Belle Isle View

Flood on top of the hill by Russell Perry

Feb 04, 2002

Imagine my surprise very late one night upon hearing rushing water, outside, yes, running between the houses! Yet it wasn?’t supposed to rain! I ran through the halls and out the front door to find a flood, at my porch, on top of the hill! Yes, the yard slopes back from the street, but the street wasn?’t full of water. Then I saw it. Bubbling up a foot out of the ground and shooting water and mud against the brick, just 12 feet from my house!! Well I knew, or at least thought I knew, that the City Water Line ran only 4 feet behind the curb. As I splashed thru the 4 to 6 inch deep water like a chicken with it?’s head cut off I saw red mud and water also being blown a foot deep up against the house and water pouring into the three crawl space vents. Within seconds I knew what I had to do. I called 911! Thinking they could send the fire boys down here to turn off the main, but no! They will call City Water. I?’d hate to hear my 911 tape, as I?’m sure I sounded as panicked as any I?’d ever heard! My second call was to my friend Donna! Help, my house is going to flood and wash away, I huffed and puffed out a message on her machine. What, now? Another almost as panicked call to 911! Donna shows up having to see this flood, and we plug the vents, after a fashion, and wait. And another call 911, and a call to City water, and finally after ONLY 25 or more minutes, help arrives. With our help they found the third valve needed to totally shut off the flow without really seeing where it was coming out of the ground, so they start to turn it back on again, when I say whoa, I can show you where it?’s coming out and like he doesn?’t believe me as I?’m telling him, he continues with me saying ?“don?’t do that?” he quickly, without true provocation says, I better not interfere or he?’ll call the _ _Police! I mustered more strength than I knew I had and let that slide (for awhile). So he sees it, but somehow doesn't believe it and they dig in what I told them was the wrong spot finding dry ground at 3 and 4 feet. More brains were obviously needed hear, so the call goes out for them. Upon arriving the ?“brain?” then need to see it for himself, so on it goes again the waters parting against the house running deep and fast around both sides, wide through the front and around the corner. Having just buried my best friend in the front yard, (my 17 yr. old dog, Rocky), I screamed that the casket might pop up out of the ground, as in the movie ?“Poltergeist?”. At least that got a needed laugh, out of myself and also Donna. This story could easily run a couple of more pages on the long, long road to correct repair and recovery which will still be on going through most of 2002.
The point that this story is trying to emphasize, is the need for Water Line replacement through out our area, to keep this nightmarish event from happening to you too.
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Contact; Russell Perry 942-1238