Old Fort Strong Endurance Festival

Let me start by saying that my building was the first building to not sustain flood damage. I will be running for all of my friends that I love so dearly who were not as fortunate. 

I live in Old Fort. 

It is the first home that my husband and I purchased together to live in. We renovated one of the downtown buildings. The building is from 1905. I occasionally find black and white photos of it history books. My building is the one with the black bottom and the top is brick. We live upstairs.

My neighbors live next door and are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Seeker coffee is in the blue building. Life in this small town was picturesque.

On the morning of September 27, I stood outside in the rain and watched as the river took my town away. 

By the time the Fire Dept told us to evacuate, It was too late. There was nowhere to go. There was nowhere for them to go. We were an island, trapped on all sides. We literally anchored our little boat (so it wouldn't hit other people's property), grabbed life jackets and prepared for the worst. Just as sudden as the water flooded into our back alley, it receded back to its banks. 

Once the waters began to recede, people came out to check on each other. The water was still flowing over the bridges when we crossed to see what damage had been done. We turned off gas lines, knocked on doors, gave tearful hugs and began the grand head count.

The people that lived in the mobile home park happened to be inside of their homes when the water arrived at their doorsteps and by that time it was too late to leave.  The mobile homes floated into each other until they all got wedged between a telephone pole and a tree. All of the people survived. I can't imagine the horror they felt.

Whole houses were destroyed while one sat in the middle of the street. I found photo albums in the mud. Everything that people spent their lives working for was washed away in minutes. I do not know how many lives were lost. It took days to get communication and let people know that we were ok.

Our only cell service was one tiny bar that you may or may not be able to call out on if you stood in the middle of the railroad track as the emergency railroad crossing dinged in the background. The whole town stood on those tracks and tried to call their loved ones. So much happiness and sadness was shared on those tracks. 

And then the work began. We have worked and worked and worked. We have moved mud, washed kegs, and helped pack up houses that are no longer safe to live in. We have celebrated small successes and cried at the weight of what we have left. Our town will not be the same but I have hope that it can be even better than before.

The shock is over. The panic is over. We are now faced with rebuilding an entire town. A small town where people are deeply invested. Most people, like myself, came to plant roots and now many of those have been destroyed. Many of these people did not have flood insurance because they simply were not in a flood zone. They need help to rebuild their lives. 

I am pledging to run for 24 hours with the goal of running 100 miles in support of rebuilding Old Fort. 

I ask that you donate what you can.

 All funds will go to helping rebuild houses for the families that were impacted by the hurricane.