Tropical Storm Lee Sunday 1:15 p.m. update

I got a phone call from Capt. Bill checking to see how we were doing.  I was having a lazy morning and had not even watched any Houma TV.  He told me what he saw.

So I hurried out to see for myself–in my 4-wheel drive truck.

I was snapping pictures of the high water and water coming over the road, reminiscent of Hurricane Ike in 2008, and realized NO MEMORY CARD.  Therefore, no photos for you.  For some odd reason, I can’t find either one of my cards, which I had yesterday.

I went up to Camp Dularge to try to move things from the ground-level to the slab under the camp, which is a little higher.

When I looked across the bayou at all those fancy camps, the water was about to enter their ground-floor porches and storage rooms.  Some of their big boats on the lifts look like the engines might get a little water if this comes up much more; because they did not come down and lift their boats higher.

There is water in the ditch in the front yard of Camp Dularge, which I have only ever seen after Ike; but it has a few inches to go before it can flood the slab underneath the camp.

I am keeping my fingers crossed.

But here is the scenario . . . even though the flood gate at the southern end of the bayou is closed, the water has piled up about six feet on the other side of it and the levee there.  All this water is draining down from areas north of us like Houma and other towns that have forced drainage. Then we have our own share of rainfall.  And lastly, the wind is howling out of the south, which even on a normal day, pushes water up into this area.  I imagine the Houma Navigation Canal to the east of us is way out of its banks and flooding us from behind, as usual.

Lee needs to pass over, allowing the winds to come down from the north and push this water out of the bayou; which is out of its banks in many, many places.

My heart-felt understanding and sympathy goes out to families in my community who still have not been able to lift their homes off a slab.  They will certainly flood, at least a couple inches; and I can’t be any more sorry for that.

This is all I can type for now, because my heart is racing about whether to try and haul this heavy generator upstairs or leave it down on the slab below our Miracle Tree House.  I am also contemplating staying at the camp tonight to stand guard and make sure no one loots like they did back in 2005 after Rita flooded our home.

I certainly would hope not.

But vandals have short memories.

I don’t.

Be back soon, I hope.

BW