No more news for me

[twilight33]

I just figured out why once I saw the footage of the levee breaches in NOLA I've been a nervous wreck. It's not that the extent of the devastation and loss of life isn't horrible to begin with, but this was some irrational panic that was beginning to overwhelm me.

Flashbacks.

When I was almost 13, my mom told me as calmly as possible during an insanely rainy February to pack up things that were important to me and store them in the attic. I'd had visitation with my dad 3 miles away that weekend, his home is 8 houses down from a river levee. The levee was paved on top for a bike path, I always thought of it as a fun miniature mountain to climb up one side and see the river far below on the other as I pedaled along.

I remember climbing up the levee that weekend and watching the churning river lap across the edge of the bike path to the left. I remember looking to the right and seeing the houses far below the waterline. I remember looking down and seeing several large sand boils, where water has broken through the levee & sandbags are circled around the spots until the water's pressure to keep rising is stopped. The mountain wasn't solid. The mountain was failing fast.

If the river had risen another inch in 1 hour one critical day, evacuation plans were in place for us to be bussed out immediately. Thankfully the rain stopped and crisis was averted. We later learned the levee came within inches of bursting and wiping out the homes of 40K+ people in our neighborhood. My dad's would have been a goner for certain, my childhood home probably under at least 4' of water.

I was born and raised in what is considered one of the worst flood-prone cities in the country, and during an area flood 9 11 years later my old neighborhood, which had a new slurry wall installed, was safe. I haven't been back since it was built to see if they put a new bike path in over the wall's top, but I hope they have.

It's amazing what a false sense of security we have in manmade structures to be able to shield us from extreme forces of nature. I turned on the faucet in the kitchen sink and was struck by how much we take civilization for granted, thinking that disaster only strikes elsewhere and couldn't possibly happen to us. Writing this has helped me be less panicky since I've identified the cause, although I think I'll skip any more news footage showing water flowing through levees now. It's too close to home.

Comments

[torquemada.livejournal.com]

I remember that flood, and I distinctly remember being glad we lived on top of a hill.

I also now know what year you were thirteen. ;)

[twilight33]

Yep. RT is for taking to middle school, not running for your lives on.

so does everyone, my birthday is in my profile :P

[torquemada.livejournal.com]

Bah, only cheaters look at profiles!

It's weird to go back now and then and drive through Davis into town and remember when a lot of those levees weren't there.

[twilight33]

Also to drive south and see new houses in former farmland that was allowed to flood every winter. Then again, that was my neighborhood until the late 60s.

I never want to live in a floodplain again.

[sunneyone.livejournal.com]

wow. thank you for posting that. you're right. what we're used we only have by a thread. it wouldn't take much to change our worlds.

[twilight33]

no, thank you for reading my blathering! :) The news now of total chaos & anarchy shows how a lack of access to basic survival needs just tosses morality out the window.. although I'm sure there are other socioeconomic/cultural factors for this extent :( No one can judge though, who knows what we'd do for survival in similar conditions.

[sunneyone.livejournal.com]

you're right. we can't judge since we're not in the situation, although i can't see myself shooting at a rescue helicopter for any reason. :( but i do know i'd probably freak out if i lost my basic utilities.