The Flood: My Day in Hell
Some of you have probally heard about the floods that hit Missouri and Arkansas. Well my house was in the path of one of these floods. While the house itself survived and my landlord worked hard to get it back to liveable conditions, we lost almost everything we owned in the flood. The water got extremely deep and the current from the water was so strong I really did not think I could make it out of it.
Let me start at the beginning of that day. The day started like any other rainy day, as I got up to get my kids off to school. Well we had a good size puddle covering our walk way so, I decided that since my kids had just gotten over being sick I did not want them to have to go to school with wet socks and shoes on all day so I kept them home. Good thing I did. So we trolled around the house that morning and had breakfast and watched a little television. Then I got the brilliant idea of a nice nap time for everyone. So down we all went while it rained outside.
When I awoke from my nap I noticed water in the floor. Great I thought now my house leaks when it rains. When I got off the bed I realized it was more than a leak as the water was up to my ankles. My toddler was on my bed awake and I made my way to the other boys' rooms to wake them. I am still in my nightgown and am in need of regular clothing. I was able to find a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt that were just slightly wet so i put them on and then got all my kids in my room on my bed while I assest the situation. I went to the back play room to grab my purse so that we could leave and go to my Dad's house. Well the back play room is set up so that you have to go down three steps to reach the room. The water was up to my knees in that room and my purse was under water. I managed to find it and get it out of the water, wet contents and all.
I went back to my room and called my husband on my cell that I had on the bed when I went down for a nap. I told him the situation and he told me to get the kids to the truck and get out of there. So the next thing was to find my toddler some clothes since he likes to roam around the house in just his pull up. To my discover all his clothes had been pulled out of his dresser draw at some point by him no doubt. So now they are under water and I can not find them. The water at this point is up to my knees in the front part of the house now. I found me a pair of shoes floating that were an old pair, but could find none for any of my kids. So they are going out barefoot and my toddler in just his pull up and jacket.
So now we are heading for the truck, my six year old is scared of water so he is screaming. I told him to wait in the door way and I would come back and get him after I got his baby brother in the truck. So it is my seven year old walking next to me and me carrying my two year old down the walk way in our yard toward the truck. I make it to the fence and start to go out the gate when the current hit me so strong I knew I could not make it carrying my toddler. The water level was just over the tires on the truck at this point. I turned around and made the short walk back to the house. When I made it to the door, I turned and the water level rose so quick that in that short amount of time it was now up to the mid point of the doors on my truck.
I put all the kids on the back of the couch and called my husband to tell him we could not make it out. I am scared at this point because the water is rising so quickly and the current is getting so much stronger that even in the house it is hitting me pretty hard. The couch I had put my kids on the back of is starting to float and I am afraid they are going to fall off the back and getting even wetter in the ice cold water. Myself on the other hand is just standing in the ice cold water trying to stay focused and block the cold so I can find a way out.
My salvation came in the form of my next door neighbor's sixteen year old son. He called across the street to me from where he was at and asked me if I could make it there as they had a big truck coming to get everyone out. I told him the situation with the kids and the current of the water. He told me to hold on and he would help with the kids. The water level is over my fence when he came into my yard. He took my my oldest son and handed him off over the underwater fence to another guy whom I did not know. Then came back for my six year old. Once he handed my six year old off, I looked and this very muscular man was standing in the water holding up my two boys. The truck had made it there and the man put my two boys inside and my neighbor's son told me he was ready for my toddler. I grabbed him off the back of the couch and he fought me so hard that I lost a hold of him. The water is so deep at this point that he went under. I watched as his little head kept surfacing and disappearing down my hall way. I followed and when I got to him in his brother's room I was able to grab him.
He came up in my arms holding his favorite blanket. He told me he got blankie now he can go. I could not believe it but my two year old went fearlessly after his beloved blankie. I took and handed him off as I walked out of the house. When I made it past the fence the current was extremely strong and was trying to suck me under. I was hard walking through this current and it took my neighbor's son and the muscular man that I did not know to try and help me to the truck.
We struggled and then another guy that I did not know joined in to help and we finally made it to the front of the truck. The current was so strong that we could not make it from our position to the sides of the truck. So it ended up being me and the three guys and one other girl holding on to the front of the truck while it when in reverse and drug us up out of the flooded area.
They took us to the firehouse from there and I eventually went to my cousin's house to stay with him and his wife for the night. The next day I was finally able to see my home. Everything was wet and mud caked. We lost almost everything we owned. Furniture, clothing, bedding and personal items were all gone.
For two weeks that followed the flooded, I stayed at hotels that really cut into our finances. I even attempted to save on money and accepted my husband's ex wife offer to stay at her house. That lasted for only a few days as you can imagine. So back to the hotels me and the kids went. I did spent two nights with my mother in law but she is in bad health and the kids to rowdy for her in her small apartment.
We are back in our home now but still trying to recover from the flood. While it was scary and we lost everything, the flood has brought my husband and I so much closer. We have had moments were we have split up, we even here for the last few months have decided to adopt as you all can see from previous posts. The flood has put off our attempts to adopt as we need every dime to recover from the flood since we did not have renter's insurance. But over all we are closer now than we have ever been and for that I am grateful.
I hate that we lost everything, I hate that my toddler still has nightmares because of the flood, I hate that I have not been able to work since it happened and there for placed financial hardship on my family. But I do love how much closer this tragedy has brought us to each other and to God.
In addition to all of you who have read the previos blogs and have been following along with our adoption endeavors, that is on hold as we are using every bit of our money to put life back to normal right now for the kids we already have in our lives who are depending on us.