I posted yesterday about the flooding in our area. The situation got worse after that post. I wrote some of this on Thursday evening and the rest on Friday morning.
Thursday Afternoon
I was working in my home office when my dad, who is visiting, knocked on the door:
Me: What’s going on dad?
Dad: The neighbor just said that there is a mandatory evacuation order for the other side of the street (the south side of our street is lower than us and closer to the stream that was filling up quickly).
Me: Whoah, I better go outside an see what’s going on.
I told my work that I was logging off for the day and went outside to assess the situation. I found some neighbors who let me know that the mandatory evacuation notice now applied to us as well. We were supposed to pack a suitcase, turn off the power and get to higher ground. We would not be allowed back after we left. I walked down to the stream and saw that it was indeed getting higher. I then went home and logged on to the city website which confirmed that the city was telling us to evacuate. Oh shit. At this point, a whole ton of things start going through your brain:
- First, the whole situation was surreal. A couple days ago, the little creek was hardly moving. It was 20′ across and about a quarter mile away from our place. Now, the stream was hundreds of feet across and getting closer, closer, closer. With the windows open, we could hear its roar.
- Walking around town was like something out of a zombie movie. Many of the roads were closed due to flooding, so there were people out walking all over the place. There were also police everywhere and people yelling at them (“Why won’t you let me go here or there?!? I need to get to my car!!!”). The air was filled with the sounds of various sirens (police, fire trucks, town warning system). Helicopters roared overhead on their way to Lyons to rescue people. Cell phone service was spotty. Craziness.
- I also though about my situation. No flood insurance. We aren’t even close to a flood plain, so I had never even considered it. What happens if the water claims our house? Do we still have to pay the mortgage on a home that is in 34,398 pieces 26 miles down the river? Where are we going to go?
The wife and kids were out, so I decided to wait until they got back in the area to evacuate. At the same time, I kept a close eye on the water. I grabbed our biggest suitcase and threw a bunch of stuff into it; clothes, laptops, money, wallet, cell phone and a couple of the kids’ favorite toys.
Due to all of the road closures, it took the wife a couple hours to get back into town. We carefully considered the situation when she got back. There were reports that the river had already crested. Our home is at a high place and sits on higher ground than some of the homes on the next street which were not being told to evacuate. Also, the part of town on the other side of the river sits lower than us, so if the water went higher, I was sure we’d be OK.
So we decided to stay put, but monitor the situation closely. I went down to the stream every hour or so to make sure things weren’t getting worse. If I had thought we were in any danger, we would have left.
Friday Morning
I suppose that if something had happened to us, we’d be up for a Darwin Award. However, we’re OK. I went out and checked the stream one last time before going to bed last night and it was indeed easing up a bit. This morning shows a little improvement as well.
However, the rain is still coming down. We have the TV on and those warnings keep showing up. They scare the crap out of our children.
Lessons
When we’re forced into extreme situations, it makes your mind work a bit differently. All of a sudden, stuff like dirty dishes and bills don’t matter so much. I have a lot more to say about this, but that is for another time.
Please stay safe! I hope the storm passes soon.
Jeez Louise, 1500’s! This is getting crazy. It’s good you still have your sense of humor through all of this. You’re right, I don’t want to be reading about (or seeing any pictures) of the 1500’s car, windshield-deep in water tomorrow in the news. Continue keeping an eye out and stay safe.
Buck recently posted…Why I need to change my blog’s tagline
Thanks Buck. Funny thing is that when we lived in Wisconsin, we were also terrorized by massive rains. Remember that June a couple years back when it rained like 12″ in a day? The ground around our home was saturated and it took 3 months for the water to stop coming into our basement (no sump pump).
Holy crap, Mr. 1500! I hope you can get out and take more pictures. It’s fascinating to see from here!
Having covered several floods in my previous life as a journalist, I totally get how devastating they can be. Even if your home doesn’t “wash away”, even a few inches of water can utterly destroy the structure. I hope the water doesn’t creep any closer. Just in case, it could be a good idea to move any valuables upstairs and potentially put furniture up on some blocks of wood. Even being just a few inches from the floor could save you a lot of money if you get just a little bit of water in there. Most importantly be sure you boil your water before drinking any as it’s probably been contaminated.
Super scary!
Pretired Nick recently posted…Pretirement story: Planning a move to Spain
Yep, water around a home is NOT good. We are OK now.
I took a load of pictures and will do a final post on the whole thing later today.
Oh no, I hope you guys continue to stay safe!! Such a scary situation. I can’t imagine being in that predicament, wondering what to do. I think you assessed the situation well though – it’s a good thing your house sits a little higher than the rest. I hope the rain stops soon.
E.M. recently posted…10 Ways to Prepare for a Flight
I second all of Pretired Nick’s suggestions and definitely recommend you guys consider heeding the mandatory evacuation notices. Be careful!
Mrs. Pop @ Planting Our Pennies recently posted…Arbitrage, Miscalculation, And A Scarlet Letter – My Student Loan Story
Thanks Mrs. PoP. Unfortunately, sometimes I’m a stubborn know it all. This is one of those times. Things are OK now.
Wow that is crazy. I hope everyone is staying safe!
Michelle recently posted…Ways to Budget for Your Retirement and Save the Money You Need
Stay safe!! We are down in the Denver area, but fortunately a pretty safe spot. Pretty sad stuff… just drove through Lyons last weekend, and to see if evacuated and see the pictures is pretty sad… hope this rain stops soon!!
Jon recently posted…Increase Credit Limit With Poor Credit
Jon-
Yeah! I ride my 2x/week through Lyons on my mountain rides. I’ll post some pictures if I can get through there any time in the near future. Sounds like they were really nailed.
12″ of rain in Boulder in 24 hours…not including the other days of rain. Sun has started to peek out!! Stay dry.
Yeah, never been so happy to see the friggin’ sun!
We’ll be saying a prayer for you & the people in your region. I hope things get better in a hurry and thanks for keeping us updated.
Done by Forty recently posted…Is it Moral to Let a Sucker Keep His Money?
Thanks for thinking about us. Things are looking better now.
OK, well we don’t want THAT much rain.
Here’s to a quick drop in those water levels!
No Waste recently posted…I Hate Fashion
Glad to hear everything went okay for you and your family. I’m sure there are some families that didn’t get off so lucky. Does anyone know if the flood was declared a federal emergency? That would let those with flood damage get compensated even without having flood insurance.
Micro recently posted…What fantasy football can teach us about investing
Yeah, I think it is a federal emergency. Things are nuts. Helicopters everywhere and the National Guard. However, the sun was out yesterday and it looks like to day may be the same. Woo!
Wow, Mr. 1500. I really am sorry you’re all going through that. I can’t believe how things have changed in such a short time period. You’re so right about what really matters in a time like that. I remember how I felt in Hurricane Ike, and the little shit just flew right out the window. Didn’t matter at all.
Thinking of you all.
Tammy R recently posted…Cheated Out of a Pleasurable Conclusion
Thanks, yeah it’s amazing how your brain works. All the crap that I usually worry about all of a sudden didn’t matter. The brain switches to preservation mode and gets moving.
I’ve also seen people who react the opposite. There are people who will just sit there and cry. I’ve seen it!
SO glad you guys are okay. What a scary, scary thing. We experienced a mini-version of this a few years ago (8-11 inches of rain in two hours) and most of the area was flooded with roads closed. We were lucky that we were in the highest point of our neighborhood, so no flooding for us, but hundreds of people had 6-8 feet of water in their basements. Nothing like what you guys are going through, but you’re right: it does get your perspective in order real quick. Best of luck to you guys out there.
Laurie @thefrugalfarmer recently posted…A Lesson in Attitude and Great Reads for the Week Ending 9/13/13
Thanks, all is OK now. Some good even came out of it. More on that soon…
Glad the rain is receding!
I’ve always wondered what happens to the wood and stuff during construction when it rains. Does the material not get damaged after prolonged periods of soaking?
Sam
Financial Samurai recently posted…In Defense Of Resourceful Women – Let’s Fix The Double Standard
Well, the wood that is treated for outside applications (pressure treated) is OK. The other wood can get damaged, but only if wet for a prolonged period of time. With that said, it’s been raining since Monday now. It was pouring earlier today and is supposed to continue through tomorrow, but is supposed to be dry on Tuesday.
Glad you all are safe!
Mom @ Three is Plenty recently posted…Globetrotting
Thanks, it’s been a trip…
Well good thing its already crested. That’s a tough call. I’ve always thought that id be the one that actually evacuates when they tell you to, but you never know what you’ll really do until it happens. Stay safe.
CashRebel recently posted…Salary envy and unrealistic expectations
I was all ready to. If you saw where we lived, the order was nonsensical. The side of town on the other side of the river was much lower and they were not being told to evacuate. The water never did get very close to us.