THE POWER OF WATER

Mother Nature dumped more precipitation on us again this week. With rising temperatures, it was rain instead of snow. But that only made things worse. As the snow melted and rain poured, local rivers overflowed their banks, leaving widespread flooding throughout our region. It’s wreaking havoc on everyone’s lives. Sump pumps can’t handle all the water in basements and crawlspaces. Traveling around town is a major headache due to streets that are closed. Yards and empty fields look like giant lakes. Some people have lost their houses and cars. It’s a big mess. Fortunately, when we moved here, my hubby made sure we were not purchasing property in the floodplain. So we’re about 60 feet above the river and about half a mile away. Therefore, we haven’t been affected, other than the inconvenience of being rerouted. Still, it’s been dangerous to drive, to and from, a lot of our favorite haunts. Even though you aren’t supposed to drive into standing water, it’s sometimes tempting, if it doesn‘t look like it’s that high. On more than one occasion, we’ve had to back up quite a bit to avoid potential trouble. We’ve seen some pretty strong currents out there... crossing the roadways. A guy in a semi-truck tried to get through one of these flooded areas the last time this happened, and unfortunately, he perished. He and his truck were washed downstream, into a makeshift lake, by a wall of fast moving water. No doubt, he felt like it wasn’t a big deal when he attempted to get through it. Little did he know he'd lose his life. Since that happened, I don’t take any chances. Better to play it safe. Never underestimate the power of water. It’s potent and can be deadly... no matter how serene, beautiful and calm... it may appear.