When Waters Rage ~ The Flood of 2009

It has rained and rained and rained some more.  Floods abound.  Families have lost loved ones...some everything.  A local young family's mobile home was washed away when a small creek rose from 2 feet to 20 feet.  Sweeping the entire family into the swollen raging waters.  A Dad, Mom ...their two toddlers.  The Mom clung to a tree limb holding her youngest child for three hours waiting on help.  The Father a bit further upstream held on also.  The oldest of the children, not yet 3 years old was swept away.  His small body found hours later.  The mobile home was broken with everything scattered in the now river.  How heartbreaking.

 
Another report of a family whose air and heating unit was struck by lightening.  The father woke to find his twins dead from carbon monoxide poisoning.   A young mother of a 4 year old, lost her life when her vehicle was swept off the road and into swollen waters.

 
My own son called me last night.  He is a police officer in a nearby city.  His patrol car ended up in the middle of a flooding road.  The water was rising fast.  He had to crawl out of the window, onto the roof of the car and off the trunk.  The 'I'm safe' call came.  Although he really wanted to tell me how he lost his very nice expensive digital camera due to it was in the car.  He found it water logged.  It's trivial.  Possessions can be replaced.  May take a bit of time and more 'off duty' hours (how he purchased it in the first place).  Yet, he was safe.  His morning text reply after I asked if he was ok said:  "Soaked, hungry but no power, and want a hot shower."

The schools were closed both in the county and the city (where my daughter is a Senior).  This is why:

This is the parking lot at her school.  There is a small creek that has now flooded the parking lot and washed away part of the roadway.   That small 'creek' is now raging waters:

When I left work at 5pm the reports were there are 19 roads throughout the county closed and/or severely damaged.

We are very lucky.  Our small home is safe and in no danger of raging waters.  Some of our friends are not as fortunate tonight. My boss pumped water from his basement this morning.  This photo shows the water behind my daughter's best friend's house. As they hope the water doesn't continue to rise.

Count your many blessing my friends.  For life can change in the flash of an eye.  I may have a leaking washing machine, dishwasher and now I've found a leak in the roof; but none of that compares to others in our county tonight.  My house is dry and my family are all safe.  Please keep our community in your thoughts and prayers.