Mish: Your stories have made my day! Sometimes the worst times bring out the very best in people.
My parents were in Vancouver vacationing when 9-11 happened. They were unable to come home. It was 5 days before they could get on a plane but - just as you witnessed - people stepped fwd and made them comfortable. One of my friends lived there. She had no problem putting them up, helping them with calls to agents etc. They could afford a hotel - but they are elderly and it was just so comforting for them to be with her (they also knew here fairly well through me).
Here in Canada when I was a newlywed - we had the storm of the century. I lived on the 3rd floor of an apt - high above it. That's where I needed to be to weather it. Everything was shut down. Cars had to be ditched in the middle of the road. People were taken to hospitals on snowmobiles. Phones were all out. My husband had worked the night shift so he was home sleeping. We were safe and had enough food in the freezer to get by (it was a week before we ventured out the grocery store on foot - luckily one block away). But my dad was stuck at work and my brother at college. After toughing it out for one night - each was offered a place to stay with a colleague nearby although they had to bundle up with ANYTHING they could find and walk the couple of blocks to the homes.
Our radio played nothing but "Operation Antifreeze" where people called in with pleas for food, medication, medical emergencies, if they were stranded etc and others called in to offer "safe places" in their homes with hot spaghetti or stew or just a clean bed. Hardly anyone died. Because they DID have a place to go.
It has impacted me for the rest of my life. Always keep extra food on hand. Always offer a helping hand. Make people feel comfortable.
