A Glimpse of the Backyard

I spent all day with friends from church cleaning out three homes in the area. We were about done for the day when I got a text from a friend in Virginia. She had heard that they were letting people on Old Vestal Road to see their houses! I headed over that way with a few friends and drove into my neighborhood. You still needed a boat to get down Second Ave, but we walked through some backyards to check out my family's backyard.

You can see from the picture above where the water line was - a little higher than halfway up the windows. That's higher than I was expecting - over the couches, counter tops, and dining room table. We won't know the extend of the damage until we can get into our house, which might not be until the end of the week. There is still a lot of water that needs to be let out.

It was kind of crazy helping people clear out their houses today, realizing that I will be doing that soon, but with my own belongings. It might be a little harder to toss those items to the curb when I recognize them and appreciate memories behind them. I did, however, come up with a few "flood clean up" tips for when it's our turn!

My church has already been very helpful. They set up a distribution site in our gym where flood victims can receive needed items. I swallowed my pride this morning, walked in, and asked for help. I was able to pick up cleaning supplies, toiletries, clothing, and bottled water. I also put our family's home on a list to eventually receive assistance. They can most likely hook us up with pumps, generators, and willing hands when the time comes. It's so neat to see the body of Christ coming together to help those in need!

Since we cannot get back into our home yet, I am planning on going back to work in the morning. My boss has been gracious and already told me I can take time off as needed to help with the house. It will be hard to balance "normal life" with dealing with this house. It will be interesting to see what these next few months look like as we find our new normal.