For those of you who didn’t see it on the news, today’s headlines from Richmond, Virginia:

State of emergency, 3 dead, about 20 blocks condemned after Gaston
Three deaths were reported after Gaston battered Virginia, and the governor declared a state of emergency.

Major bummer. After Mike and I got married, everyone met us down at Havana 59 in Shockoe Bottom for dinner and drinks. As of last night, Havana, and the entire Farmer’s Market in front of it, was under 10 feet of water . . . very depressing. As I said to a friend, seeing new buildings destroyed is always sad, but to find out that historic churches, buildings, and restaurants like Bottoms Up are gone is just heartbreaking. The Bottom is one of the most historic places in Richmond, and watching cars float down Cary and Main Street was beyond bizarre. I was very glad that our current office space was at higher ground, but felt sorry for all the people stranded in buildings last night. No one I knew was prepared - even after Isabel. I don’t think anyone really understood what was going to happen or that we were going to get up to 14” of rain in 10 hours . . . or how fast water rises when you are truly in a flood emergency. I ended up stranded on the Southside last night.

I think it’s my parents - since they moved here last July, we’ve had one of the worst hurricanes in Richmond history (Isabel), the biggest flood ever (yesterday), and more rain and bizarre weather than I can remember. Maybe they should return to South Carolina and take their funky vibes with them . . . .