Once upon a time I moved to another land. I settled in and began to build a life there. It tended to rain a lot but it was a nice relief from the heat so it was a joy. After a few weeks water began to pool on the street. It was nothing significant usually. Most mornings it was ankle height.
But as the rain came and time passed the water reached a bit higher. But I wasnt concerned, so I took a photo as I walked through the water on my to school and thought nothing more of it.
Until the next day. It was a Tuesday and we were at uni. All of a sudden we were being given announcements of flooding. Many suburbs and roads were beginning to flood. We kept learning though, and began reassuring our peers. It didnt seem real and I was not worried. Eventually the mood became heightened and we were sent home and we would be notified when classes resumed. I began to make a plan, I would go to the store and pick up some groceries and spend these days off snacking and watching movies. So I went to the store. By the time I got to my street I realized it was filling up with water. And it was bin day so the bins began to float away. However, I was still calm and trudged on, I mean in.
But as I kept walking the water began to rise much higher than expected. It was now above my waist and I had several houses to walk with no other option. So I continued on with hopes that nothing dangerous was in the water with me.
As I got home I turned around and realized the water was halfway up the driveway, but it was a solid steep driveway and I had a two story house. So I went in and made pasta and started facebooking.
This is when things start getting blurry. I remember sitting and being calm. Then hearing from my housemate that our home was flooding. I didnt comprehend what that meant. I knew to take valuables. So I began to pack all of the things I would need. My textbooks, my black pearls, my photos, pajamas and an outfit or two. Not much. I then made a few frantic calls as I was getting nervous. A girl from uni that lived up the road offered to come and help. By this point the water was head height and further up the driveway. But I was sensible and put on my swimsuit and had my umbrella.
My housemates came home. We moved as much furniture and belongings upstairs and to the highest peaks possible. We each grabbed a few bags. I took two backpacks. It was all I could really carry over my head and I planned on coming right back. I didnt think it would mean losing a home. So off we went. Through the hole in the fence, across the neighbours driveway and through an abandoned chicken coop up the hill to the street behind us. A dear friend picked me up and handed me several towels before letting me in the car. And then I was homeless.
After two days of watching it on TV I realized I had barely any clothes and no home. The tide was peaking and I started to realize that floods were a bit sucky. So the boys that had given me a roof over my head went to my home and collected some belongings. It really was not a safe or healthy idea and I am still shocked they did it. They had to swim through a back yard, over a fence and into the second story of my house where they then grabbed a suitcase of clothes for me.
The sun came out but the waters stayed. I went back to check and more of the street was flooded than I could have imagined. I couldnt even get close to my street.
A friend of my housemate came around and checked on the place. It really wouldnt look so bad if you didnt realize that was the second story balcony that the water had surpassed. Our beloved home was now full of dirty flood mud and water.
It didnt hit until I was back in the house cleaning it out that I wouldnt be living there again. I really thought the flood would come and go and life would be back to normal. It wasnt. We used a boat to get things across the road since our street was still flooded and spent a lot of time hosing down belongings.
And then we were for real homeless it seemed. It was on to friends places until a new place could be secured. We were blessed to have so many people take us in and to love us.
So kids, when you find water outside your home above your knees or waist, it probably is best to pack the things you really need, not textbooks, and to get off of facebook. Time is precious and natural disasters are rampant and affect many lives. Floods happen, and so do floodiversaries. So take time to reminisce and be grateful and to laugh about things like losing shoes in flood mud in chicken coops while being homeless.
Today it didnt rain.
No comments:
Post a Comment