I am alive and well after what was probably, luckily for me, the worst days long storm I can recall that I have lived through since Super Storm Sandy damaged the roof of my home in NY years ago.
I have never seen it rain as much, I think, in my lifetime as it poured down in the storm that just passed. I have seen it rain harder, that was just north of Binghamton, NY a couple of times during summertime cloudbursts but never have I seen a truly terrible torrential downpour that lasted for as long as was this one.
Luckily, I did not lose power here; as far as I know only traffic lights lost it early on in the storm on day one when almost no rain had fallen as of then. Texarkana was lucky overall, I do not think there were any fatalities here but I would bet there were arsehats out driving for no good reasons. Other places not so lucky. I know my son, who lives north of Little Rock, AR, lost power in his house for over a day and that at least one person died in Little Rock reportedly due to the storm.
I read today that 17 people died, so far overall, due to the
storm - most in TN. I am guessing most were out driving in it and got
washed away. One, a nine year old boy somewhere (not sure which state), who supposedly had been
walking to his school bus stop, was reportedly swept away and perished. Damn the
schools if they stayed open that day but not for Covid or for an inch of
snow. Then again, how his parents let him out in that is beyond me;
they will probably suffer anguish, for their eternities, if they loved
him at all. What a crying shame. Here in Texarkana, the weather service
(National I think), sent out at least seven or eight severe storm
warnings in text messages telling folks to stay inside a strong structure and not to
attempt to travel through any flooded areas. They woke me up several
times that night accompanied by the sound of the rain pounding on my
building.
One gal I know had the misfortune of her apartment complex flooding. In her apartment, the water rose up to or just over her knees. That apparently from a creek that runs next to it that must have crested at least about 20 feet above normal to flood her apartment that badly. Today, when I walked Skye (my mongrel), the water level was only a few inches above average. That gal, her fiancē
and pooch were rescued by boat; thank goodness and thank her rescuers. Most folks who lived in the complex wound up in a homeless shelter for the night. She, her fiancē
and pooch were lucky to be able to go to her mom's house. I think that, most insurance policies do not cover flooding, I am guessing they are screwed on losses of personal effects. Of course, the government may help if their insurer's do not or if they did not have insurance.
I hope all of you are safe and well. I can actually begin to imagine what it must have been like if the biblical account of Noah's ark is true. By my guess, it would not have had to rain for 40 days & nights here to be just as bad - considering how badly it came down here in this one.
All the best,
Glenn B
