The Flood of '06

[400lbsonacubseatspring]

Last night, after Buzzardwing and I finished chatting late, I was finishing up a few details, and grabbed a snack. We heard a noise out back....nothing unusual....there are often o'possums, raccoons, skunks and the like messing about the house, and the occaisional coyote and bear.

Now, you must understand that the first floor of my house is concrete block, and the only noise you hear is through the windows, and is often distorted.

A little while later, a went to the bathroom, and discovered I had no water.....hmmmmm Off to the cellar door we go.......oh my!!!! Now, let's see.....the top of the water heater is higher than my shoulder, and the water is about a foot below that.....how high is that breaker panel?? While I stood there in shock, for just a minute or two, the water heater capsized, I presume because the insulation is bouyant, and swung out of view....OK...we need to do some intervention here......

I could hear a Niagra Falls like flow of water from the cellar door...so water was coming in somewhere......there really only were 2 possibilities....the 2 cellar windows......

Out back to the patio we went, and sure enough...the noise that we assumed was only an animal was the back cellar window imploding from the pressure of 2 feet of water building up against the back of the house.

Why wasn't it draining around the side of the house as usual??? Why the whole yard was flowing a foot deep down the side of the hill......a 10% slope!!!!!!!! The fields above me had had enough!!!

I always have bags of ashes lying around, and this past winter didn't require very many, so I stuffed them into the window well, and then made a little dyke out of the bags......that seemed to work, at least from the outside.........

Off to the side of the house....yes, that window had succumbed as well.....more bags of ashes.....ok....influx reduced.......now, to take care of the 5 ft waterpark that had developed in the basement.....

I am a man who saves everything..........that's why you can't take a step in my garage without stepping over something......in there, somewhere, I knew, were 2 old sump pumps (the kind with the motors on top) that I bought for $5 somewhere once, that I've used as trash pumps to pump out footer trenches in years gone by....lets hope they still work.......

I found them, and took them down the cellar steps to an appropriate depth, and started them pumping up and out the kitchen window.......

We started gaining on it by about 3 inches an hour.......at 6 AM, the rain stopped, and the patio pond was gone. The basement water began retreating rapidly, and I shut down the pumps and went to bed.

There's still about a foot left, as I write this, but I'm confident that later tonight, I'll be able to go down and assess the damage first hand.

I'm sure I lost the well pump.

But my issues are minor.....a hole opened up on the road in front of a major supermarket where we shop frequently, and where we get our prescriptions filled late last night... a car fell into the hole, and was immediately followed by a pickup truck. As I understand it, all occupants are dead. Tomorrow sometime, parts of Wilkes-Barre will be under water as the shallow Susquehanna reaches peak flood stage. Friday and Saturday will be the same thing for Bloomsburg, PA (redpower roundup 2007)......

This is the worst flooding in this area since Hurricane Agnes in 1972, and this wasn't even a Hurricane.....just a low pressure system that stalled....I understand that Eastern PA is not alone in this, and there are problems throughout the Eastern states.

You have to remember something about us yankees......we're not accustomed to flooding...it just doesn't happen here. It's akin to snow in Alabama or Mississippi..... We run around like idiots........we are content in our mountains that floods and Hurricanes, and tornados don't usually touch us, and when they do, we stand around with our jaws on the ground.

God help those who cannot help themselves in this mess...

--Tom

[Bigdog]

Tom - we are sorry for your loss. Thankfully, none of you are injured or worse. I hate the sound of running water!

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

Sorry for the problems you are having Tom, but it is good you were not in the car in the hole.

[Rudi]

Tom:

Our prayers are with you, your family, your neighbours and all of the citizens in your area. We have been watching CNN and there is a lot of water...

I was just moaning a bit about how the rains have kept me from planting.. I am a month behind schedule here.. but at least I don't have a flood to deal with.. and the veggies will still grow.. slower, but still will grow.

Hope all goes well and there is not too much damage. Thankfully your family is safe

Peace (+)

[Merlin]

400lbsonacubseatspring, I feel for you and hope everything turns out ok. I've been in my share of high water and understand the situation. We are on the opposite end of the spectrum here in La.. Everything is just dust. All the gardens are over with here. I plowed mine up a few days ago. I have a good 2" flow well, but it doesn't flow any more, it trickles. We're on water conservation orders and burn ban now. The local news channel said they have been keeping records for 111 years and this is the driest on record. I planted 150 Jasmines around the parameter of my yard and have managed to keep them alive but don't know for how long. It's kind of ironic because we usually get the floods, not you. Good luck.

[Carm]

Tom, Sorry about your mess. Glad to hear you are ok though. Your old sump pumps worked though, that is a testimonial to pack-ratting if I ever heard one.

[FarmLadyWannaB]

Ohmigawd, Tom--sending prayers heavenward for you, with thanks that you're all safe. Here in eastern CT the rivers are unbelievably high and everyone's watching them nervously--been raining for weeks, just like everywhere else in the Northeast. We get "localized" flooding in the lower CT river valley, (usually) meaning roads get closed & "only" a few folks lose their homes and thank the Lord our house is on a hill. If we ever get flooded it'll be time for the Ark I sure know how terrifying is the sound of rushing water in the middle of the night--used to live in Hawaii and we were flooded there once, on New Year's Eve I'll never forget it.

Godspeed, and keep the toys dry

All the best, Jocelyn

[400lbsonacubseatspring]

Thank you all for your prayers and good wishes.

The basement is now free of standing water.

We've lost the well pump, and have some electrical system damage, but nothing that a few days work won't fix. Luckily, I don't have much of value in the basement. Just cardboard for starting fires in the stoves, some (usually) dry wood, for the same purpose, and kindling, and of couse, mechanical systems.

The water did reach the breaker panel, but fell short of the hot wiring by about an inch (thank god!!!) My instinct to stay out of the water was correct, however, as the ground strips were partially submerged, and I'm sure the water made a much happier grounding path than the ground stake outside. Some of the stuff that floated around in the basement smashed some of the porcelain light fixtures on the ceiling, and created short-circuits, so my cellar lights need some attention. An old refrigerator that I haven't used in years was down there, and it floated in such a way that it has blocked the entrance to my pump house. The well pump breaker never blew, so I assume that it died in such a way that the circuit interrupted itself.

You wouldn't think that coal would move much in running water, but it does.....it's all over the place. I'm not sure when the actual sump pump gave up the ghost, but it's dead now.....

Here's a link to some of the more dire problems happening in my immediate area, via the local ABC affiliate:

http://www.wnep.com/Global/story.asp?S=5084058

We are leaving today to work in the Lancaster PA area until Tuesday, so our problems will wait until I return for repair. Hopefully things will continue to dry down a bit in the cellar till we get back. Unfortunately, I know that also means that there will be some mold and mildew problems, but we've dealt with that before.......

I live on the side of a steep hill. The bottom of which is about a quarter mile from the house, and is a good 500 ft lower than my driveway. There is an unoccupied house right at the bottom, sitting next to a stream. That stream is usually nothing more than a glorified trickle, and sometimes I pump water from it for my garden, and have a hell of a time finding a deep enough pocket for the hose end. When we looked down the road, Tuesday night, the water was up to that house's front porch. It's owned by someone who lives away, and they use it as a summer home. They've never introduced themselves, or anything of the sort. I'm sure the damage in that house was far worse.

The Governor said that 200,000 people were forcibly evacuated yesterday, with as many as 2000 rescued from their rooftops. Our Levy system along the Susquehanna is good along our major cities, but there are still thousands of people who live along the river in rural areas, partly, I guess, because the soil is so rich there. How short human memory is, though......34 years ago I paddled around my grandparent's basement in a big washtub for a canoe, during the week-long flood of Agnes. I remember them putting trashbags along the bottom of the front door, and piling coal ashes behind them, to keep the water out, as the water came over the top of the front porch. And we lived 20 miles from any sort of river. Yet people still intentionally live on the Susquehanna's flood plain.

As I said.....God help those who cannot help themselves in this mess.

The Tibetan Buddhists believe that man has really ticked-off a type of being called a "Naga" ....water-animal-spirits who have some control over the rain, the rivers, and crops. They have been sending high Lamas to critical places in the world to talk to these things, and ask that they calm themselves down. The events of the last few years can make a person wonder.......

[beaconlight]

God bless you Tom. I was in central NY tues. Walton was under 10 foot of water and I had to detour. My road Easthansome brook was a solid sheet of water. My dam was going over the overflow. I was picking up some tools I need here in Acadia Fla. I am here rebuilding damage from 2004 hurricanes.

Bill

[Eugene]

Tom:

I don't really know what to say. Hang in there. Take care of yourself and the family first, then the neighbors.

In the Midwest in the early 1950's we got flooded out. The family had motor boats going up and down the street in front of the house. Same thing in the 1990's.

Thoughts and prayers.

Eugene

[cowboy]

Tom you live a exciting life. First cubfest then white water rafting But serioulsy I am glad you're safe and didn't get hurt. Hope you get everything put to rights soon.

Billy

[Donny M]

Tom,

Glad you and your family are safe

[Little Indy]

Send a couple of inches our way. Any week.

Glad you are safe

Richard

[Bill E Bob]

You have my deepest sympathy. Had 6' of water throughout back in '86
thanks to a kneejerk reaction from the corps of engineers. Weathered it
ok, just a MAJOR inconvenience. Amazing, all the help that showed up
to clean the place out, managed it in just 3 days. Going back together
took a might longer. It's true about the best in people coming out in
a crisis--wouldn't have made it without them. Hope folks up your way
are just as helpful. Situations like this bring to mind the old adage
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger"
Best wishes and best of luck to you and all else who may have suffered
the same fate.

PS amazing what will work if dried out carefully--had a microwave oven
last another 6 months after being underwater!

[John(videodoc)]

GLAD as is well with you and your TOM. Goes to show you, using your head, is always better than brawn and rushing in to things.