This is like nothing I've ever imagined or experienced. If you've watched the news at all in the last few days, you know that Cedar Rapids, Iowa has been hit hard by flooding. Cedar Rapids is where I live. When I moved my blog, I originally decided to erase my name, my wife and kids' names, and where I live, because I don't want this new blog tied to me in the future. I'm going to keep my family's names out of it, but the flooding has caused me to go ahead and disclose my location.
When the flood was predicted, there was murmuring that we might match the flood levels we saw in 1993... the worst year in memory and the second worst year on record. Knowing that it would be bad, the city took as many precautionary measures as we could... sandbagging, precautionary newscasts, voluntary evacuations, and so forth.
On Wednesday, I toured the downtown area, watching with interest as the water rose to levels I've never seen before, and I wasn't the only one. I knew enough to walk, because traffic was already snarled due to re-routing. I took pictures and observed the low-lying areas that were already accumulating water. As a casual observer, I noticed a strange duality... the people working to save their businesses, and the throngs of onlookers who seemed to carry on in an almost carnival-like atmosphere.
I went to some of the low-lying residential areas and took pictures of the water rising on homes... everyone else was interested in the city... I wanted to see the neighborhoods.
When we woke up the next day, the enormity of the situation struck home. We collectively saw the news reports, showing all of the downtown bridges covered in water. It was beyond our imagination, and the entire city went silent, saying "Oh shit!" It's like watching a friend fall down... you laugh at first over the friend being a klutz, but your whole attitude changed once you realize that he's seriously hurt... it's that feeling, on a colossal level.
The homes I took pictures of the day before, swimming in a few inches of water, were completely submerged by the next morning. Each person in my house knows at least one person who has lost their home to the flood.
On Wednesday, while I was doing my sightseeing, I stopped at my corner gas station. It's a locally-owned business, and I know many of the employees and other patrons. They had just finished sandbagging the place.
"Do you really think the water is going to get this high," I distinctly remember asking?
"I hope not," one of the newer employees responded. "I live next door," he continued, as he packed up the store's belongings. "We'll be closing at 6:00 PM tonight, and the store will be empty until the flood's passed."
When I woke up the next morning, the flood water had gone six blocks past my corner store. I can't get close enough to verify with my own eyes, but I'm pretty sure that water is up to the roof on that store.
Even after realizing just how bad the flooding has become, I needed to see it firsthand, in order to put things in perspective... I saw stop signs blocks away from the river... actually, I saw where they should have been.
I want to say this again... I'm okay. My family's okay. We're 100% dry, we've got electricity, and we've got drinking water. No showers for the next few days, but that's a small price to pay compared to others. As the water drops, I will be volunteering with the clean-up efforts, and as promised yesterday, I will post pictures. The thing is, the pictures don't come close to doing justice to what I'm witnessing.
This story isn't finished. More to follow...
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