Cedar Rapids, June 13, 2008. The levees breach, rivers overflow, and 400 city blocks become immersed with water. Tenants fled apartment buildings, patrons left their margarita glasses at the bar and families fled for higher grounds, but not everyone was rescued. Listening to the correspondents for Univision on Aqui Y Ahora, many Latin and Mexican residents were left behind to fend for their own shelter. Many business and home owners never fearing such natural disaster would ever take place have no insurance policy in place to safeguard their belongings after the floods dry.
Maybe because resources are limited to those that only speak English and have proof of legal citizenship many people that look just like me are being turned away from rescue shelters. Now homeless many Spanish speaking residents of Cedar Rapids are in distress with no place to go for help. Sleeping in cars, eating out of an ice chest, using the bathroom in a cup at night when public restrooms are not at dispose is the reality to some that have fallen between the cracks of humanitarian help.
Just two days before they got up and went to work, bought their own groceries and paid sales taxes just like you and I. One business owner that was interviewed stated the one thing he learned from this crisis is to treat Nature with more care, he feels like its karma on earth’s inhabitants. For the couple living out of their car not welcome at rescue shelters because they do not speak English, the woman says, “God will tighten his grip, but he won’t choke you”.
Next time you drive thru the fast food restaurant or lay down to sleep in your warm bed with shelter from the outside elements, think of those that lost everything in Cedar Rapids.
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