The power’s off, the wind is blowing like crazy outside, the rain is beating down on the house from all directions. I live in small down, surrounded by three big rivers, so tropical storms like these tend to make everyone a bit nervous. Especially after the hurricane a few years ago; that year the water came so high that it destroyed five blocks of homes. We don’t live at that end of town, but here the water came right up to the doorstep, and completely flooded the garage.
It’s a scary thing, a flood, something that doesn’t seem that bad, just water. When you’re looking out your front door, there’s no sign of the two acres of green grass you know was once there, your neighbor’s homes look more like boats on the water in the distance and you know yours must look the same, it’s scary then. And when you feel the cold water slowly flowing in under your feet, it’s begun to seep through the front door you’re standing at, it’s scary then. You see then, that there’s no where to go but up.
You think, we’ll go upstairs. It’s not really safe upstairs, the huge tree’s surrounding the house are breaking off piece by piece when will one fall and come through the roof? And what if the water comes? What happens when it starts climbing the steps? How do I get my newborn daughter and her grandmother up on the roof? It’s raining, windy and lightning. And how do I shield them from the tree limbs being hurled at the roof, there’s no where to go. The water is dangerous, there are water moccasins, gas from the cars, and god knows what else. No where is safe.
It didn’t happen that way for me, but imagine what it was like for Katrina victims and the people at the other end of my town. The two acres were covered, the houses did look like boats in the distance, and the water came right up to the doorstep, but it never came in. Thank God.