2011 High Water – Two

More warnings and more approximations. It is hard to plan the rescue of your belongings based on approximations, but that is all there is. If not for that, I suppose there would be no warnings at all, like in the days before the Corps and the National Weather Service. But now we have those and we can just about picture the water overflowing Memphis, heading for Vicksburg and casting a frightful eye on us at Butte La Rose.

The water is rising. Today it is at the edge of our deck, overlooking the river. Well, not really overlooking now, more like looking out at it, at eye level. The deck is usually ten feet or so above the water at this time of year.

I found some disturbing news today, of a different sort. We know we will have to leave our property and evacuate to somewhere. Don’t know where yet, but it will probably be someplace that comes with a cost. We had been under the impression that the additional costs would be covered under the flood insurance we have, just as a homeowner’s policy usually covers them for other types of damage that requires you to vacate your home temporarily. Well, no. The flood insurance doesn’t. It used to, but now FEMA issues all flood insurance and the policy they sold us does not cover “living away” costs. How about that? Until now I had only heard of the reasons why so many people fussed about FEMA. Now we can fuss too.

Kind friends agreed to house our three cats today, should that become necessary. Kind people indeed, especially since there is no way of knowing for how long yet. The cats are trying to figure out the new decorations on the back porch since we piled all the decorative driftwood from the yard on it. I do wonder about those piles of wood and all the desperate creatures that will soon be looking for a dry place to rest, any dry place. I expect snakes and mice and mink and rats and who knows what else. Possums and coons would be too big, I think, hmm.


The river is at 18.26 feet today on the Butte La Rose gauge. The Ohio is falling, but it sends its greeting in the form of a message coming down the Mississippi. Hold on! They forecast 27 feet without the Morganza floodway being opened, and probably a good bit more if it is. How much more?


Rise and Shine, Jim