On Sunday, October 4th we experienced a historic flood, it's been called a thousand year flood in that there won't be another one as detrimental in 1000 years (or something along those lines....). It was said to be one of the most prolific rainfall events in modern US History with over 15 inches of rain falling during a 12 hour period. On the morning of the flood, I woke up about 6:00am to a friend from out of town texting several of us here in Columbia asking if we were okay because she heard things were really bad here. I had totally slept through it all night so quickly got up and looked around my house. I was alone at home with Champs because Barrett was in Clemson with my brother for the Notre Dame game. Everything looked okay on our main floor, but when I glanced down to our finished basement I realized that our wall to wall seagrass flooring was totally soaked with standing water. I walked down there and tried to start picking up Champs' little chair, toys and other blankets, pillows, etc that were on the floor. It was just a couple of inches deep, but it was still pouring rain outside so I feared that the water was going to keep rising in the house. I called my cousin who lives in Lake Katharine and didn't get her at first. When I heard from her 30 or so minutes later she explained that a tree had fallen on her roof over her daughters bedroom but more so that her husband like so many others in town was out in his boat rescuing neighbors by boat to their front doors or in some cases second floors because the water was that high into their homes! I couldn't even process what I was hearing - a boat going across what was just hours ago a regular street?! I wasn't seeing anything like that at my house so couldn't really comprehend it. I did call Barrett just after 7:00 to tell him what was going on here and that he and my brother need to get on the road immediately to get back here.
Over the next couple of hours I sat in our sunroom with Champs glued to WIS news watching the most horrific images and videos of houses and businesses/stores ALL OVER our town, just a few minutes away from us. I was getting more and more anxious waiting for Barrett and Will to get home and they finally did about 10am
The week after the flood consisted of the most heartbreaking stories of people being rescued from their attics and roofs holding on to their children and not being able to look back to think of all they were leaving inside. The amount of friends, acquaintances, church friends, school friends and strangers who were forced to leave their houses in this way is unfathomable! What happened in the weeks following the flood was also unfathomable and amazing. People in this city came together like I could never have imagined - helping friends and helping strangers to move furniture and belongings to the street, clean up their homes, provide them food, clothes and everything else you need when you've lost everything. I know the relief efforts will continue for months and maybe years. I pray that everyone will get back in their homes and rebuild their lives. I pray that all businesses that are now closed and undergone total demo will again be thriving. I pray that Columbia and SC will only stronger for having undergone this. I think it has humbled us all and made us have that reality check moment on what is truly most important in life.
Our damages here were so mild compared to so many here. We had to take up all the flooring and lost some things in our guest room/den, but all of our furniture is fine and we will have new flooring down in the next week. My mom was a SAINT and came over to our house that week and helped Barrett clean up everything that was in our downstairs room and storage rooms and throw out all that couldn't be salvaged. She didn't want me around all the Clorox and potential mold that so quickly comes when things are exposed to that much rain water since I'm pregnant. They had to also go through all on our back porch because it was all soaked too. She also made Champs' what is to be new big boy room into a temporary playroom since his play area for the most part is downstairs which was going to be out of commission for at least a few weeks. So while they worked all day for 3 days straight Champs and I headed to Bishopville to get out of the way.
Here are some of the images from our area from the flood. I know there are similar images for many many other areas in our state.
#scstrong definitely has a whole new meaning and I'm proud to be a part of it! Please continue to think of everyone in our state and our city as we try to support those who have lost so much and get back to normal, or at least the new normal.
No comments:
Post a Comment