After Tropical Storm Isaias: Fence down in “Key Food Memorial Park,” tree still on top of car, and traffic lights crushed in the Gardens
Journal — Thursday, August 6, 2020 — day (whatever) after NYC reopening — I’ve lost track — one day is the same as the next — I think it’s day 60-something
I haven’t been out in a few days. Finally got out this evening and saw that the damage from Tuesday’s storm still hasn’t been all cleaned up.
A tree crashed right on top of a car on Austin Street, and it was still there this evening.
Across the street were branches sawn off of trees— maybe including the one on the car. There were piles of them all along the street on that side.
A few blocks away, there’s a big hole in the ground where the Key Food Supermarket used to be. Rumors are that the developers ran out of money after tearing down the store. Since then, nature has been reclaiming the hole, and green things are growing in the bottom. There’s been a fence around the hole to keep people from falling in ever since the store was demolished, but the storm knocked a lot of the fence down. Now, all that is separating the hole from the sidewalk are some flimsy pieces of police tape.
Coincidentally, I’ve been watching the sit-com Parks and Recreation (I’m in the middle of season two), which is about a parks department employee played by Amy Poehler who is determined to make a park out of — yes, an unpromising hole in the ground.
There were also piles of fallen branches in the Forest Hills Gardens:
The most dramatic thing in the Gardens were some huge trees that had fallen and taken the traffic lights with them:
Right across the street, another traffic light had come down.
I feel like I should end with some grand metaphor, but I’m drawing a blank. So insert your own metaphor here. Maybe something about how nature is going to keep reminding us who is boss until we start to pay attention.
