Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Oh, Just Sitting On The Roof

This past weekend was a new one for me...

If you've been watching The Weather Channel or even the news then you've probably heard a little something about the torrential rain we've been having in northern California the past week. We got hit with rain storm after rain storm for days. On Sunday is when it got really serious around my house. 

When I had originally walked through the house and made the offer, I had asked my realtor and lender if they thought I was in a flood zone. They laughed of course and said they were about 99% sure that I wasn't. Well... guess what percent won? The one percent. Hello living in a flood zone. I thought, "Ok... no big deal. I'll get the flood insurance and be done with it." Everyone had assured me it hadn't flooded in my neighborhood in years and years. So far back that they couldn't even remember. To top it all of FEMA sent me a letter telling me that there had never been a flood claim filed for this property ever. EVER.

So Sunday comes along and it's been raining for quite awhile now. I decide to go outside and check the canal that runs behind my house, past the backyard fence. The canal is about 12 feet deep and there's a substantial amount of room above the concrete canal before getting up to my backyard. It's so deep I had even been telling people that the entire town would have to be under water for this thing to ever flood over onto my grass.

I get outside and what do I see? Oh the canal has already risen about 9 feet. Yep! I freaked. Sent photos to my mom, called Josh and then stood outside in the pouring rain, getting completely soaked and glass eye stared at the water rushing in the canal. My mom started telling me that I needed to get everything that I wanted of importance up high. That's when I think I really freaked out because my organization mind refused to organize. I told her, "No! I'm not moving everything in my house around today because it's not going to happen. It's NOT going to flood!" At that moment it was pure denial. Clearly, I should never be left alone again in a natural weather disaster.

So that's when I decided to get a trash can and fight the rising water. Nope not kidding. Oh did I mention that the streets were flooding as well and the water was inching up the driveway too? Yep. People were getting their cars out of the streets and up to their houses as close as they possibly could.

I did what any person in denial would do. I stood there in the pouring rain debating if I was tall enough to reach the roof if I stood on my car. I mean isn't that what all those people do when their house has flooded and their stranded waiting on FEMA to come rescue them via that metal drop basket from their roof? 

Many hours passed as I sat and worried about the water. Thankfully the rain began to let up and the canal stopped rising. It was insane how fast the water filled it up! We're suppose to get hit with more rain so let's hope there is not a repeat of Sunday.

4 comments:

Jennifer said...

Oh wow. THat is so scary. I hope the rain lets up for you guys!!!

Why Girls Are Weird said...

Oh my gosh I can't even believe that! Keeping you in my thoughts and hoping you don't have to worry!

We had a cabin in Northern WI that was seriously about 5 feet from a lake. So of course we needed flood insurance... except we never had to use it. The entire time we had that cabin the lake was abnormally low.

Isn't that always how things go?

Courtney B said...

Oh my GOODNESS!!! So scary! I would probably just stand there in the pouring rain and BAWL MY EYES OUT! I think you handled the situation so well! Definitely praying for you and the weather out there!

Tori Bella said...

That's super severe - but thought I'd share a tip for less severe flooding. Whenever a hurricane is headed our way, I put cinder blocks underneath all of my furniture - that way if it floods a few inches, my furniture has a good chance at surviving.