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Flooded in 1955
As I remember -- the flood of 1955 occurred two days before Christmas. We were awakened at 1 am by the Fire Department, and stepped out of bed and into water which was already up to the mattress. With three small children we were escorted down our street through water up to our hips -- onto a truck which took us to Jordan Jr. High School where we stayed till the water went down.
Having lived in London where I survived six years of air raids, this was just another adventure. Things cleared up pretty quickly -- we even managed to cook a turkey on a four burner electric plate. It took from very early in the morning to about 10 pm but we and our neighbors really enjoyed that bird.
Flooded Again in 1998...
My four children grew up and I survived two cancer operations just two years apart. I never dreamed that there was more to come ... and so much worse this time. I awoke at 5:10 am on the morning of Feb. 3rd to the sound of mighty rushing water running down our street -- no warning!
I called 911 and asked for help. All I got was "call us when you are ready to evacuate." I then called my son in Barron Park (the last call I was able to make for two months). Jeff came right away. He had to park on Aztec Drive and wade in. For two days we battled the water -- two feet in the house and twice that amount in the garage. I am a senior citizen and live alone. I had no flood insurance as my house mortgage was already paid off.
The damage to my home was horrendous. Beautiful parquet floors had to be ripped out, carpets, furniture and tons of personal belongings had to be hauled to the dumps. Food from the fridge and freezer and cupboards, all dumped. Appliances lost. Shoes floating down the street. The swimming pool doesn't bear thinking
about. So much to do ... so we got to work, with the support of friends and family. While all this was going on I lived in Barron Park with my son and his family for 2-1/2 months. Some of my neighbors are still not back in their homes.
One thing for sure ... I doubt I will ever live through another flood!
P.S. I lost my car too. It only had 44K miles on it...
Enid Hacker
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