River and Writing Update

Last night I dreamed that I was in danger of drowning in muddy gushing water. Every night since the river's been approaching record levels I've worried, dreamed, planned.

I alternately feel silly and terrified. Why aren't more people concerned? Why isn't everyone loading up and moving their stuff when someone who's been working on the levee says 'It's not looking good' and the radio announces emergency information on their website and instructs people not to panic.

I know - I'm the one who's been looking for bulletins, levee conditions, projections so I can plan what to do. Now, I'm just overwhelmed. And I understand why people aren't moving out. Why they continue to move about their day like everything's normal. Because where else would they go, en masse? Where can a third of a state just go, take their belongings, household, children, pets, vehicles and just wait in case something happens. Most don't have the resources to move preemptively.

The people here have lived within these levees for much longer than me. They've seen the river rise to record proportions several times, dealt with back water floods though never a levee breach until that big one in New Orleans. That affected a city. If a levee breaks in the central part of the state, they say a third of the state would be underwater.

My fear is that the apathy that has become so ingrained in our society toward our global economy, the continuing deterioration of our resources, rising gas prices, food shortages, politics is actually what's driving the lack of response in this case. But perhaps it's just a matter of faith.

So, I've carried my absolute 'can't lose' stuff to Mississippi (higher ground). I've moved my SEP and NR and DG books to the top of my closet wrapped in trash bags. (Along with my other KEEPERS and writing books because I know my husband would say, 'You're NOT carrying any books.')I've made lists of what to take if we have any time at all to pack.

All of this is playing havoc with my concentration. But I needed about a week break on MOL anyway. Leah helped me regain my footing when I was about to give up. So, as soon as next week rolls around I'll get back on it.

Please pray that the river holds.

Life Interruptus

I was beginning to feel guilty and a bit worried that I haven't accomplished the revision of my partial manuscript or any forward writing on my other wips. But then I took a realistic look at what I have been doing the past three weeks.

The carrier I sub for got married a couple weeks ago and I had to cover for her, then work the remaining days for Crawfish Man, either at the stand or making the seven hour drive south to pick up crawfish. Had to find time - about four days worth - to gather tax receipts for annual taxes, get monthly sales tax together, work on budget, pay bills and straighten my office, do some critiquing.

Then I was called in to learn a new route, two days of training, two still outstanding, and today, I had to plant those flowers I bought last week before the freeze. I was just too frigging tired to do much after that, even read, so you know I was exhausted.

One more blip on the radar. Tuesday, I will spend a few hours of my previously scheduled writing time loading my car with stuff to take to Mississippi on Wednesday. We're hearing that the National Guard and Corps of Engineers are trying to maintain the levee in St. Joseph about 30 minutes away. Someone said, "It's trying to slide into the river." The river is supposed to crest in Natchez tomorrow at 57, a foot higher than it's ever been.

The thing is - you can't make a plan of action other than a priority list because we are nearly surrounded by levees and depending on where it fails you have more or less lead time to get out, and different exit routes.

So, just as a precaution, I'll take a computer, my external hard drive, guitars, keyboard, jewelry, pictures to high ground Wednesday. And we've made a prioritized list of what we'll grab depending on how much time is allowed.

Hopefully, I'll get some work done tomorrow and next week I'll get back on track.

River Rising

The Mississippi River is still rising and is nearly as high as it's ever been. Tuesday they say it will crest at 56 which it's only achieved in 1927 and 1997 when we moved our stuff across the river to the high and dry Natchez. This picture is of the brand new Vidalia Tourism and Convention Center (the building on the left at the foot of the bridge). I took it from the bluff overlooking Vidalia, Louisiana.

When I crossed the bridge from work yesterday headed home, I could see that the water is nearly up to the top of the bank. The river stays between 15 and 30 feet most of the year.

An engineer told the local paper that "the levees are in good shape" (like he's supposed to panic everyone and tell us they're about to break) but "we have a tremendous amount of sand boils - which we're sandbagging." Asked if they were in good shape, he said, "Yes, but that can change in two minutes." How reassuring.

A sand boil is what happens when pressure on the sands under the levees give way from the ground being saturated for so long and the power of the river bubbles up through to the populated side of the levee. If these can't be controlled they can cause a breach in the levee much like a dam bursting.

Which - is why we're thinking about building a raft or at the very least taking some of our stuff to high ground like we did in 1997. 'Cause there's still water and snow coming down the Mississipi from states north.

At least I have it on good authority that if the levee did give somewhere - and if you have prompt warning - you have time to get away.

This afternoon I'm going to the riverwalk by the river to get a close up view. I'll update tomorrow.