Friday, June 10, 2011 :: River Rising

It sounds like the river is rising, and it doesn't look pretty for the foreseeable future.

It is really hard to know what to do, but one thing is for sure, panic is contagious. When you see your neighbors moving out and hear all of "the talk" around town, it is really hard not to just call up your friends and MOVE OUT. TODAY. And then you look around, and the tomato plants need watered, and the ditch is BONE DRY, and reality hits you. There's not a stitch of water here yet. Of course by the time you're ankle deep in it, it's really too late to do much. So that is the predicament we find ourselves in--how much to do now because later we might not be able to do it.

On facebook today, I posted "Packing. <sigh>" and received numerous phone calls from people wanting to know if they could come help. So let me clarify. I packed a total of 3 rubbermaid tubs--all with my scrapbooks and photo albums and stuff like that. Between that and the tax records, and the kids' school log books, that pretty much sums up the irreplaceables. Well, you know, besides the husband and kids.

Beyond that packing, I went around from room to room sticking colored post-it notes on everything--different colors meaning different things. This is in preparation to evacuate IF the time comes. I don't want there to be any question as to what stuff goes upstairs, and what goes out to higher ground (in town). In short, valuables go out. Stuff that would make a huge mess if it got wet (like the contents of the pantry and our school books) go up. For example:
  

As in this photo, sometime the contents and the container have two different destinies. My kitchen looks all polka-dotted with different colored post-its everywhere. Dustin came in, looked around, told me I was going crazy and said I needed to get outside for some fresh air. So I went out and tilled a little in the garden. YES, I'm serious. NO, I am not going crazy. And if this whole flood thing blows over and I have boxes of tomatoes to give away this summer, some of you are going to thank me for tilling today!

With all of this flood-talk (and post-it notes) at our house, apparently Brooklyn no longer wants to leave the house without her Barbies. We just went into town for a few things today, but she refused to leave them at home for  fear the flood might come while we're gone. She wasn't scared or anything, just wasn't going to take any chances.

And of course since we were out and about, I had to get a picture of the railroad guys in Bigelow--our new human railroad crossing arms. Poor guys. And to make matters worse, it was raining on them some today. See, I told you I was serious. 

How are we holding up? Pretty good, but it does seem like we live in two different worlds. In the one world, we're practically going through a drought. In the other, visions of my home being invaded by 6-8 feet of water keep creeping in. And I have to live in the one, but prepare for the other. It is all very surreal.

One thing is for sure, all of this stuff is really just...stuff. And I refuse to get just too worked up about stuff. A good friend shared a verse with me this morning that is very fitting in this regard...

2 Corinthians 4:18...So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.

And although it is extremely easy to get completely wrapped up in all of this, we know that there is a bigger picture, one that does not revolve around us or our circumstances. Let us not become so narrow minded to think that the only thing that matters is the here and now...and all of my stuff.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

First a correction, well, maybe more of a clarification of my post a couple days ago about "enough water to cover a football field 18 feet deep"...a good friend of mine explained to me that the amount of water being released at the 6 dams could not be added together for a grand total of what is flowing down the river. The reason? The dams are stacked one after the other, so what is being released out of one will flow into the reservoir of the next, kinda like those water fountains that pour from one "bowl" to another. (For some reason, my visual brain incorrectly pictured the dams all on different "branches" of the Missouri river basin...) SO, that said, the last dam before us is Gavin's Point in Yankton, South Dakota, and that IS the dam I referred to in my earlier post about releasing water until late August. How much water? Well, they are (or will be) releasing 150,000 cfs (cubic feet per second), but you also have water added to that along the way to here from tributaries like the mighty Platte River. So depending on that factor, the Army Corps of Engineers estimates between 210,000 and 290,000 cfs will be flowing thru Rulo (or maybe I should say flowing thru Big Lake...and maybe my front yard) every second. And although that doesn't cover a football field 18 feet deep, it does cover it 4.5-6 feet deep. Maybe things are looking up already! Ok, maybe not. That's still a LOT of water, especially coming at us for 12 weeks.

Current water levels are rising just a bit at the river. Still bone dry here. Sorry, I hate to sound like the boy who called wolf, but they keep telling us flooding is coming. Check out Rulo river levels and short-term predictions for yourself here if you don't believe me.

On other fronts, I found the cord to that camera, and got permission to post this photo of a neighbor's house with their ring around it.

And yes, the house is for sale, so if any of you are interested, let me know and I'll send you details.

I was hoping to get a photo of the guys in Bigelow standing on either side of the RR tracks stopping traffic for trains. Because I just think that's crazy. Maybe tomorrow.

In area news...

• I have heard some local businesses have closed doors, packed up, and moved out. Can't say for sure because I didn't leave the house today.
• I also have heard the National Guard was in the area today. Not sure why, but they always seem to show up to help us when there's flooding around. And for that we are exceptionally thankful!
• Another rumor is that the town of Craig will be under 8 foot of water by Monday. I can't see how someone can predict this with any certainty at all at this point--too many factors coming into play. I would say the only way this were possible is if a levee broke near Craig, and we got a horrendous rain over the weekend. But hey, I don't know what's going to happen any more than the next guy. (And I'm still a little in denial.)
• Housing in Mound City (on the bluff, so no flooding there) is full full full. I spoke with a gentleman in the hardware store a few days ago who said he put a "For Rent" sign in the yard of a house he owns, and had 18 calls on it in 3 days. Maybe that's not unusual in the big city, but Mound City has a population of like 1200. So if you were thinking about moving to our fine area, you're outta luck, sorry. (It really is a fine area, by the way.)
• Apparently parts of I-29 near Council Bluffs and Nebraska City are closed due to flooding. And in case I've given the wrong impression, we're not the only ones experiencing flooding this summer. This is happening all up and down the Missouri River basin.

Last but not least, some of you have asked if I have all of my packing done. This is the extent of my packing so far....

Impressive, huh! The worst part is the fact that these boxes have failed to make it upstairs yet. 

There are a lot of factors contributing to this lack of prepared-ness. 

#1) I just don't know how serious to take all of this panic. Our house has never flooded...without any extra measures like a dike and pumps and such. 

#2) We are tucked back pretty far from the river--almost 7 miles. When floodwaters threatened us in 1993, they came slow, so I'm still thinking I would have at a MINIMUM of 24 hours once the EVACUATE word is given to get things up or out. 

#3) You know, packing up the contents of your home is (a) disruptive to actually living here and (b) just a LOT of work for possibly no reason. I want to make SURE there's a reason before I get too excited about it. 

#4) We've had an army of friends offer to come help us move out, so why would I want to rob them of that fun and exciting adventure by doing it myself? See, I'm really just thinking about you all.

This is not to say that I'm not getting organized. For example:

Each family member has their own color-coded tote with a list of things taped to the lid that they need to pack up just in case we have to move out. Here is Brooklyn's, close up:

It is a surreal experience making a list of things your kids should pack in case we evacuate, especially since we have no idea how long we might be out. Of course the kids think all of this is one grand adventure. They can't wait to oar the little metal fishing boat thru our front yard. Yikes, here's hoping they never get to experience that! 

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Water level at the river has increased slightly, but they are still predicting a 25 foot river by sometime Monday. It does seem like they keep pushing the timeline back, which is good...unless that means it will take that much longer for the water to recede once it is here. And just to put things in to perspective, in 1993 when we saw massive widespread flooding on our area, the river crested at 25.37 feet. Sadly, they do not think the river will stop at 25 feet. I guess we shall see.


Activity in the area...

• The electric companies are removing all of the meters they can in this area so they don't get flooded. They have been calling us finding out when they can remove ours. That's reassuring. 
• Some of our neighbors are also building dikes around their places. I would have photos but I can't find the cable to that camera.
• The railroad in Bigelow 3/4 mile east of us removed their traffic control gates (those big arms that come down when a train is coming) just yesterday. This was slightly alarming, no pun intended. Now they have 2 guys standing there with "STOP" and "SLOW" signs directing traffic. YES, I'm serious. I wonder how long they will pay these guys to do that. I hope they can swim.
• Sandbags are being delivered and placed in areas of very high risk and importance. This load was on its way to the water plant near Rulo. Sandbagging has also taken place in Forest City and Craig as well.

And in case you needed one more thing to worry pray about, check out this article by Bernard Shanks, an expert on the 6 dams that are sending us water. (Thanks, Regina, for sharing!) Granted, I think he's a little alarmist, but what he's saying is not outside the realm of possibility. I did find this quote interesting, talking about the ever-so-popular Army Corps of Engineers, "The corps is infamous for management errors, caving to commercial pressure and losing sight of its primary mission. This pending threat is so huge that it is gambling with the nation's security." Don't think so? Read the article and imagine what would happen to this country if all of the roads, bridges, and railroads near the Missouri River were wiped out by one massive inland tsunami. That's not what he calls it, but what else would you call the water flow created by all 6 dams collapsing like dominoes? Cheery, I know.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Things still look dry as a bone right here around our house, however we were out and about today so we got to cross the Missouri River at Rulo on our way to Falls City. Yes, the river is definitely full--spilling out into the low parts on the Nebraska side. On the Missouri side, the levee is holding at the moment, although there's not a lot of room for rising waters. There's also some seepage water in the ditches and fields in Missouri right by the river. Beyond that, things look normal, if not a bit on the too dry side. 

In other news, the Army Corps of Engineers (the ones in charge of opening the floodgates of those 6 dams up north) released the following information: "In the James River Basin water levels are continuing to gradually decline through to Yankton, South Dakota..."  At this point, I think this news sounds great! Yeah, a decline in water, we must be making progress...right??  The statement continues, "With average precipitation, the water in the flood control storage zones will be evacuated by....."  Now, at this point, I'm thinking whatever comes next should be something like, "...in a week." or even "...by the end of June." I mean really, the first part of this statement makes it sound like they're making real and significant progress.  So you can understand my shock when I read the rest of the statement, "...late August."

Here, let me recap in case you missed that, "...the water in the flood control storage zones will be evacuated by LATE AUGUST." Y'all, that's 12 weeks. That means maximum water release for 3 months. This is not how I wanted to spend my summer, particularly the entire summer.

That statement was followed by this one, "This may take longer if abnormally high rain occurs." 

Here's the kicker...this dam, at its maximum, will be releasing 150,000 cfs of water. Adding to  that is the water coming out of other tributaries downstream like the Platte River. This results in an estimated 210,000 cfs to 290,000 cfs passing thru Rulo. What does that look like? If you're a visual learner like me, that looks like a football field covered to the depth of 4.5 to 6 feet deep.   EVERY SECOND. Apparently from now until LATE AUGUST. Maybe longer if abnormally high rain occurs. That's a lot of water.

Hence, the dike around my house.

Speaking of which, here's a video of the {almost} completed dike going around our place. You'll have to imagine it behind my backyard. (This does show how the highway sits higher than anything around us, if you've never been to our place.)

And other than the above bright and cheery news, things are looking A-OK here so far, but apparently we're in for a flood...of course that's what everyone's been telling me all along!

Monday, June 6, 2011

The guys worked some more on the dike around our house. (Hey, it's a LONG dike.) (click on photos for a larger view.)

Just inside the dike, facing east. Yes, we tore up the bean field to build this. (Priorities people, it was either that or my yard. Actually, I would sacrifice my yard in this case--it just worked better to put it in the field.)

This is the view from outside the dike, standing in the field, with a view of the back of our house and barn on the other side of the dike.

Water levels are currently at 23.2 feet with a projected rise to 25 feet by the end of the week, likely higher (that's just as far as they have graphed out at this point.) The scary part is the fact that none of the 6 dams above us are even at their peak release yet. They will not be at maximum water release until mid-June. Today is the 6th. Add to that the fact that they will remain at peak release for who knows how long. We're talking 800,000 cfs (cubic feet per second) of water coming right down the Missouri River. That's a lot of water.

Hence, the dike, with 2 pumps on their way to keep the seepage water out, if it comes to that.

I was thinking today, it is in times like these we really get to see if what we have said we believe in the past, is what we truly believe.

On a brighter note, I completed a MAJOR clean-out of my fridge today. That's a good thing because now if I have to move out, you all won't have physical proof of how truly disorganized I am. Also on a brighter note (and possibly slightly more important), no rise in water depth today. And although we know more water is coming, any day you don't have an increase in water depth is a good day.  

Soapbox Saturday (on a Monday)

This is not an update, just a bit of free advice. I've been hearing a few (and reading a lot) of comments such as this, "Well, if you didn't want the potential to flood, you shouldn't live in the flood plain." Or even more insensitive, "Quit your whining and move to higher ground already."

#1) This is not helpful, nor is it appropriate at this time.
#2) We live approximately 5 miles inland from the river. Our home is over 100 years old and has never flooded. Ever. There is a difference between living on the river banks, and living in the flood plain.
#3) I suppose if people who live in the flood plain shouldn't complain about getting flooded, then people in California shouldn't complain about earthquakes and mud slides, and people in Oklahoma shouldn't complain about tornados, and people in Japan shouldn't complain about tsunami's. Right?

Please, add these comments to your list of things never to say to a flood victim or potential flood victim. Your best bet is this, "I'm so sorry. We're praying for you. Is there anything we can do to help?"

Sunday, June 5, 2011

The guys started building the dike around our house today.

This is the view from the field behind our house, looking south over the dike towards our house. (You can't see the house, but you can see Dustin parents' camper.) Click on the photos for a larger view.

The view looking down the dike towards the west, towards our shop and elevator.

I thought the dike would go just around our yard, but for various reasons, it has to be extended quite a ways on each side of our house. The guys are about half done with it, and should finish it tomorrow. Also, all of our grain should be hauled out of the elevator by the end of Tuesday. So, we are thankful for that.

No sign of water yet here, although things at the river are looking soggy. River depth right now is 23.13 feet, with a projected 24.7 feet by Friday morning.

With so many unknown factors, we're trying to remind ourselves that this is a great opportunity to put our complete and total trust in God.