Paradise reconsidered

These are pictures of an 1890's earthen dam that broke this week on the North Shore of Kauai. They were taken by Jack Harter. You can see more photos here.

A friend of mine is studying in Kauai this year and she only lives about a mile from this dam. She and her host family are all ok, thankfully! In a brief chat with her this morning, I found myself wondering about the intensity of devastation. Hundreds upon hundreds of people have been killed in recent disasters - natural and un. In contrast to some of the most notable catastrophes, the Kilauea Dam break seems mild enough so as to be insignificant...but is it? Only a few lives were lost, only a few homes destroyed. Yet the damaged community is very small and very close knit; almost everyone left to live in the wake of this dam break has suffered personal loss. How much more traumatic is the healing process when the entire community is grieving? I can't imagine. I've known all along this would be a year my friend will never forget...I just hadn't considered all the possibilities of paradise.