Monday, June 20, 2011 :: Things I learned from...

Subtitle: Things I learned on top of a muddy levee with the Missouri River on one side and an 8 foot drop into a corn field on the other...and with 40 prison inmates on either side of me. (Is that too long to be a subtitle??)

First, let me set the stage for you...
I was being taken out this morning at 8:30am to get some photos of the broken levees and such. We no more than left the house and Dustin got a call that changed our plans and we found ourselves on our way to sandbag. Fast forward a couple of hours and here I am, standing on top of a very muddy levee, with about 20 prison inmates on one side, and 20 on the other side, passing down sandbags. It looked like this to my left...

(Note: Water is probably 6-8 feet deep outside those rows of sandbags, and drop down into the corn field is the same on the opposite side. Also note how great the area we're standing on is for sure footing. Or not so much.)


As if that isn't bad enough, to my right is this...

(Note: See that big hole in the levee...it was still getting worse while we were sandbagging, so we figured if this whole thing was going to go, it was going to break right there. My mother-in-law was working beside me...we were devising a plan in case it really did go....)

Now, in front of me...about 6-8 feet deep...

And behind me...

(Note: It is hard to see, but this side dropped down into the corn field...a corn field that is now currently under water.) Anyway, this is where I found myself for a very good part of the day today.

And I have to tell you, there are some things to be learned from this vantage point...such as....

1.  When going out into the flood plain, wear overboots, or at the very least brown socks. Because if you end up sandbagging, your socks are going to end up being brown anyway.
2.  If you have to wear tennis shoes, be sure to tie them up VERY TIGHT. Otherwise, goodbye tennis shoes in about 12 inches of mud.
3.  Be sure to use the bathroom before you find yourself on top of said levee between 40 inmates.
4. When sandbagging, just count on getting sand in your mouth...and your hair....and your ears...and your clothing...and your.......
5.  If you're going to sandbag all day, you might want to eat more than one Tweenkie at 4:00 in the afternoon. Otherwise you will get a headache.
6. While drinking your bottle of water on top of said muddy levee, do not drop the lid in the mud.  Without a doubt, do not drop the replacement lid your mother-in-law just gave you from her own bottle of water into the mud. This is just bad, people.
7. When water starts running around the row of sandbags on the bank in front of you, do NOT just throw another sandbag down into that area to stop it. You may stop it, but you will end up with mud splattered all over you...and all over about 4 of your neighbors. This does not help morale. Instead, lay the sandbag down nicely.
8. When you neighbor is about to throw a sandbag down in front of you (or him), be sure to close your mouth first. Did you know raw sewage is prevalent in flood water???? Did you also know that flood water tastes really really bad??
9.   Do not tell other people that in a flooding situation, we don't do things that are typically foolish......

(Note: He's going up the side of the levee, so once he reaches the top, he has about 4-6 feet on top of the levee before it heads back down on the other side...INTO THE RIVER.)

10. Appreciate the irony of passing bottles of water down the sandbag line. There just seemed like there should be something wrong about that.

As for an update....this very levee that we worked so hard to save, broke in at least a couple of places this evening. And although this still doesn't put our home in any immediate danger, it still is sickening since the farmer's worked SO HARD to throw this levee up in preparation of the oncoming (or should I say down-coming) water.

So, since I can't seem to keep my eyes open writing this post, I'm now going to bed. Tomorrow, I will not be throwing ANY SANDBAGS. Well, unless someone needs me to......