by Mary Wykstra
Although this blog entry is a bit late and is old news to the people of Samburu... I wrote it in April when life was pretty busy.. and it may be new news to some of you.

In early March the Samburu reserve was hit with devastating floods. I was in Salama working on the wrap-up of the three year dip project at the time. At first my reaction was “not again” as there have been a few time in the past where one or two tents have been flooded. On the day after I watched some footage to see the seriousness of the flooding. By that time I was a day away from the planned dip workshop. I read about helicopters and airplanes bringing in supplies and helping the lodges and Safe the Elephant people. I did not call any of my friends there because I did not realize just how serious it was, and I did not want to waste their time and batteries just to talk. I later came to realize that it is not a waste of time for them to know that I am thinking about them and that I could assist in some way if they need it. Once you misjudge a situation like that and the importance of a phone call, it is a difficult thing to recover from….

But as I watch the people heal and the park come to life again, I am sure that our lives will come together again. It will take some time for the Park and the tourism ventures to recover the low of income. Some staff were relocated to other parks and reserves, but others were laid off. I wish to all of my friends a speedy recovery from this disaster and want you to know that I was thinking of you and if you ever need my help never ever be afraid to call me.