NOT Singin' in the Rain...

Well, it happened last night, as it does at least once a year in Dubuque. The ol' basement flooded. Not too shocking, since the area got anywhere from eleven to fifteen inches of rain in about ten hours, but it still took us by surprise, since they were only forecasting one inch. It was just the storm that never left, and it poured on us all night long, without ever really moving away. We had rivers of water gushing down our street...manhole covers were popped off, cones were floating away....it was ridiculous. The city was awesome, and they were out pumping the sewers all night long, but they just couldn't keep up with the rain. Our back flow valve was closed through the entire storm, indicating that the sewage was trying to make its way in...and while we are VERY thankful that we didn't get any sewage in (kudos to you back-flow valve!) it does make it difficult to get the water out when the drain is closed! Our valiant little sump pump couldn't keep up either, although it did its best, and it wasn't until we went to Lowe's at 6am to buy a second pump that the water really started going down.

We were fortunate enough this time to get everything moved out or up before the water came in, so we ended up with very little damage, and very little mess. We still got in about eight inches of water though, at its highest, and time will tell if any of our appliances are ruined this time around. For now, I've unloaded the freezer in case it is fried (learned that lesson the hard way last year!) and we have the dehumidifier working overtime to dry things out. But mostly we're just waiting to see how much more rain is on its way. Because, believe it or not, there is more on the way. Iain has been repeatedly singing "Rain, rain, go away" all morning, and I echo his sentiments heartily. Thankfully, both boys slept right through all the hullabaloo last night; tornado warnings, thunder and lightening, trucks pumping, rain beating down, Mom and Dad (mostly Dad) doing their best to quell the rising waters...none of it phased them. Today Iain is happy to splash in the puddles in the basement in his rubber boots, he thinks it's swell that all his basement toys are moved upstairs temporarily, and he loves to see all the big trucks working out the window.

For those of you who are not "lucky" enough to live in the Midwest, here are some links to photos and video of what's been going on here in the Tri-State area.

Here is a video of the flooding downtown, quite near to my old apartment. We walk this route every day...needless to say we took a "rain check" today!
These photos are from East Dubuque, right across the river. People were evacuated last night, and they actually had cars floating away in the rivers of water.
This album is from all around the Tri States and gives a good feel for the scope of what went on here last night.

All day we've been hearing of flooded basements, flooded streets, ruined stores and businesses, damage and destruction. When I see what my near neighbors are experiencing, it makes me realize that I don't really have too much to complain about. But this annual flood thing does get a little wearying, and the thought of doing it all again tonight really does feel like more than we can handle! Prayers are appreciated, for us..for the entire neighborhood, city, state, region. I know we are far from the worst off in this situation.