“On Memorial Day, we usually go out to the water and fish. This year the water came to us.” That was a statement made by one of my friends after having to drive to Greenwood from Lavaca to get to his workplace on Rogers Avenue. With the water rising in our area at around one-inch per hour, our escape routes are becoming fewer and fewer. As the water rises and threatens more people and their homes, our prayers and manpower shift.
The county road department has dumped loads of sand and rock dust in places across the upper part of the county. A private citizen brought a dump truck load to help with the need. Those who can have come out to fill bags and take them to people in harms way. One truck is loaded so heavily that his bumper is nearly dragging the pavement. Another man has his boat and motor hooked to his truck and it is loaded with sandbags. All are on their way to help a neighbor who has Big Creek knocking on their door.
The irony is not lost on many that the water has risen so high that it has taken the Creel Bait and Tackle Shop on Highway 96. People are passing around photos of fish swimming right up to there porches. Snakes are seen about everywhere and threaten people who enter the floodwater. A couple I met on Highway 255 just yesterday witnessed a beaver swimming in the middle of the highway. Ducks and cranes appear to be the only ones enjoying themselves.
Meteorologist Garrett Lewis reported on the weather this Monday night that the river is expected to rise another three feet before Wednesday. That report is preceded by his prediction of up to four inches of rain coming this week before the river crests.
The good thing about this disaster, if there is such a thing, is that the people are working together. Neighbors are helping neighbors and making sure everyone is doing as well as they can in this crazy event. While the city itself isn’t in any immediate danger, the mental toll is becoming something the elderly and children are dealing with.
Say a prayer for all who are involved. We aren’t the first community to flood, but it is happening to us. We’ve not dealt with this kind of thing much and we aren’t handling it so well. But we are doing the best we can.
