Too Close

At the end of the block

I awoke this morning to find that the flood waters were at the end of our block! It turns out that a dike either ruptured or that the river spilled over the dike that keeps my neighborhood dry.

I'm literally on an island--I am safe and sound with electricity, heat, cable, and phone. However, my neighbors just across the street from me aren't so fortunate. I've never been THIS CLOSE to a natural disaster, and I feel blessed and sad. Sad because of what has happened to the community and my neighbors, blessed because I have been spared.

The flooding is such a big deal that ABC World News has covered it. I didn't explore very far around the block because there were enough people trying to evacuate, and emergency personnel were doing their job, no need for me to be in the way. I took some pictures and posted them to my gallery.

It looks like from what I can tell that the local Wal-Mart business area has been deluged. This area includes the Home Depot, Michael's, Applebee's, and a brand-new Walgreens that hasn't even opened yet. That isn't the only place to suffer damage--the businesses all along I-5 are flooded. It's surreal. The news says that 40% of Centralia homes have been flooded. I bet that the percentage for Chehalis is greater.

It's going to be awhile before all of life gets back to normal. My heart goes out to those whose lives have been thrown this curve ball.