Heartache, destruction, and fear...and the upside...

That's about the sum total of it. WE still havent gone to see the 'damage' -- only on TV, but we know what is heading towards Burlington, Keokuk, Quincy, St. Louis and other towns downriver. Will their levees hold? Will they fail? Will sandbagging help them at all? How much of the midwest's crops (destroyed by drought the last few years and demand for ethanol and biodiesel) go up this summer because fields were flooded and destroyed? Will the farmers start to cash out, or will they replant? Quick buck or hard work? Which would you do?

The upside? For the most part, people are staying safe and healthy, being prepared and coming together as a community to save their cities. The government is at least making promises and getting the details out to those who need it. Frustration is there, yes, but there is a sense of overall calm, even through the despair.