This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, April 24, 2011 - On Friday night, Shannon Howard looked out her window into a green sky. She and her husband, Keith Howard, then ran to the basement of their 109-year-old Ferguson home and waited.
The storm outside didn't sound too loud. The power went out.
"We kind of thought, well, I guess it's over," she says. "And then we went outside."
Everywhere, the old trees that filled her historic neighborhood fell across the road. A hole gaped in the roof of the house across the street. Howard found a stray black lab puppy.
And then, she watched the people of her community come out and come together.
The police, the firefighters, public works, even Ameren started moving right away. They knocked on doors and checked on people. They took away fallen telephone poles.
"These guys, they are so wonderful, and they never get the praise they deserve," says Howard, "and in this case, they have gone above and beyond."
She's grateful, but not really surprised.
Howard, who mostly grew up in North County and then lived in California, moved back to Ferguson 12 years ago to be with family and now makes a living finding and sharing the news of her community. As the editor and publisher of NOCO, an online magazine, Howard knows her neighbors throughout the city.
On Friday night, she saw those neighbors pull out chainsaws, remove trees blocking her road and work together to help each other.
Howard had planned to go over to a family member's house today for Easter, but now she's staying home. The power is still out, and a neighbor told her it may stay that way for six more days.
"The lines are just gone," she says.
Tomorrow, Howard plans to try and work at a library where there is power. She'll also update some photos she took last year.
Then, a CVS tried to move in at the corner of Hereford and Florissant Road. Howard took photos of the corner at the time and stopped by again yesterday.
Pieces of what was once there are now scattered everywhere.
There's sadness about what's happened to her community, but she's safe, and as far as she knows, so is the rest of Ferguson. People have lost property, but not the sense of who they are.
"If this is gonna happen anywhere," she says, "this is a good place because people really do care about their neighbors."
Howard is still taking care of the stray puppy. She hasn't yet given it a name.