One week ago, after a freak cloudburst decimated parts of Ohio County, and I witnessed the destruction, the words of a 1972 song kept repeating in my head. They sort of summed up how I and others were feeling for all those who lost homes, businesses, vehicles and the most heartbreaking — lives.

The song goes like this: “And how can you mend a broken heart? How can you stop the rain from falling down?” The truth of the matter is that none of us can truly mend someone’s broken heart at times like this. And only divine intervention can stop the rain from continuing to fall.

That’s not to say the good people of this city, county, state and beyond haven’t been trying. It should come as no surprise that the outpouring of help, donations, meals for first responders and even care for misplaced pets has been great.

Ohio Valley residents on both sides of the river are no strangers to life-altering, destructive floods.

However, it’s the sudden, powerful flash floods that catch us off guard so quickly.

That’s the difference between flash flooding and river floods. River floods are predictable and give people time to prepare for what’s to come.

There was no real warning for what took place last weekend. It’s amazing that more people were not lost in the flood waters that carried homes and vehicles away as if they were merely toys.

This latest tragedy brought back a myriad of memories — good and bad — for those of us in the media and safety forces who have been through several of these disasters.

People may think the media and first responders simply do their jobs and move on. Not so.

Some of the sights and sounds of these events never completely go away.

They become part of the DNA of such jobs. And at some point, you have to allow yourself time to cry, to grieve for the things you can’t unsee and have no power to control.

It will be weeks, months before some semblance of normalcy can be found for the residents of Valley Grove, Triadelphia and Elm Grove. For some, they may simply have to leave and find a life elsewhere in an effort to escape the memories.

Whatever the future holds, I know in my heart that we will continue to hold up our neighbors the best we can. It’s what we do and I’m proud to be a part of this community of good people.

Good thoughts and prayers for all …

Heather Ziegler can be reached at hziegler@theintelligencer.net.