Rain, rain, go away...

As I sit here listening to the never ending rain fall outside, I get nervous. I'm sick of this happening too often for comfort.

Back in 1972 (when y'all probably weren't even born) my family's home was one of the many homes under water from "Agnes". I know the storm affected many people, but our area was one of the hardest hit. I'll never forget waking up in the middle (or it seemed like the middle to a 9 y/o) of the night and hearing the radio playing in my parent's room. The newscaster was saying we must evacuate. The river was going to go over the banks. It was a sure thing. The flood made International news. I remember my dad and brother carrying everything they could upstairs to the second floor in the hopes that they could save some stuff. They succeeded for the most part because the river flooded only a couple of inches on the second floor of our house. I remember camping somewhere in the Back Mountain area while waiting for the waters to recede. My parents went back to the house without us, at first, to try to start the cleanup. Even so, I remember the horrible mess. The caked mud. The stink.

A few years later, my family moved to the Back Mountain area. No fear of flooding where we lived then. Snow? Yes. Flooding? No.

Eight years ago I bought this house. Right. Back. In. The. Flood. Zone. The Levy was raised since the '72 flood. Where I live it protects up to 38 feet. It was finished a few years back and I felt safe. I'm not actually considered to be "in the flood zone"...meaning that it is not mandated that I have flood insurance. Which, of course, means I don't. Every year about now I kick myself because, inevitably, the rains start. Last year was OK. The year before we made National news when we had a mandatory evacuation because of all the rain. The crest of the river was going to be close to topping the Levy. This was going to be the first time it was tested to see if it could withhold the pressure of the rising, raging river. It's a whole different ballgame looking at the situation as an adult rather than a 9 y/o kid. I was terrified. I mirrored what my brother and father did those so many years before. I carried everything I could upstairs while trying not to cry. It was an adventure when I was nine. It was a nightmare as an adult. We packed up some stuff and loaded up the dogs (where do you go with 3 dogs?). My mother offered her house, but all roads to her house were washed out by the creeks. Bridges were simply gone. We couldn't get there. Traffic in town was beyond belief with everyone trying to get out. Every single car I saw had someone in it on their cell phone. Including me. There was a point when the lines were overloaded and calls were having trouble getting through. My sister and brother offered their homes, but my sister wouldn't let the Pug in the house (she's such a sensitive soul). The dogs had to stay in the garage. That was fine for the big dogs, but not acceptable for the baby Pug. Roni took Katie and Cassie to my brother's house and they stayed over there while I stayed at my sister's with Carly and Annie. Did I mention that my brother and sister live in the Back Mountain? Yeah. They're the smart ones. At one point, work tried to call me in to help out with the evacuation. Um. Sorry. No. I was busy evacuating my own family. The kicker is...they knew where I live. Duh.

All this is to say that it is raining again. A lot. Two days ago, evacuations were going on in the low lying areas that did not participate in the Levy project (I don't get it, but whatever...) and the areas that couldn't be protected by the Levy. Again, the river is rising. Again, the ground is saturated. Again, the creeks are overflowing. Again, I watch the river. This is only the beginning of the "threatening" season. I'm sick of it. I want out. I want to be in the Back Mountain again. I pray I can find something that I can afford. A piece of land to put a modular on. A home in foreclosure. Something. Anything.

I'm tired of it...