The Hope Truck Trilogy – Part 3, The Arrival.
8 06 2009When we last left our heroes, they were driving up the highway to Eagle; trucks loaded with supplies, and eager to reach the flood stricken region that was awaiting, among other things, the coveted pressure washer! The pressure washer, cleaning fluid and other supplies were purchased with the generous donations of the Mudflats community. Hope, HH (Hope’s Husband) and CG (Convoy Guy in truck #2) were not sure what to expect. They had just arrived in Eagle after a two day journey that began in Kenai, and had taken them through Anchorage, Wasilla, Glenallen, Tok, and up the highway to their destination.
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by Mudflatter Hope
We turned left on First Street and parked our trucks above the flood line, next to the clapboard Courthouse. I was anxious to find YukonBushGrndma, but somehow we had to get our feet on the ground first. We walked down toward the bluff. It was quiet. It was the quiet of about-to-storm, the quiet of nobody-lives-here, the quiet of held breath. We could see the huge, muddy river, and it made no noise as it continuously whisked silent, denuded forests of trees oceanward from far upriver. Quiet backwater enclaves gathered graveyards of branchless trunks and pleading root fingers along the banks to turn slowly in the eddying currents – hospital waiting rooms. Sharks swirling. It’s a big, swift, silent and impassive river.
We looked down the southern curve of its banks at the swath it had cut. All along the great curve was the wreckage of homes. Much of the ice has melted, but the chunks left are still massive. Left behind are the crushed and broken buildings. We were at the far end of the town from the bright orange/red roof of YBG’s house, but I could see it clearly. And beyond that the boat that ferries passengers between Eagle and Dawson all summer. It hangs beached and dented, just past the red roof. And almost a mile between where we stood and where the river wound back and out of sight was completely scraped off, and in ruin.
As we walked down toward the river, we saw this house.
~~~The ice is melting, and with it Eagle is beginning to assess what they’ve got left and what to do about it. Here CG stands by a listing house with melting ice chunks, the Yukon River, former front street, and the first line of flooded houses behind him.
The men started gingerly climbing over the ice and taking pictures. I just stood there and tried to comprehend it. What a small, small drop our two truckloads seemed as I looked at the carnage!
A lady walked down toward us, and I thought, “YBG?” I walked up and introduced myself. She obviously was just someone who saw us, and wondered what we were doing. I asked where I might find my friend, and she gave a detailed description of how I could find the place where she’s staying now. I asked about the school, and she told me how to find it. “The village is completely gone,” she said. “There’s nothing there any more. It’s just gone.”
I wasn’t sure what she meant, but realized almost immediately that apparently there is the town of Eagle, and then the village, upriver. The village is older, and is Native in origin. They had recently started building a new village, which was not damaged, but is far from being ready for occupancy. All the folks who live in the village are now without homes. The Episcopal Church, which has served the area since 1905, was in the village and was destroyed along with the homes. Later we learned that one of the many projects that is being done is trying to find elders who may be able to remember and write down who is buried in the village cemetery and where, as most of the stones are gone.
I was disoriented and a little preoccupied, worried YBG might be worried. We were two hours later than expected. The lady started talking about what had happened, and what was being done. Part way into her report, a state trooper slowly, and quietly drove a truck down to the spot where we were talking, tires popping rocks out like pop corn in the silent air. It felt like he was sneaking up on us. I thought, “Uh-oh! Are we trespassing?”
The trooper went and talked with the men, then waved, and left. Apparently he just wanted to let us know it was dangerous, and that he was there, and aware WE were there, but there was no problem with our taking pictures. The three of us got back in our trucks, and I tried to navigate to the school.
At the school turn, I smiled at the joyfully colorful hand painted sign reminding us that there was to be no smoking in or around the school. We drove up and parked. We were offered lunch, but I wanted to contact YBG as soon as possible, so I asked for her, and was directed to her office. Sure enough, there she was! AAaahhh! We had made it!
~~~Unloading CG’s truck in Eagle
~~~Eagle school – unloading and gassing up
YBG said that lunch would only be served for another TWO MINUTES, and she hadn’t eaten yet, either, so we all went back down and took the girl up on her offer. We were served a delicious lunch of a hearty french dip sandwich with mashed potatoes. YBG told us that they serve three meals a day every day, and the food is very good, and a good percentage of the population is being served during this transition time. Many are camping out, others are using homes that had been out of use before the flood, while others have left, and still others are staying with friends. The hot meals are a necessity for many.
The gym of the school has been set up to receive and distribute clothing, dog food and other necessities, and it sounded like it will be in operation for an indefinite period of time as needs change and develop. The folks running this distribution center are amazing; efficient, kind, cheerful and friendly. I believe they were all Eagle residents. The “store” was clean, organized, and increasingly well-stocked. They knew right were everything was to be found.
We pulled our trucks up to the loading door, and unloaded. The power washer and cleaner got cheers! So did most of the helpful and thoughtful items the folks on the way up had so lovingly gathered and shared. Every box and bag was greeted with appreciative exclamations and comments. I thought, “How kind everyone is! It’s a small drop, but it’s also a celebration of how much we care, and how, together, we can keep chuggin’ forward.” At YBG’s request, we unloaded everything and put it in a pile so we could get our pictures taken in front of it.
It sounded like the power washer would be washing before we got out of Eagle! There was a genuine sense that it was part of a well-anticipated turning point in this long process.
~~~The Mudflats Pressure Washer comes home to Eagle!
YBG needed to get back to work, and we knew we needed to get on the road. She insisted we take a note from her to fill up with gas at the one gas station in town before we headed back. On the way, we realized we were seeing huge piles of trash in yard after yard. We looked, and realized it was piles of waterlogged carpet, insulation, mattresses, furniture, and other possessions piled up to be hauled away somehow. Above the line of houses which had been scraped off their foundations and maimed by the ice chunks, another layer of Eagle had also been destroyed — untouched by ice, but devastated by water.
When we walked down to the river, we were at the upriver end of the swath we’d seen upon our arrival. We were at YBG’s house! Her husband and friends were working to get things out of the house. Many big chunks of ice had been removed, mainly to get equipment back to work on recovering the beached ferry, so he was relieved to be able to start hauling things away and getting a good idea of what was left and what few things may be salvageable. The house is several feet upstream of its foundation, and will have to be dismantled. He said they plan to salvage some of the parts of the house for people building non-inhabited sheds, etc.
He said they’d all been through a time of feeling pretty down, but now they are invigorated by being able to get in and assess their situations more thoroughly and start cleaning and planning how, where, and whether to rebuild. Although each home owner will only get a very small amount of help to rebuild, it sounds like there is a plan to try to make small one-room cabins for most or all to get through the winter, so they will be able to stay, and take the time they’ll need to actually reestablish permanent homes.
We stopped to get gas, and got a good clear opinion about government that lasted us for a while, then we headed back up out of the valley and down the long road to Tok. We had promised ourselves close-ups of many of the flowers we’d spotted but had sped by on the way to Eagle, so we did more stopping on the way out. We were more somber, too. We were glad we went. We wished we’d had longer to stay, but we will be back.
On the way out, we came by a high stone cliff, and for some reason, we slowed down, and I saw a Peregrine Falcon sitting on the top of the cliff maybe two stories high. It just sat there, and even scratched it’s head and pulled a foot up into its breast feathers — a sign of contentment! — as we grabbed for camera and binoculars and availed ourselves of recording this rare sight. A little further down the road, we were treated to a hawk-owl sitting on the tip of a black spruce. Then what we’d been waiting for the whole trip — a mother moose and two calves! I did get a very fuzzy picture.
We got into Tok just before 11:00 pm, had supper and slept soundly for the rest of the night. The next morning we got up and drove all the way home, too tired to stop and see our dear niece and nephew in Palmer, just plowed on through, and arrived home at 9:00 Sunday evening.
I hope that YBG will continue to update us and let us know as new phases of their project are coming along! I’d love to go again – spend more time – and maybe next time it’ll just be to ENJOY Eagle and the friends we met there. That day will come.
June 8th, 2009 at 8:55 PM
what a pleasure to be first to post after reading this glorious account of a superb adventure
June 8th, 2009 at 8:58 PM
You are so sweet to have done this great trip. Thank you for your kindness.
June 8th, 2009 at 9:09 PM
WELL DONE, HOPE!!!
June 8th, 2009 at 9:19 PM
I am in tears – things look worse than I expected. I am filled with gratitude for you, Hope – and worried at same time about the future of the Village and the Native peoples. We MUST continue to help. Your arrival and the supplies must have made them so happy. Sure puts things into prospective when I dare to think I am having a bad day because the garbage disposal breaks down. Bless you Hope crew.
June 8th, 2009 at 9:45 PM
Hope-Thank you for having hope.The tour that you gave us of your beautiful, amazing, powerful and dangerous state was very much appreciated I wish there were a part 4, but i am sure we will get up dated . THANK YOU again.
June 8th, 2009 at 9:51 PM
What a relief everyone’s home safe and sound. I’ve practically had my heart in my mouth since the two trucks sped by ….. but birds of prey and baby moose are definitely my speed.
Well done, Hope and boys. I bet the folks of Eagle bless you every day while they’re washing everything in sight.
June 8th, 2009 at 9:55 PM
Remarkable trip with an excellent observer and writer. Great job, Hope, HH, and CG!
Best wishes for the folks of Eagle in their rebuilding efforts.
Thanks again for the trilogy report.
June 8th, 2009 at 9:55 PM
Thanks, thanks Hope, HH, and Convoy Guy- thanks for the tale of your journey, and thanks for making the trip. You took a small part of all of us mudpups unable to go, but wishing we could.
May the Mudwasher make the clean up job in Eagle a little easier.
June 8th, 2009 at 10:05 PM
So sad…one wonders how they are going to get through it. I know Alaskans are tough but I would have been in tears. Mother nature sure has a way of letting us know how small and insignificant we can be on this planet. Well, I guess we all just pull up our bootstraps and keep on sending what help we can. I hope YBG keeps us updated on what we can continue to do to help. Hope, give a call when you get rested up. L
June 8th, 2009 at 10:22 PM
what a great report. Yes, you did….. stars in your crown, Hope & Co. !
June 8th, 2009 at 10:24 PM
Way to go, Hope! What a long and exhausting trip, but I bet you’ll never forget how it felt to feel the gratitude of the people of Eagle.
June 8th, 2009 at 11:23 PM
@ Hope
“We could see the huge, muddy river, and it made no noise as it continuously whisked silent, denuded forests of trees oceanward from far upriver. Quiet backwater enclaves gathered graveyards of branchless trunks and pleading root fingers along the banks to turn slowly in the eddying currents – hospital waiting rooms. Sharks swirling. It’s a big, swift, silent and impassive river.”
Wow. That is a wonderfully written paragraph which made me think how terrified I would be in the aftermath of the Yukon’s rampage of ice!
I’M SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 8th, 2009 at 11:28 PM
I’m pretty much speechless after your description and the pictures – much like when YBG first sent us news and pics of their house. You have provided help and comfort to complete strangers, and my own life is enriched with the story of your journey and the report of the rag-tag but optimistic folks in Eagle. Wow.
June 8th, 2009 at 11:28 PM
What a great narrative, you let me see and feel the contrast between my safe existence and the challenges faced by every resident of Eagle.
Please work with YBG to tell MudPuppies how to continue to provide further support!
June 8th, 2009 at 11:51 PM
Thank you for the wonderfully written narrative of your adventures, and for being a fabulous human being. (The latter goes for HH and CG, as well.)
June 8th, 2009 at 11:51 PM
Hope, you are one incredible human being. I echo Martha UYS above when I say that paragraph was powerful. I had to reread it several times because of its beauty and the pictures it invoked in me of the unbridled power of Nature.
Thank you so much for taking us on the journey with you, HH, and CG. I, too, am glad that you are all home, safe and sound, from your mission of HOPE!
June 9th, 2009 at 12:25 AM
I feel so …..I cannot find the words. Grateful that I am safe, guilty for feeling that way, heartbroken for all those who have suffered through this and will continue to do so until things return to some semblance of normal, in awe of the power of all of you who have done so much for people who need it so badly.
Thank you for sharing your trip with me (an everyone else) Hope.
June 9th, 2009 at 12:53 AM
Yes, what a great description and fantastic effort from Hope, HH & CG.
Hope said: “It’s a small drop, but it’s also a celebration of how much we care, and how, together, we can keep chuggin’ forward.”
But the donations that were sent were well thought out and so carefully planned – just like those of us having to send flatrate boxes. Space is such a concern, people weren’t sending ‘castoffs’ – only items that could that would seriously help! Like AustinTX, justafarmer, honestyinGov, and others haggling over which was the most perfect & BEST pressure washer for the job, which they eventually selected.
Last week when I stopped by my favorite charity to unload stuff & pickup a couple pairs of mens’ tennis shoes. I commented on a donated bicycle, and the receiving guy said that most of the rest of the donation would have to head to his dumpster. People unloaded, got a tax writeoff, and it wasn’t even sale able.
In the Hope Truck and the Flatrates, people are likely just sending PRIME stuff that Eagle can USE! Warm Fussies All Around, good job Mudflatters!
(YAY, got my confirmation those shoes were delivered today in Eagle!)
June 9th, 2009 at 1:14 AM
Hope – what can I say that already hasn’t been said? Your humanity is an example to us all.
I’m sending your report to my son, who works with YBG’s husband, and took the first picture of their home (before it came off its foundation!). He’ll be interested to see pictures of the place without the water! As an Episcopalian, I am also interested in the status of the church there. We are trying to get up $$$ for dog food down here. Thanks so much for your time, compassion and ingenuity. XXOO
June 9th, 2009 at 1:28 AM
I confess. When I sent my flatrate with all the T-shirts, I rolled up a WILD flower shirt and tucked in, too. My Mom always wanted to visit AK but she passed away 3yrs ago. After her strokes the Doc said she would never be able to sew again, but Mom fooled them.
The shirt may not be sewed to Neiman Marcus standards, blindingly bright but quite functional & I bet it will give some lady a giggle. So I know a piece of Mom made it up there, helping to rebuild Alaska.
June 9th, 2009 at 3:18 AM
I’m just sitting here weeping. Such a fabulous journey of heart-warming kindness!
I was thinking… how long did it take for this destruction to happen? Was there warning?
I guess it doesn’t matter. Man against nature, in this case, didn’t stand a chance. Warning or not, they couldn’t have re-directed the ice and water.
What an incredible mess. It will be the entire summer of hard labor to prepare for winter.
Now… where’s Sarah with that plate of cookies? Oh yeah, she’s yuckking it up with Hannity on the East Coast and doesn’t give a rat’s patooty.
Has she even been there yet? Didn’t I read that she made a cursory “fly over”? So, where is the HELP?
June 9th, 2009 at 3:19 AM
AK has a National Guard, doesn’t it?
Why aren’t they mobilized to go in and help?
June 9th, 2009 at 3:27 AM
Hope -Thank you for your words and deeds.
June 9th, 2009 at 4:43 AM
Thank you. Can we continue to donate? I wish I could do more.
June 9th, 2009 at 4:44 AM
Hope, thanks so much. And thanks to HH and CG. Y’all did good!
June 9th, 2009 at 6:12 AM
Hope, HH, and CG, thanks for getting there, getting it done and reporting back your amazing experience!
June 9th, 2009 at 6:22 AM
So much devastation. And, I don’t recall that this got on national news. I remember last year the Saint John River swelled and flooded many communities between Maine and New Brunswick, Canada. The northernmost town in Maine along the river flooded extensively, but only water in basements. Families all stayed with relatives. CNN (I believe) crew went up there and reported for several days. It wasn’t nearly as devastating as this.
Hoping that more effort to get those roads open so people can get their homes rebuilt and lives back before the winter season starts.
June 9th, 2009 at 6:57 AM
Tigerwine
Thank your son and tell him that it was his pictures that started all of this!
June 9th, 2009 at 7:47 AM
I feel privileged to have read this. Hope lives on wherever there are people who care about the circumstances of others.
You rock, Hope. You and your cohorts did good.
all the best,
Nan
June 9th, 2009 at 8:49 AM
sweet hope and company. well done. so very well done.
June 9th, 2009 at 11:32 AM
Wow Hope…You did good
Loved being allowed to go with you on this mission of help..Wonderful story..
June 9th, 2009 at 12:07 PM
really great writing! The description of the river jumped off the screen for me as well…wow!
June 9th, 2009 at 1:01 PM
Hope!!!! I’m so sorry I didn’t get to meet you (: Maybe another time. I do hope the Lowe’s folks had your stuff ready to go when you arrived. When I was there to drop off some donations they hadn’t yet pulled the washer or anything and weren’t too interested in allowing me to drop my things off, but I kept telling the customer service guy what a wonderful thing Lowe’s was doing and thanking him profusely, so he finally relented but said no-one would look out for my donations. He did say that he’d pull your order and place donations on top, so I hope he did. I placed some bright yellow gardening shoes prominently on top of the pile to call your attention– but I’m guessing the stack didn’t stay stacked that way??? I’m sending my folks to Homer/Seldovia or Halibut Cove tomorrow morning, but I need to catch up on work. Warm hugs and smiles to you, HH, CG, and all the other Mudpups who pitched in.
June 9th, 2009 at 3:54 PM
Thank you, Hope, for bringing hope to the community of Eagle. Your description of the River brings so many feelings to my mind. I have paddled this River, on the Yukon, Canada, side of the border, and have felt just an iota of her strength against my canoe. Only Northerners can appreciate the power that the Yukon can unleash, carrying the strength of winter in the broken ice.
As I view your photos of the destruction of the community, I can’t help but wonder where your governor is. Oh, smack on forehead! She’s showing off her painted toenails and toothsome smile in New York and Washington!! Would that she have your courage and conviction, and travel along those washed out roads and brave the landslides. But, no! Alas! She would rather rant against socialism on national (south of the 49th) television than
address her own short-comings in her own backyard.
I can only hope, though, that the plight of Eagle is brought to national attention, just as the plight of your out-bound communities was brought forward by “bloggers in PJ’s” this winter. I do my best, in my old flannel nightgown.
June 9th, 2009 at 11:06 PM
reading the accounts of the flood were just unbelievable. they got it a lot worse than most floods, with house-sized chunks of ice rolling through. that white house with the metal roof in the first photo was built in 1901. it was part of the nearby ft egbert military base. the state renovated it in 1986. a lot of gold rush era history lost there. i’d always wanted to visit eagle. too bad i didn’t get motivated. a lot less to see now.
bummer! what a mess.