Floods
I can’t recall if I’ve posted about this before.
I suffered a major flood about 14 years ago.
The night before, about 1100pm, the street was lit up with flashing lights from fire trucks. Firemen were banging on my door, telling me that the river was rising very fast, and we needed to evacuate immediately.
I had very quick access to higher ground, and therefore did not evacuate.
The fireman told me that they could not rouse anyone at several houses on my street. I told him that I knew everyone on the street, and that I even had keys to get into some of their homes.
He told me that they had several areas that they needed to ask people to evacuate, and asked me if I could try to convince the neighbors to do so as well. I agreed.
There was a sweet old lady in her 90s that lived 4 houses up from me. We were long-time friends. She was a widow, and I knew her and her now deceased husband for several years.
I walked down to her home…it was about midnight by this time. I was scared shitless that I would frighten her to death. I found a way to get into her home via the kitchen door. As soon as I made it into her kitchen, I started gently calling her name. She yelled WHO IS IT? I said “It’s Lucky, Dear, from down the street. Don’t be afraid. We are going to get flooded. Why don’t you come and stay with me tonight and I'll watch over you”? She calmly said “Sweetheart, I’m not fucking going anywhere”. So I told her that I would be watching the water, and if it came to that, I would come and get her.
I sent my wife up the hill to a resort hotel for the night, and stayed in my home with my two dogs.
I was one of the lucky ones. Very lucky. I wrote off about $60,000 (I think) of lost material items on my taxes. I was the last house on my street to get water, and my neighbors rallied around me. They dried out maybe 5,000-6,000 old photographs that were drowned in the floodwater.
I worked 14 hour days, 7 days a week, for about 4 months to restore my damaged home.
The Red cross truck came by every day, and i was so grateful. They would give me full, warm meals, and huge bags of apples!
There wasn’t a pump to be found, anywhere. A friend drove up from New york City with pumps and fittings and hoses, and set me up. A man down the street gave me a small pump, and in return, I transported and stayed with him at the hospital a few days later while he had surgery. He had no one to stay with him. For reasons unknown to me, he killed himself not long after this. Broke my fucking heart.
My spouse’s mother died shortly before this flood. She was grieving hard while I worked to restore our home.
When I was at least stabilized, and before the hard work began on my house, I walked around the neighborhood helping people strip their homes to the studs in preparation for them to be torn down. I was helping this one neighbor out busting down a wall, and I got a mouthful of mold that I aspirated a bit and started choking. While i was hacking up a lung, I looked down and saw his daughter’s Raggedy Ann doll floating in contaminated water in the living room, and I lost my shit and started crying while half choking to death.
FEMA was an absolute godsend with financial assistance. And they were quick about it too,
A life changing event to be sure. But I was lucky. I’m only slightly religious, but I thank God every day for my luck during that time.
These people in Texas…they were not lucky. I don’t care about their political affiliation. Human beings should not have to feel the wrath of water.
It is the most destructive force on earth.
Those of you who have been through something like this know exactly what I mean.
They had to tear down about 40 homes in my development. Some of them had so much water, that all you could see was a few inches of the tops of their chimneys.
I was lucky.
I hope we can all find mercy in our hearts for our brothers and sisters, no matter where they live, or what they believe.
We’re all just humans after all.
= new reply since forum marked as read
I'm glad you were able to save your house.
Glad you survived.
Rec. 