Man, it’s nasty out here. We’ve had so much rain (I’m in Southern Illinois, BTW) that almost every creek and river in the area is at or above record flood stages. Find Herrin on the map. Now draw a little circle around it. Not a very big one, just sort of clip the edges of town.
Got it?
Pretty much everyone outside that circle is dealing with the worst flood in decades. The Big Muddy River is wider than it’s ever been. A levee broke in Olive Branch. They cut a levee near Cairo to drain the floodwaters into the bootheel of Missouri. Driving from Herrin to my family’s houses in Murphysboro is a 50/50 shot depending on how recently it rained. Heck, even the North side of Herrin is going under, with large chunks of highway 148 being closed.
Every time it rains for more than an hour, or if it rains heavily, the drainage ditches on the back of our property fill up and drown our yard. Sometimes the roads right around my house go under water. And I mean West Harrison, which borders one side of my yard, and South 22nd, which borders another.
And this is on top of a series of deadly tornadoes that ripped through the region last week. More than 200 dead, and the survivors still have to deal with flood waters.
According to the weather channel, every couple of days there is a chance for more rain. Right now, the predictions are slim, but that can change, and it probably will. In the meantime, we are going to enjoy every sunny day we can, and pray for those who are struggling to stay afloat.
You want to help? Find a charity and donate. Red Cross is active in the area. If you live in the area, and don’t know what to do, help sandbag. It’s going to be a long wait for the water to go down. Every little bit helps.
This is definitely a time for prayer and generosity.
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