You can watch the news and read the articles about devastation, discuss the horror, empathize with the victims. In reality, I had no idea of the gravity of the situation until I walked into Horse Spirit Arts gallery with Robin Holliday less than two weeks after the Tiber had rushed through, destroying everything in its path. In my rubber boots and mask, surrounded by mud and debris, I set out to tell the story of women who reached deep into the darkness of the moment to find strength, determination and hope.
The July 30 flood that washed through Ellicott City’s Main Street tested the strength and stamina of the business owners there. It even struck at their belief in themselves.
When I began photographing these women, I saw hope as their guiding force. I knelt in the mud with Jodye Russell from The Vintage Vault, sorting through the silt to rescue jewelry; I watched Angie Tersiguel inventory the devastating loss of her restaurant’s wine cellar; and I walked through the woods with Tammy Beideman, owner of Sweet Elizabeth Jane, as she showed me where merchandise from her store had washed up.
The pain and loss was real. But pain can also be turned into strength, encouraging hard work and rebirth.
I was so humbled by the women I photographed for these pages – indeed by everyone on Main Street. They are determined to get back to business.*
– Mary C. Gardella, photo editor
