It's THAT(Flash Flood) Time of Year Again...

[MotorSeven]

This storm really pounded most of the country. For us, this kind of storm means flooding. The creek that runs thru our place is 35' bank to bank & can rise 9-10' in a matter of hours. I have 21 ac of bottom land pasture. I listened to the rain on an off during the wee hrs of the morning.....checking....waiting. When I heard our two Clydesdales slosh by the house I knew it had come up fast this time.

It's 0430 here now. At 0300 I was up & moved the horses to the sawmill yard. Had to carry 8 corral panels over to keep them from getting hurt in the yard. The water came up 6 inches in a little over a half an hour. I spent an hour & a half moving things out of the waters path. At this time 90% of the pastures are under 6" to 3' of water.

Got back inside & went to wash my hands....no water. Went out to the pump house & water had pooled under the pump, kicking the breaker. It looks like a re-design to move the pump up a foot or so is in order. In almost 3 years & this had never happened even though we have had 3-4 floods.

Anyway, when daylight breaks I will post the before & after pic's.

Never a dull moment on the farm.......

RD

 

[Thomas]

Hopeing that nasty low pressure moves quickly by for you RD...stay safe and strong.

 

[MotorSeven]

These are last weeks photo's...

Looking East out of the back door:

Looking South:

The stars are out, water is up another foot, but I think it has crested. flood pic's to follow..........

RD

 

[MotorSeven]

We use the totem as the flood measuring stick.....this was the highest since I put the totem up.....

It looks like I have some fencing to do.............{sigh}

Looking East

and South

The boys:

 

[MarkV]

I believe you have made the right decision building your house up the hill.

MarkV

 

[MotorSeven]

Ha, yeah, I jsst hope 75' up is enough........;>!

 

[Thomas]

Good to read water reach the crest...whew,fingers cross for fast drain off if cold weather should arrive.

 

[SPIKER]

a few years back the big flood due to heavy rains and February thaw the army core of engineers closed the dry dam a few miles down stream from my farm the river flooded everyone out and then froze solid!, it was end of march before a lot of people could even get back to see what kind of damage had happened.... I had lost 1/2 the ways into my place from the north & east I could still access the place luckily. lots had no way in/out. There were 4 or 5 major roads covered with frozen solid ice 3' or more thick... they stopped backing it up when it started breaching US30 side banks and was starting to actually get on the road surface. They backed the water up to its highest level since the dry flood control dam had been built back in 40's. they said it was to keep the people down stream from getting flooded!? They have also added a TAX onto OUR PROPERTIES up stream to pay for the flooding of people down stream??? and to pay to keep the stream/rivers clear and dry dam in operation!?!?! basically we have to pay for them to flood our place to keep the people down stream who built in the flood plane to not get flooded out so bad... go figure...

only the government can tax you for flooding that happens down river from where you live to pay to rebuild peoples homes that built in a flood plane.

Mark

 

[EddieWalker]

Impressive pictures. Flooding always amazes me. I have a small creek as a boundry and it floods a few times a year. The first time it did it was right after I had build my pond and I was worried the water would erode my dam from the back side. It wasn't until I actually saw it happening that I realized the water along the edges was just about totally still. I could see the current in the middle, but somewhere between there and the edges, the current pretty much stoped.

I had never thought of it before, but I had always wondered how people get sucked away in a flood. I just assumed it was from getting too close to the water and falling in. Now I think they have to wade into it, and when they go too far, they get caught by the current.

Hope you don't have too much of a mess after the water receeds. I always get a bunch of sand and silt that need nocking down and smoothed out after it happens here. Your flooding is massive compared to what I've seen.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[MotorSeven]

Pond???

It and the berm was under 2' of water.....I guess it will be full of silt, so will have to be re-dug. I wasn't done with it, but I thought the back berm was high enough.....NOT!

My neighbor up stream had 20 or so cars & trucks parked in his pasture(he is a mechanic). When I had my dozer I offered to grub out a half ac spot that was high & dry above his house(FOC). He never got back with me to do it....all of his vehicles are flooded up to the roof. He stopped by a little while ago & said he was going to haul them all to the crusher when it drys out.

I knew about these floods prior to buying my property.....I still wouldn't trade my creek for anything, it's the focal point of the place. I wasn't here, but the locals say the floods of '77 & 93 were way worse.....I hope to never see one of those.

Getting sucked away I think they most likely are doing something dumb. BTW, 6 inches of water running over a road can push the average car off the road. Generally there is a ditch, the car is pushed into it sideways & flips. The force & power of water is way stronger than most people think or realize.

RD