It started raining almost two weeks ago. Hard rain that came as a downpour. Since we were living in this rental, I was concerned with its ability to keep out water. I would wake up every morning and gingerly open the door to the basement, hoping the rain wasn't inches deep. That was a small mercy that I was so grateful for. Add to that, Chris was working in Chicago. I went to sleep each night listening to the constant rain wishing he was sleeping next to me.
I was startled awake on Thursday, Sept 12, with a call from the school district announcing the cancellation of school. It was hard to imagine the devastation that had hit over night as our street simply looked rain-soaked. Friends began posting on Facebook about flooded basements and washed away roads. In fact, school was cancelled on Thursday and Friday due to those washed out roads. It was pretty surreal. Flooding doesn't happen here!
Chris was scheduled to come home on Friday morning. After numerous delays, his plane was finally allowed to depart from Chicago, and he arrived home about three hours late. I was so grateful to have him home. He brought with him a short break in the rain as well, and we took that opportunity to drive over to our property. Or at least try to. The road (Colorado Blvd or CR 13) was completely out past the bridge by our entrance. We had to drive out to the freeway, up to 66, and down to CR 28 where we stopped and had to walk in.
The devastation was amazing. We walked in six-inch water along the road towards the washed away portion of the road. As we were walking, we suddenly heard pinging of the electric lines and one of the poles started to go down. Chris yelled, "Run." We raced out of the water on to dry ground as the pole now leaned at 45 degrees. Chris called the electric company to report the downed power line. We were reassured when we found out the line had already been de-energized.
Pictures say so much more in this instance. Pelican Shores North:
Main road:
Take note that you can see rushing water right along the top of the road above during the flood.
We received word that school would be closed until Thursday.