To use a sports analogy, I am essentially on the inactive list. At around 12:30 p.m. this past Monday, a nasty storm blew through my hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with gusts of over 100 miles per hour. Brief and without much warning, this derecho as they call it has wreaked havoc on the entire metropolitan area. Entire trees block city streets or have fallen onto homes, power lines have been downed, and there are massive lines at service stations in the surrounding area for gasoline. I have never seen anything like this before, it is reminiscent of a scene in a dystopian film. Cellular service is spotty at best and the Internet is non-existent which means that for all intents and purposes, I am cut off from the rest of the world (obviously, due to the near-total shutdown of communications in the city, I am having to post this later).
My e-mail worked just enough to inform everyone at the ICC and send over some items I had been doing prior to the storm coming through. That includes changes to the Life After the Games brochure and a condensed script for the video promo. All things considered, I am just fine. However, while I wait for restored power and Internet, my priority must turn to helping others here get through an event that is so catastrophic, it will take weeks or even months to recover from. What has already been a difficult year for so many has become even harder, but I have faith that we will come out of this stronger than ever.