How high's the water ? ?

[Tommy]

I'm in Southern Illinois this evening and the rain just won't quit... Roads closed, floods everywhere, and concerns in Missouri about levees holding up to the endless rain... Supposed to get some of this down my way too. Johnny has more on this event....

POKE HERE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fpbCLNyPUA&feature=related)

Tommy http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif

[ANDY M]

Happy Birthday Tommy!

[WILMASBOYL78]

Have a good one!!!

wilma http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[Chevy454]

Don't wanna steal Tommy's birthday thunder (Happy Bday!), but it is crazy around here...last night they said we'd gotten 14+ inches or rain here around Alton, and expected another 7-9 inches overnight into today! In the middle of the rain this morning, it decided to sleet for a while, and then has been snowing for the past hour! Water is way, WAY up, and I had to take one of our enclosed trailers and evacuate part of my in-laws belongings...! One of our local schools under water, another completely surrounded and all but under, towns evacuating, lots and lots of schools out.

[Pictures to follow http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif]

[Chevy454]

Here's the Eleven Point River in Thomasville, MO, within a couple of blocks of my in-laws' house...my wife took the picture @ noonish, from the back porch of her aunt's restaurant, before the water got *really* high...

[Chevy454]

Here's another shot of part of the parking lot of her aunt's restaurant (directly to the left)...last night while we were evacuating my in-laws the water up to the foundation on about 1/3 of the building...

[PeteLeathersac]

Johnny Cash anyone?.

'Five Feet High'!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fpbCLNyPUA

~ Pete

[Chevy454]

New bridge that replaced 2 older bridges, as the older bridges were prone to being submerged...last night the water was up the supports just shy of the road surface...

[Chevy454]

Looking in the opposite direction now, towards the restaurant...the river bed is actually on the other side of the trees on the right hand side of the frame...

[Chevy454]

Shot looking at vacinity of where previous picture was taken...

[Chevy454]

You can barely make out the restaurant in the background here...

[Chevy454]

The river in the pictures above are probably within 1/8 mile of my in-laws house, across flat ground...but, just across the yard from there house is the Birch Tree Holler creek...here's father-in-law fording it in his Dodge, with water pouring over road into their yard...

[Chevy454]

A bend in the creek, directly adjacent to their house on the right of the frame...

[Chevy454]

And here's Frederick Creek, across a creek bottom out the back door of our new house...

[Chevy454]

Another shot out the back door...

[Chevy454]

Here's a shot from up close, across our fenceline, down in our bottom field...

[Chevy454]

The low water bridge at the edge of our property...lots of folks down this gravel road are stuck until the water goes down...

[Chevy454]

Our dog, trying to ford the low water bridge...right after this shot she got swept down the creek, but showed back up in a few minutes...!

[Chevy454]

Luckily, our house sits on a hill over looking the bottom...here's a shot from the edge of the low water bridge, with Frederick Creek running from 7 o'clock to 2 o'clock in the frame...our house is within a few hundred yards at it's closest point, but uphill...

[Tommy]

Rob, I thought about you and Tom when I saw all this water rising and heard the news last nite. I am in Marion right now and the lake between here and Carbondale is inches from spilling over the highway. yesterday in Jonesboro,IL water had taken over nearly everything.. Take care in MO and keep those cars dry.. Glad the dog showed back up, sounds like he had an interesting ride.... Oh, and thanks for the Birthday wishes guys http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif.

Tommy http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif

[Xplantdad]

Hey Tommy Happy Birthday! Have a great evening.

Rob...take it easy and stay dry...

[Schonyenko2]

Happy birthday Tommy. A round of moonpies on the house. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
You all better get that ark done, and git ta steppin 2x2.
Anybody hear from Ray Morrison?

[Xplantdad]

Ray was online last night on the Nova site...so I think he's okay?

[ORIGLS6]

Good to hear. Tough times down in that area. Sounds like some all-time record rainfall and the runoff hasn't peaked yet. Keep us posted when you can guys. We understand priorities but we wanna know you're all OK.

[Xplantdad]

You take it easy too...Mr. Cumby!

[Chevy454]

Morrison should be ok, his house & shop are in town if I remember right...but Rayburn Pennington & Dan Hayes are over in Poplar Bluff, where they are evacuating a bunch of people along the Black River...hope neither of those guys are in danger!

[Chevy454]

Just talked to Pennington...he said he's pretty close to the Black River, but luckily he and Dan are up on hilltops, so they're safe...but said they're having to evacuate bunches of folks in that neck of the woods...ironically, he was on the phone with Jamie Jarvis, down in Jonesboro, AR, who also got a lot of rain down there in the flat land, but said Jamie was ok as well. Johnny Kat said the railroad in this part of the world is shut down for a while, while lots or rail & even cars & engines underwater...

[Chevy454]

How are you folks up around St. Louis doing water wise? I see where they're shoring up the river front downtown, but what about along the Meramac?

[copo-2]

Yep, all of us are O.K., but thanks for your concerns. Don't believe we had it quite as bad as Rob, with a total of 10.19 inches recorded here. For sure, wouldn't know where to send anyone for a sump pump, though? Weather has been pretty hostile in 2008 so far in this area. The sun is now shining, clean up time for many!!

Too, Happy Birthday Tommy.

[Chevy454]

I don't intend to make light of folks' homes going underwater, but I got a chuckle out of this...

<font color="blue">From STLToday:
"Bud Brundick, whose family has lived in Pacific for more than 100 years, tied his boats to a tree, moved his furniture to the second floor and bought more beer to wait out the water."</font>

[ORIGLS6]

I guess you get by however you can. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Keep to the high ground Rob, but if you're out helping those less fortunate, BE CAREFUL! (and keep that pup on a tether. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif)