This afternoon, Mike and I took a ride into the nearest town to do some shopping and pay a couple of bills. We haven't been there since before the flooding, and I was shocked to see the aftermath.
While all the water has receded, you can still see the damage it caused. As we drove down the streets, for as far as the eye could see, there were piles of garbage lining both sides of the street. People's belongings, ruined by flood waters in their homes, were piled higher than the cars parked next to them, waiting for garbage pickup to haul the toxic stuff away.
Couches, tables, chairs, boxes, baby things, things I'm sure had sentimental value, all ruined in the flood. Things that cannot be replaced. And to make matters worse, I've heard from many people that most didn't have flood insurance. All that stuff gone, with no hope of recovering any of it through insurance.
It was heartbreaking for me to see all of this. While I'm glad no one was hurt or killed during the storms, it can't be easy for these home owners. My heart definitely goes out to them.
Mother Nature Can Be So Cruel
Flood Update
Well, it's been a few days since we had the torrential rains that flooded our neck of the woods. Things have receded in my area, but not so much in others close by.
We took a ride Saturday evening just to see what we could see. Not far from our house, there are roads closed due to high water still. Being the good mother I am, I told my kids to go play in the road so I could get some pictures to show you all. They happily obliged. After all, Mom never lets us play in the road otherwise.
As you can see, there is still a lot of water covering some of the roads. If you look off to the right side of the picture, you can see a field. Well, what's supposed to be a field. It's now a lake, complete with white caps on this day because it was pretty windy. The kids wanted to wade out in the field, but I did say no to this request. It was hard to judge how deep it was in the field, and the water was moving pretty good. If you question the validity of this being a road, look off into the distance. You can see the road extending past the water. Click the picture for a larger view.
This is a close-up of the depth of the water. I'm guessing it had to be a good six inches deep, if not deeper in spots. Mike was going to attempt to drive through it until he saw the kids walking through it. He ended up turning around. Chicken!
Flood Coverage Continued
Well, the rain has stopped.....for now. It's a nice day today. There's a slight breeze, and the sun is shining. The flood waters have receded a bit, at least in my area. There's still large pools of water standing in the fields, and our yard, but at least the roads are passable now.
Our basement, as well as everyone else's that I've heard from, is still wet. The flow has slowed to an out-of-control trickle that the floor drain and the sump pump can keep up with now. I have laundry to do, but the thought of trudging through the half inch of water to do it doesn't appeal to me at all. Maybe tomorrow.
It's as if Mother Nature is saying, "Hey, I'm sorry for the way I acted last night. Here's some sunshine as an apology. Have a nice day."
I'm not buyin' it, Sister. I know as soon as you get your panties in a bunch again, you'll let'er fly with more storms and tornadoes and floods. You haven't been very kind to us over the last year, what with the harsh winter and now this. I just don't believe you.
There's rain (and storms) in the forecast for the entire weekend. No rest for the weary, I guess. My heart goes out to the poor farmers that are hanging on by a thread with their crops. Most of them are under water, probably a loss this year. More rising food prices on the horizon, I'm sure.
Oh well. What are you gonna do, right? I'm thankful that we're all safe. I'm thankful that my house is in one piece, although a bit soggy. And I'm thankful to see another day.
Flood Pictures
As you can see, it's pretty bad around here. The weatherman just informed me that we can expect more rain overnight. I'm almost afraid of what my basement is going to look like by morning. I've gotten everything off the floor, but oh my goodness. What a mess!
