More sad news about Esmeraldas

Flooding, this time.

Here is a local report. Look for the video …

… which, tragicality aside, may interest readers because it shows what a typical Esmeraldas street looks like – at least, inland, away from the beach (which is now crammed with hotels, restaurants, etc.). The video shows Esmeraldas as I remember it.

In my time, the flooding was never this bad.

(The street in the video is actually a little south of the city limit.)

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After I read about the disaster, I went to Google Maps and found the lot where I used to live. It’d been vacant for some years. Now it has chain store on it – a Starbucks-like coffeeshop. That kind of store didn’t used to exist in my hometown.

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These have been tricky days for Samuel, who has decided that the living room is to be feared and avoided whether the curtains are open or closed. He’s been spending many hours in the basement. I’ve taken him outside, on walks – without incident – so his problem isn’t agoraphobia. He just fears the living room.

What about it, exactly, has been frightening him? The floor fan, perhaps. I took it to the basement.

Tonight, Samuel is watching TV in the living room. So far, so good.