We are still WET! I speak from the midwest (Land of Tornados and Floods that is). I have much to say about the past week or so. We got 14.5 inches of rain in one day after already being saturated and then more rain the next few days, steady downpours of rain, the kind that you do not want to step outside for any reason as you are soaked in a second.
I was in Madison working with the kids and we got a workout running up and down the stairs at S's place as the t.v. would announce a funnel cloud had been sighted and we were in the possible path. Straight line winds were also a problem and were from 60 to 90 MPH. So I wrestled the kids up and down during naptime for Tisha and to David's complete irritation. He simply becomes dead weight and fights you when you want him to cooperate with anything he does not grasp like an emergency for example. To his 5 year old downs-syndrom mind I was asking for something over the top to have him go up and down to be safe. So my back was tired and my temper frayed but we made it with a little help from the 6 and 7 year old girls.
Karah (my God child and little blessing) cooperates nicely in an emergency although she is terrified of storms; she trusted me and we made it fun. She had a friend over, Jonathan's (He was a foster from S) little sister Keesiah who is 6. The giggle contest was on. These girls knew how to be silly together so that helped when things got tense from the storms.
I was getting cell phone calls continually from Jenna and others in Reedsburg telling me what was underwater and how bad things were. My front yard is now renamed "Willow Run" as the water ran and made a pond with my house floating in the middle. The dogs had to pee on the back steps for if they stepped down they were swimming I am told. What a grand adventure for us and what a nightmare for many others.
We now have FEMA setting up shop in town with National Red Cross next door at Pineview and RAFT (Reedsburg Area Flood Team) sharing the space with a divider they borrowed from our church to delineate the areas. We went to get bottled water and they gave us Miller Water canned in Milwaukee where Miller High Life took a half day off from bottling beer and did water just like they did for Katrina. I admit it has a taste I do not prefer compared with the spring water bottled in plastic but oh well it is wet and safe where our sewer treatment plant got flooded out and the water was questionable. So we are still boiling it for use with cooking and drinking only bottled water.
Well, the water went down at my place after Jenna and her sister and boyfriend moved all the pots and yard things up onto the deck. They tell me the water came up near the door. I am so glad it did not go higher. I do not have a basement and for that I am grateful! All over town people were flooded badly. We watched the fire department use boats to help people at the end of our street and for blocks back from there all houses were in danger.
A few places will not be able to ever be inhabited and the city will demolish them as they are dangerous. LaValle was underwater and the roads were closed so many places that getting anywhere was a real big problem and time consuming. I 90-94 was closed and the traffic rerouted to Highway 12. What a trip I had with Eliana coming up from Madison to Reedsburg last Saturday. It took 4 hours with a couple quick stops to potty. We were plenty sick of the car and the slow speed we had to go over the Baraboo bluffs with all those big trucks changing gears and impatient drivers butting in after racing ahead on the shoulders. But all in all people have been so good to one another.
I teared up when I saw all the possessions our on the curb for blocks and blocks waiting to be picked up by the disposal service who offered to help. IT was horrendous to say the least. Most of that trash is still waiting as it just is megatrucks full. What they are to do with it all is a huge question. We are requested to not use much electricity and water as it is too much of a load. So just like in a drought we must conserve. This flood is all over the midwest. Homes are lost and lives are lost. The devestation is just mind boggling. Many will be financially ruined by this disaster. I covet prayers for all those who have been hit so hard in this area of southern WI. I know Iowa and Indiana and parts of Illinois are affected too.
I hope that it makes some stop and realize that life is what is really important and that God wants us to look to Him. It is a sobering time which I hope God gets people's attention. I have never regretted giving my life to Christ. He goes with me through every hard thing and joyful moment. He is always with me and heaven seems a wonderful end to this life I have lived. I look forward to the time where there is no crying or dying.