Seeing the tornado damage in Oklahoma this week reminded me of the aftermath of a thousand-year flood that struck my city three years ago.

My husband and I had three sandbags, which was ridiculous. What piece of our house were we going to save with three sandbags? (We laid them along the side of the HVAC unit that faced the water. Evidently, no matter how pointless a choice may be, we will still make one.) Fortunately, the water began to recede soon after it reached our foundation, but many were not so lucky—or even remotely lucky. It’s easy enough to say, “Oh, it’s just stuff,” until you’ve lost everything.

This week, then, here are five stories about the walls in which we make our lives, ready to read here on TMN or in an e-book you can export to your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, etc.