Pictures I Took Of The Flood

Wow! Having a mudslide/flood in our area has put everything on hold! Time stops still and everyone focuses on preventing more damage and clean-up. This will be one event I will always remember.

I was hoping to get a deal on some frames and twin sheets at a garage sale when my phone rang. A neighbor asked if we were home because a 'ditch' or 'canal' was flooding one of the members in our ward. I told her I would call Chris and tell him to get down there immediately. I left for home to watch the kids. Upon arrival, I could hear sirens and see water down the street. As I walked closer, this is what I saw! This is the street I live on - I am about six houses down from where we live. Yikes! A river of muddy water. Lots of it! As I look across the street, I see Roxy's old place taking on water. Much water left 200 N. through Roxy's and Campbell's backyard and went to the canal behind their house.
Walking a little farther, I see Chris and the gang putting up boards, rocks, whatever they can find to keep water from going into Eris' home. Unfortunately, there was too much water too fast. Her basement got a couple inches of water. Her yard grew mud!
Rounding the corner, I looked down Crockett Ave. A river of muddy water! What a surprise.Norma's rental. Does this picture not scream 'Welcome home!!!' The tennant in this house just moved in three days earlier!There are three houses for sale on Crockett. This one is the only one that got flooded. I have a feeling she will have a little bit more difficulty selling her home now. Flooded basement! Muddy lawn! Tangi's front yard. Harley's little truck! Luckily, it didn't get swept away!!!
Whenever there's a river in your front yard, you want a family picture, right? Well, I got one for Tangi!!! Did you see Harley on Channel 13 news! He's famous - like Chris!
Mr. Busby's yard always looks amazing. His house just got put on the National Historic Register 3 weeks ago. See him taking a picture of the plaque he put in front of the house with muddy water for the background. Beautiful. His yard looks awful. Luckily, his home didn't have a basement!!! No flooding inside! His house will stay on the register.
The old house on the corner of Crockett and Canyon Rd. This yard was devasted. Most the water and mud ran through it and left an annoying present - a large quantity of silt!!!

Looking down Canyon Rd. They wouldn't let me through due to downed power lines, a gas leaked and a house that was destroyed. You can see some rubble and rocks in the road.
On my way back to where Chris was, I see Chris' truck in the middle of the road being used as a tool to block water. This is the dam they had made against Chris' truck to divert the river through a garden instead of into yards and down 200 N.
I guess there is a reason we have so much crap at our house! It came in very handy this day. Those big tree limbs, board and OSB scraps kept a lot of water out of houses and yards.
I came back to assist in anyway I could. I talked with Eris' and calmed her down. She was a little in shock - almost fainting. I made her sit down, got her water, told her not to worry about teaching relief society the following day, helped her contact her insurance, got some people in the basement moving furniture and assessing damages. Then I went to the next house - Tvetdnes and did similar. This is why I was walking the streets with a camera and not assisting with a shovel. I had Cooper in my arms! At 25 lbs, he gave me a workout! I held him for a couple hours! The mud and water prevented me from using the stroller.
After they got the water stopped, Chris and I checked in on other homes. We went to Tvetdnes'. Her house was flooded and had about 6 inches of water in the basement. Chris ran to get a pump and got as much water out of the basement as he could along with others.When the water stopped, this is what was left. Mud, silt, dirt - EVERYWHERE! Inches of it! Luckily, many people had rushed to serve and clean-up. Hundreds of people brought shovels and went to work attempting to clean up what they could.There were people everywhere including people from our ward who rushed to the store (or food storage) and brought water, popsicles, and treats. Chris was in a parade (or so he thought). He was jsut on the way to the next house!
Mr. Busby's flower art is destroyed. The birds are covered with mud.
Our street. Covered with mud!!! What a mess. This is slick stuff. I fell on it!!!
We went back home to check on Cadence and to refuel our bodies. I wanted to make sure our house was ok. I was hoping the irrigation ditch that ran through our backyard didn't flood. I knew it would have more water than usual in it. This is what I found in the garden - silt (and weeds). Even with our headgate in, we got a thin layer of silt.

The irrigation ditch was lined with mud! I'm nervous for the next time we are supposed to irrigate. Will all this silt come into the garden?We ended up taking both kids back through the rummage to see what we could do and what the plan was. The news helicopters were buzzing around. At the church, it was full of news trucks. I should have given them copies of my pictures since most of the ones they had were after the water was stopped. The Bishop talked with Chris to find out which houses in the ward were damaged and the extent of that damage. They copied my pictures to print out for a large meeting that night with community and church leaders.This is a picture of the roof that had been swept off the house that was destroyed and the garage full of rocks in the house next to it!!! Unfortunately, this is where we heard that there were most likely 3 people inside the house who were dead.

The next post will be about Sunday.