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NORTH CAROLINA
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aerial viewpoin r, rhey look much like
roy cars lefr in a lirde boy's backyard
mudpile. The Susqueha nna has
uproored mobile homes and creared
grotesque new neighborhoods from
their rwisred hulks.
From our
900
foor altitude, we can
see rons of piled-up silt and debris
deposiced evetywhere. The damage
done co rai lroads, bridges, and publ ic
facili ties is appall ing. Everywhere on
homes, facrories and buildings, we
can see ugly, muddy watermarks lefr
by rhe receding Susquehanna. "ft's
hard ro believe, isn't ir," our pilor
remarked. "So much des rrucrion in
such a shorr period of rime."
Landing ar Harrisburg airporr is
46
Atlantic
Ocean
Our map indicates the rivers and tribu–
taries that overf1owed their banks in the
aftermath of Hurricane Agnes.
Jike landing on an island, since rhe
ai rporr is almosr surrounded by
receding water. Work crews have
already begun massive cleanup oper–
arions. On rhe ground, we sec dozens
of people removing warer-logged per–
sonal items from rheir homes and
apartmenrs and hanging rhem out ro
dry in rhe sun. There exisr sorne local
problems wich speccarors and loocers.
In che srreers, piles of lumbcr and
rwisted metal Jie scarrered abour as
sighrseers from miles around - in
shorrs and sunglasses - mix wirh
nacional guardsmen who are pacrol–
ling che arca.
The rank smell of che Aood and
rhe hearrbreaking scenes of misety
ecch a deep impression on our minds.
As we head back ro Washington,
D.C., we can see large black clouds
ominously garhering again, and che
choughc occurs abour how valuable
water is
to
us in our evetyday living,
yet how much urrer devastarion it
has caused ro rhe norrheasr Unired
Srares rhis rhird week of June,
1972.
So ends che reporr from Harris–
burg.
Ir
Can Happen
Anywhere
What few Americans realize is rhat
che Agnes disasrer is rhe laresr in
whar has been rhe mosr severe period
of major disasrers on record in che
Unired States. There have been 27
major disasrer dedararions by Presi–
denr Nixon during calendar year 1972
- all excepr one for flooding.
Most Americans are used
to
read–
ing of calamirous narural disasrers
occurring in remoce areas of che
world - such as ryphoons in Pakis–
tan or the Philippines, or devasraring
earthquakes in Turkey, lran, Peru, or
Chile. But rhe recent flooding in the
easrern parr of rhe United Sraces
brings home rhe lesson that
no country
- no matter how affiuenr, pros–
perous, or wealchy - is immunc ro
unexpecred nacional disasrers.
Floods, earrhquakes, and orher
disasrcrs can happen vinually
any–
where.
Upser weacher condirions can,
and do, cause severe suffering and
havoc in any nacion, leaving mulriple
rhousands homeJess.
Such calamicies are generally
referred ro as "acrs of God." God may
or may noc be direc rl y responsible;
however, ir is imporranr rhar che
narion face up ro the facr that such
unparalleled Hooding does provide
forceful evidence rhar che United
Srates has not been blessed wi.th prov–
idencial "rain in due season" (Lev.
26:4). God makes rhis promise only
ro rhose narions rhat obey Him! •
PLAIN TRUTH August 1972