I see, from April 10th’s Letters to the Editor, that at least one upright citizen has decided to go public with his scorn for any Harvard resident opting to accept FEMA-funded assistance with ice storm cleanup by organizing fallen limbs at roadside for pickup. I can’t help but wonder if this and like-minded individuals have considered any of the following possibilities.
Some properties may have been damaged far more severely than their own.
Some of the debris now appearing at the curb might represent only a small fraction of the total amount at any given address.
They might not be the only ones in town who lack either the inclination or the means to have paid professionals take care of things.
Some residents, having worked on cleanup every single weekend since the storm (often with the help of neighbors), and having obtained enough burning permits to travel to the West Coast if permits could be converted to frequent flyer miles, do not feel entitled to FEMA help but are nonetheless grateful (and not “personally ashamed”) to learn of its availability as the end of burning season approaches.
Hundreds of green, soaking wet, and spidery maple branches, if they could talk, would beg to differ with the assertion that “…roadside piles could have been taken care of with the same amount of effort it took to get them to the curb.”
Some storm-affected residents, even the able-bodied, have other significant obligations that limit the time available to them to play hardy pioneer or to churn out dyspeptic rants about those who dare accept a little help cleaning up after a (hopefully) once-in-a-generation event.
Roger Fradenburgh
Park Lane
