Wednesday, August 16, 2017

The Great Flood of 2016 Finale

The water had receded enough so Rob used my car to get to work, with the intent that I would come pick it up later to run errands. I guess in the back of my mind I still couldn't grasp all that had taken place the past 4 days. Our neighbor had a truck similar to Rob's so he said he would take me to get my car. Then he naively thought he could go get plastic tubs to store their belongings. (More about that on tomorrow's blog.)
As soon as we got to the main road, outside of our subdivision, I saw a car stranded in the middle of the road where it had unsuccessfully attempted to drive through a flooded roadway. When we got to the freeway, I thought "This isn't too bad." There weren't stranded cars and, other than a lack of vehicles on the road, it looked like a normal Tuesday morning. But it wasn't.
What should have been a 10 minute drive to Rob's office took close to 2 hours. Roads were closed. Police were out in full force, blocking roads that were unsafe, protecting businesses from looters. In the two hours it took to get to our destination I saw what I imagine the Apocolypse to look like. As silly as this may seem, one of my major regrets during that horrific weekend was not taking more pictures. I wish I would have grabbed my camera before leaving the house to document what I saw.
My neighbor and I had to take surface roads to get to my car once we took the freeway exit. I saw homes with garages that were a mangled mess due to how fast the water was flowing. I saw cars stalled out in the middle of the road. I saw brown residue on the side of houses from the flood waters. I saw a military type vehicle on its side in a ditch. The closer we got to my car (which was at the heart of our town) the more devastation I saw. I can't begin to tell you how many boats were stranded on lawns, tied to lampposts, upside down. Store front windows were shattered from the force of the water. And then something I doubt I will forget....A firetruck that looked like it had been completely submerged. Its hoses unraveled and lying on the ground, lifeless. To me, firemen are invincible so to see that stranded fire truck was what it took to solidify the devastation of it all.
The scene brought me to tears. My neighbor and I drove in silence as we took it all in. By the time we finally got to my car I was a basketcase. I sat in my car and let all that had taken place since Thursday night sink in. I cried for friends who had lost all their Earthly belongings. I cried for friends who had to figure out where they would live while they rebuilt their life. I cried for our beautiful church that was no longer beautiful. I cried for my job as I had received a text from my boss, stating that he didn't know if we had our jobs due to our school flooding. I cried for the uncertainty of the future. I also took the time to thank the Lord from sparing us from flooding. I thanked Him for His protection over us. I thanked Him that He used us to be a blessing to others. I just sat in my car for what seemed like hours, not wanting to go back out on the roads, not wanting to see the devastation.
But I did. I went to the one local Walmart that was open. I waited in line outside the store while only a few people were let in at a time. When I got in the store, I breathed a sigh of relief, finally seeing something that looked normal.
The flood was an event that will stay in people's minds for years to come. People who flooded will probably never forget. I would like to say that, a year later, things are back to the way they were pre- flood but you'll have to read tomorrow's blog to see what has taken place in this past year here in our little parish. Stay tuned.....

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