The flood of 2007

The week after I moved to New Zealand the Pacific Northwest was hit with a huge wind storm. Well this trip, another storm hit while I was home. When it decides to rain here, it can be biblical.

The property where I grew up is surrounded by a small irrigation ditch on 2 sides. Across the highway is a larger body of water, the Gales Creek. During wet times, a stream appeared in the middle of the back field. My father a few years back dug a pond where this stream tended to appear. The pond is dry much of the year, but not this week.

Last week my father and I went for a walk across the street to check out the beaver activity.

We took lots of pictures of the clear, calm water

A week later we could see a raging river overflowing its banks. Trees, stumps, and other debris flew down river.
Our house and surroundings were a case study in contrasts. Here are some before flood and during flood shots:

Now don’t get me wrong, flooding can be a horrible horrible thing. In ’96 there was another big flood that hit Vernonia, a local nearby town, very very hard. Our high school class went up to help clean up there after the 1996 flood. I was on the crew that had to throw out the bueatiful woodshop projects – all contaminated by sewage water. It was heart breaking. I hear that this flood was even worse. Talk of schools being closed until February… We probably won’t even know the full extent of the damage for several days.

That said, I do enjoy walking around the flooded fields in gum boots checking out the transformed landscape.
Its when homes and schools and businesses are in the flood plain that there is no joy in this activity. Most of my neighbors were lucky – tree branches crashing just feet from buildings and cars, rising waters silting water pumps but sparing the cars, and no reported injuries that I’ve heard of so far.

Here is some of what I saw on my walk

My mom and I also drove around the valley some checking things out around the valley:

This moat was actually dug before the flood, but was dramatically filling as the rains poured down.

And of course, there is always some work to be done when a big storm hits. Luckily all 4 of us were home to help out.