Last weekend I took my kids to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, formally known in the Bilski household as the “Dino museum.” After gleefully roaming through the Permian Monsters exhibit, we accidentally wandered into Gideon Mendel: Drowning World, an exhibition that showcases Mendel’s 20 odd trips to document flooding events in 13 different countries.
As soon as I looked around the room at the portraits of people of all nationalities standing in front of their flooded dwellings and the looped footage of people wading through their ruined homes, I felt claustrophobic. Mendel understands the power of photos to tell complex stories and evoke complex, viseral emotions in viewers. Even shitty iPhone pics like the ones below can tell a story.
Wednesday, August 25
Exactly one week before my home got flooded, I turned 40. I woke up to breakfast in bed (Huevos Rancheros), some homemade gifts from my kids, and a cautiously optimistic feeling that this was going to be a good year.
Thursday, September 2
This photo is timestamped at 7:03 a.m., several hours after the height of flooding. When a FEMA inspector came by a few days later, he gauged the waterline by looking at the mud specks on the blue stucco. In the background, you can still see my Happy Birthday on a fence, a banner that was completely under water the night before.
Thursday, September 2 through Thursday, September 9
This pictures offers a pretty accurate representation of what our home looked during that first week following Ida. A never-ending cycle of neighbors, friends and family doing everything from ripping up wood flooring to soaking toys that could be salvaged in bleach. One neighbor who we had never met took home a box of dishes, scrubbed everything immaculate and bubblewrapped the cleaned contents.
Monday, September 13
After receiving more help than I could’ve ever imagined, help that carried me through one of the most difficult experiences of my life, I reached out to my local paper, The Times Herald, and pitched a long-ass Thank You note to the many people like Carl (center) and Johnny (right) who came to my family’s aid. Cheryl Kehoe Rodgers, the content manager at the paper, was kind enough to put it on the front page because she said there was a severe shortage of positive, hopeful stories.
Wednesday, September 16
Two weeks after flood, we returned to our home and my amazingly resourceful wife turned the dingy construction site of a first floor into an adventureland where the kids could camp out and fill the walls and floors with their artwork.
Sunday, October 17
I was ready to bolt the minute we stumbled into Mr. Mendel’s exhibit, but to my surprise, my kids were tranfixed by the flood imagery. They calmly sat down on a bench in a middle of the large room, and quietly took in all the photos and videos of all flooded homes and displaced homeowners.