FLOOD!

[Atticus Finch]

My home normally sits on the Trent River. Since Friday, it has been sitting in the Trent River. Yes, for the second time in twelve years, the beautiful Trent has flooded my property.

Eastern North Carolina began experiencing heavy rains from Tropical Storm Nichole Monday a week ago, and the rains didn't let up until Thursday night. It is hard to imagine, but my gauges recorded twenty-five inches of rain in only four days. I understand that some places across our watershed recorded thirty inches. That's more than a third of what we normally experience annually! I’ve lived in North Carolina for fifty-four years. I’ve lived through I don’t know how many hurricanes and tropical storms...but I have never seen rain like what fell here last week.

Happily, in 2006 I raised the house above the five-hundred year flood mark...so my home was never really threatened. Still, I decided to evacuate my more valuable belongings just as a precaution. Early Friday, some good friends boated over to my house and helped move my stuff to a storage building. We used my same old sixteen-foot Jon boat that I used in '99 to evacuate during Hurricane Floyd. My friend Phoebe photographed the whole adventure and posted the photos on Facebook. Then someone she knows turned her Facebook photos into a YouTube slideshow and set it to an old Randy Newman (I think) tune.

I'll tell you, it wasn't very much fun as it was happening, but the YouTube clip highlights the bright silver lining to this otherwise ugly cloud. Friendships are worth a million times more than possessions and sometimes it takes a flood to remind a person of that truth...

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXWuof9cv1Y

AF

 

[Paisley]

Wow--25" of moisture is what we get in two years here. The last big flood in Denver was around 1960--it split the city in half. Shortly after that, Chatfield Dam finally got out of the planning stage.

 

[The Lonely Navigator]

Wow...reminded me of what happens here with the Susquehanna - those photos were a familiar sight.

 

[Boodles]

Mr. Finch, good grief.

What a nightmare. You need anything from over Charlotte way? Its hardly rained here.

 

[Miss sofia]

Sorry to hear about all the trials and tribulations Sir. i hope things get back to normal asap. And there was me moaning about losing a few roof tiles in the bad rainstorm the other day! (Hangs head in shame). :eusa_doh:

 

[Foofoogal]

Awful. Looks like Houston looks when it drizzles in some parts.

North of Houston around Lake Conroe where I used to live one year it rained like that. Something like 18 inches in 4 hours or something. I truly remember wondering if it was the end of the world for a minute. Very scary. I saw whole asphalt roads picked up and moved. Nature is an awesome force and I respect it. Big time.

One thing is crystal clear though. You have great friends.
I think this would call for a big BBQ when it all goes down with Banana Pudding to boot.

 

[Dewhurst]

Friendships are worth a million times more than possessions and sometimes it takes a flood to remind a person of that truth...

Makes me wish I had friends.

 

[lareine]

Wow, sorry to hear you are going through this! I've never been flooded but the mess afterwards must be a lot to deal with, even without damage to possessions thrown into the mix. It's great that you have friends to help out, and to make a video of the experience

Having just been through a natural disaster of our own (earthquake) I truly think that this sort of thing brings out the best side of most people, and it makes them want to help in any way they can. Even a person who doesn't think they have friends might discover that, when it comes to the crunch, a lot of others care enough to lend a hand in times of trouble.

 

[Foofoogal]

I personally truly believe about 84.6 % of people are good in this world and would lend a hand in a pinch.
It is the other ones we always hear about on the news.

One time I worked in an antiques mall. Some yoyo came in and there was a jar of buttons for $2.00. Yep, they evidently poured the buttons in their purse or something and left the jar. As it was a coop the dealers have to pay their rent so this seems like nothing but the dealer has to eat it basically. While trying to put food on their own family table.

Beyond pitiful. :rage: Maybe even 86.8 %.

 

[HoundstoothLuke]

Just look on the bright side. You could be in this flood:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11491412