Some time ago (in years) I wrote a story called “Dancing with Florence.” Florence was the name of the hurricane I helped FEMA deliver fuel for. That “adventure” happened about five years ago now, but every named storm has its peculiarities that you have to adapt your strategies and behavior to. (Maybe that’s why the storm chasers named them after women!)
Since those crazy days of chasing storms with an 80,000 pound liquid bomb between my legs, I’ve had to learn to “dance” at home. Since 2019, we’ve had quite a few storms sweep across our property, and since most have similar tendencies that require specific skills (and specialized tools), each and every storm presents new challenges.

We have had some work done on the bridge over the last year and no major storm has come through this county to “test” it. We have had many major storms that have brought massive rainfall upon us, but (then) it was Tropical Storm Debby that put the bridge (and us) to the test! If it was just water flowing down the 6 foot deep creek, the scenario would be more manageable. The problem with any storm and flood is the large tree debris that comes down the culvert with the water. This is similar to what anyone facing a hurricane has to deal with in their “storm prep.” A trash can or one or more metal lawn chairs are always subject to the laws of aerodynamics (which go hand in hand with “Murphy’s Law”).

In the 90’s, when I was transporting a modular office duplex to Homestead after Hurricane Andrew, I saw a 2×4 lumber stuck in a coconut tree and a cement water tank with a 6″ hole from flying debris. The other thing that is seared into my memory was a prefab “village” that was wiped so clean that residents returning from shelters couldn’t even find the streets where their homes were! (But I digress!)

Debby came into town and dumped over 4 inches of the wet stuff before she left. As the water did “what water does” (flow downhill in its most convenient path), it brought with it lots of palm branches, rotting limbs, and a whole lot of sand! Now, these things don’t sound particularly threatening, but I guarantee you, if you take a 6-foot long, 5-inch thick waterlogged tree section and run it “through the wet gauntlet at 20 mph, everything it hits will get hit (like a 50 pound battering ram).”

Another difference with storms is that you can never “ask” the storm to pass through during daylight hours. The night before the photo was taken (provided) I was out doing a structural check at about 11:45pm and at that point the water was just high enough to “touch” the bottom of the bridge. When I went back out to do a systems check it was already daylight and the water was at least 12″ above the deck! Now we have a second entrance to our “site” made from a 5′ diameter corrugated pipe. This “earth bridge” was also flooded! The wooden structure belongs to our rental property whose tenant needs constant oxygen so we try our best to make sure that if the power goes out (and IT DID OUT) they have portable power for their necessary medical equipment. I thank God the power trucks were able to come and repair the lines that one of the 80′ tall trees had damaged when it fell. I had a suitcase-sized generator on standby across from the rental property driveway, and when I checked it in the morning, it was under 8 inches of water. The only saving grace (in our location) is that our property is about 100 feet above sea level, and probably a good 50-60 feet above the main road (a 1/2 mile away). Once the heavy rains subside (and given about 2 hours), the road in our area will be passable (and then folks coming into town on Highway 41 will have to deal with it)!

One year we had wooden sheds for sale on our street corner, and after a bad storm, the floodwaters swept two of the sheds away and dumped them in the middle of the three-lane highway! (Water does what water does)! Our little “village” has some nice neighbors, and we all try to help each other out if (and when) we can. You never know what you’re going to have to deal with when storms like “Debby” come to town!

Steve Goodwin is a recently retired Christian conservative veteran (of the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division) who still believes that “duty to country” did not end with the end of the military uniform. He and his wife, Cecelia, live on the edge of a beautiful wooded area south of the beltway and are involved not only in church activities but also attend school board meetings and local community events.