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Rising Waters: A Totally Different Game — 18 Comments

  1. Wow. Just wow. Thank you for sharing this tale. Your skills as a writer are doing great justice to a story that would sound both boring *and* awful in other hands. Although that probably doesn’t help, at all…

  2. OMG!!! You are superwoman for sure. Please continue writing this for us. It is cathartic for you and it is the basis for a future story. You have written out all the emotions of your trial. You have pulled us into your stress, grief, and fears. I am amazed as you stood… trying to decide what was important and jumping into action when the time was needed. Those surreal moments when you said you couldn’t do it in wet shoes. I wanted to laugh with you and cry at the same time. Wow, just wow. Blessings to you and I am so sorry you had to endure this. However, I cannot wait to read the next installment of your trial. You have pulled me in and I have to know how you survived. God bless.

  3. Dear Lord my heart goes out to you. What a state of affairs to be in. I’ts true what they say, there’s just no getting away from nature. It can be a powerful enemy. I hope ye all come through it unscathed. Be thinking of you.

  4. You, your family and all others that have had to endure Mother Nature’s wrath have my utmost heartfelt feelings! Working through the unimaginable stress and focusing on what needed to be done takes such effort…but you did it because you had to. Not just for yourself but mostly for your friends and neighbours. To now have the sense of humour to write about your experiences is not only cathartic, as Jeanne says, but almost necessary to put into everything into perspective. Yes, I can see much you could use for a future story. I look forward to knowing more of how you pulled through. Thank you for sharing with us as we did all worry for you.

  5. Wow–you are definitely a clear-headed woman in a crisis!! Love how you helped your young neighbor through her crisis, and then came home to deal with your own.

    We’ve had to evacuate for fires three times in the 16 years we’ve lived in the mountains east of San Diego. Once we left, knowing that our small town (pop 1500) had little chance of surviving the fire that was parked just north of the town; the Bible camp was the only thing separating our town from the fire that had already killed 17 people and gobbled up over 3000 homes. But the winds died, and the fire stayed put for over 24 hours, then the winds shifted, taking the fire around the edge of our town and then further up the mountain. It truly was a miracle that our town escaped unscathed–not a single home damaged or lost–as we waited those long 48 hours, hearing all the time that Pine Valley was directly in the path of the fires and that there was little hope it would survive. Fortunately, we had the mini-van packed and ready to go with our four kids (the youngest was three years old at the time)and our photos and other irreplaceables.

    I’m just glad that your home escaped unscathed. I’m so intrigued by your blow-by-blow description of what happened during Harvey; it makes it all the more interesting knowing that you and your family were safe and that your home was undamaged. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us!!

    Warmly,
    Susanne 🙂

    • As unnerving as dealing with the flood was, I can’t fathom dealing with fires! That’s terrifying! I hope you guys are not in the path of the ones in norther California right now.

      • No, it’s been quiet down here in our corner of Southern California which is a very good thing since we’ve sent hundreds of firefighters to the fires in the north. There was a bad fire in Anaheim earlier in the week, but otherwise, it’s been quiet. The 2003 Cedar Fire here in San Diego had been the worst in state history caused by human activity with 15 deaths, 2800 homes/buildings lost, and over 280,000 acres burned. The Cedar Fire was one of a string of fires that created an almost unbroken line of fire from the Mexican Border all the way into Riverside County. The fires up north have unfortunately broken this record with at least 34 confirmed deaths so far and nearly 6000 structures destroyed.

        Fire is scary because it can come out of seemingly nowhere. My parents’ best friends lost their home in the 2007 fires, and they happened to be sleeping with the windows opened, and the smell of smoke woke them.. Francie had time to grab her heirloom jewelry and their pets while Dan ran door to door, pounding on front doors to wake their still-sleeping neighbors. Every home on the cul-de-sac was gone before the sun rose, but everyone got out safely. When Dan and Francie drove away, three of the houses were burning, and there was not a single firefighter in sight; they were simply spread too thin as the fires constantly changed directions with the winds.

        So glad that you all are safe, and I look forward to the rest of the story when you have time.

        Warmly,
        Susanne 🙂

        • I’m glad your part of CA has been quite. I have a writing friend who lost everything in the recent fires. It’s just terrifying. This has been an ‘interesting ‘ year, rather in the Chinese curse sort of sense of the word. Thanks!

  6. Bless you and your family for being there for your young neighbor. Bless those three big Mormon guys. That’s what we are called to do in this life. Thanks for answering the call.

    • That’s one thing we saw a lot of, especially from the local churches–people turning out to help in any way they could. That was on amazing thing that came out of this.

  7. I can’t believe I only just noticed this post. Heaven Maria what an awful experience. I just can’t imagine going through that yet the way you describe it I feel almost as if I was there. What a total nightmare. I’m just so glad that I already know you were one of the luckier ones. I really hope that sharing this with us is helping you.

    • Honestly, I’ve been surprised at how difficult these posts are to write. Like being in the midst of it all over again. I suppose it is cathartic, but the jury is still on out that. 😉

  8. I was still in the hospital near the end of my 30-day stay following open heart surgery and complications. I did follow the news about the storms and flooding but did not have Internet access for over a month and am still struggling to catch up. Hopefully you and your neighbors came out of this safely even if all your possessions did not.

    • Oh gracious! I hope that the surgery and the recovery have gone well for you! That is far more important than keeping up with the news! We were fortunate to be one of three houses on the street that escaped flooding, but at least a hundred of our neighbors were not. Thanks, Sheila!

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