https://meaww.com/viral-photo-saved-mae-amburgey-letcher-county-eastern-kentucky-flood
If you ever want to see what Appalachia is, look at the picture of Mae Amburgey from Letcher County, Kentucky. As the national media completes its periodic drive-by coverage of the next disaster to drive clicks and eyeballs to each respective channel, Mae has become the face of this catastrophe. Inviting the world into her flooded bedroom, Mae sits on her bed partially submerged in several feet of water. Her possessions float around her as she stares off into the muddy soup that turned her life into a nightmare. The story included at the link above suggests that the actual picture was shared on Facebook as a means to rescue Mae from her home, instead of any desire to share the dire situation. I’m here for more than that.
As Mae sits on the bed in her bedroom, folks from around the world may not understand that Mae has undoubtedly seen many floods. In Eastern Kentucky, flooding is as sure as spring rain. While the absolute scale of the devastation wrought by this round of flooding is unusual, the look in 98 year old Mae Amburgey’s eye is as much recognition of a familiar scourge of her community. There may not be a smile, but it’s not resignation that you see in her eyes. She just knows she’s about to climb an old and familiar hill.
Mae’s resilience won’t come from some stereotypical ideal of mountaineer bravado. Mae will be back because that’s what needs to be done. With help from the community, and hopefully a nationwide relief effort thanks to national coverage, Mae will wake up tomorrow morning and sift through the rubble. She knows there is no use picking fights with nature. Instead, she’ll wait until nature is done pitching its fit, take stock of the damage, and find a new place to lay the foundation. This time, the stream in the yard may have higher banks, the foundation might be cinderblock a few blocks higher, or the site might be a little higher on the hill, but life will grow back. People like Mae don’t give up since tomorrow is going to come regardless. She simply gets back to work until the good Lord decides her work is done.
In a world bent on victimhood, be a Mae Amburgey. Y’all pray for Eastern Kentucky, Southern West Virginia and Southwestern Virginia.
High Toned Hillbilly 