Update: What the Mighty Mississippi Did This Spring

Many of you will remember that this past spring my small town was  living under the threat of a main levee break, even as water flooded over an older levee that protected a number of area farms. I wrote about it here.  

Sunday evening we drove out to see the damage firsthand from where the old levee gave way as work is to begin this week on filling in the great crater the rushing water carved out of the landscape. I had seen this from a small plane while the area was flooded but what I saw Sunday took my breath away, again. A good bit of water remains, but you can also begin to see the width and depth of the gash the Mighty Mississippi dug. The damage to the land was extensive and the restoration will be long and extremely costly. Let me say, once again, that I could not be prouder of the men, our friends and neighbors, who farm there. They have been strong and incredibly inspiring in the way they handled this blow and the way they continue to deal with the ongoing aftermath.

Phil and I were with our son Phillip, his wife Carey and the Bellerinca Czars, (my baby girl grands). Carey is a fantastic photographer so I left my Nikon at home, knowing that she would do a much better job of trying to record what we saw than I ever could. I’m sure Carey will be posting those pics to her blog soon. What you’ll find below are just a few shots I took from my Iphone. They don’t begin to tell the story, but I felt compelled to take them anyway.

This is Carey, trying to find the right perspective.

Standing there, looking at the magnitude of it all, was surreal. It didn’t feel like we were just outside town, but in a desert, or a canyon from some other time or place.

 

I realize my efforts fall short of giving you an idea of what I saw Sunday but I had to post, in the way you have to talk to family and friends about things that matter. 

Hugs,
Shellie

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