrying the steaming plum of water toward the gathered crowd of tourist, showering them with spray. It was an awesome sight, one I have since seen many times. Having witnessed the hand of God, the sheer power of such natural wonders as the geysers of Yellowstone and many a grand waterfalls, a ten inch high pressure pipe is just that, a trivial matter! Certainly they can cause harm, damage, even death, especially when they carry explosive fuels. But they are nothing compared to the forces around the eye of a hurricane or 300 mile per hour winds typical of a killer tornado. So I hope our community leaders know the difference between a relatively minor crisis and a real major disaster, and plan for the later to save the lives of men, women and children!
Also, I am interested in coming together with community members and leaders to help each other. There is so much that could be done if we worked together. I would even like to form a group of concerned citizens that could work on projects to benefit those in need. I do not know if there are others who would be willing to help, but certainly there is a need for people to come together and work toward common goals that may benefit those in need. Perhaps I'm just an old scout who likes to help others, to lend a hand and be always prepared. But just imagine what we could do if we all came together and organized a community action group to help each other! Some amazing things could be done, I'm sure.
Indeed, the concerted efforts and admirable sacrifices which Mayor Fulton spoke about in regard to the broken pipe, are an example of what can be accomplished when people come together and work toward a common goal. We saw this type of thing happening after hurricane Katrina, with neighbors helping neighbor. My neighbor who was skilled in the usage of a chain saw, helped cut a fallen tree. I helped the late Mrs. Lillian Haney, by picking up and taking her ice. But this sort of generosity doesn't happen enough, because there is no organized group to identify needs and help each other, regardless of church or other affiliation. Plus the City can't help with many problems because they involve private property issues. That's why I wonder if forming a community action group might be a good idea? If anyone thinks this might be worth exploring, please email me at terrylynch@aol.com. Maybe if there are enough people who like this idea we could start a community action groups and help those in need around our community in way that the City of Quitman just can't do.