Storm Chaser

A very big, very loud storm rolled in Monday night. Our dog, Cairo, was freaking out. Literally. She ran in and out of the bedroom, barked in the boys' room, and dug at the carpet. These are things she normally does NOT do. First I took her collar off so that it wouldn't be jingling as she came and went. Then, in order for the guys to be able to sleep, I slept on the couch with my hand on her side as she laid on the floor next to me. It calmed her some and if she started to get up, I would feel her move, wake up, and tell her, "It's okay, Cairo. Lay down."

It was a hard rain and it just kept coming. For some reason Holly and I didn't walk Tuesday morning. Oh. That's right. It was the torrential downpour that cancelled our walking plans. Since I didn't go out I was unaware of just how much rain had come.

I like storms. There's something about them that really relaxes me. I was simply enjoying the sound and smell of the rain when John decided to go to the grocery. It wasn't long before he called and asked me to check the basement because there was major flooding just three blocks away. So much for the relaxing rain! Our basement was fine but some friends who live close to us had a LOT of water in their basement, yard, and storage. John grabbed the camera and did some storm chasing for us.

I don't remember a lake being here before.

Or here.

People were outside assessing the damage.

Waterlogged cars were stuck.

And the rain kept coming.

The sewage drain threw up here. The water came out so forcefully that it broke the road.



This is proof that my storm chaser had one hand on the wheel while taking pictures.

According to the news, we had 5.9 inches of rainfall. My sources tell me that if that much precipitation was in snow form, it would have been over 4 feet deep. I like rain and I like snow but not so much at once. I hope those who were flooded are able to salvage their things. It's so sad to lose meaningful possessions and it's such hard work to clean up after being flooded.