Tuesday, March 15, 2011

The Flood Begins

This past week, the waters of the Ohio  began rising.
Unlike the recent tsunami of Japan, the waters of our river rise slowly, giving us time to prepare, and to gawk at the sight.  Businesses and basements are damaged, but lives are seldom threatened with the slow steady rise of such a large river. 
In the distance, below and above you may see a berm elevating the railroad track. This narrow strip of high land is all that separates this water from the river which pushes through at every opportunity.
See those two black things in the middle of the photo below?  Those are the tops of gate posts.  The gate is between them, the right one higher than the left. The gate is somewhere beneath the water and  yes, the road, too, is below.  It goes out to a campground on the other side of the railroad track.
The road comes out of the deep to cross the tracks, only to disappear into the river on the other side.
Camper trailers have been brought to high ground to avoid becoming boats. 
In Marietta, At the time I took this photograph,  it was fifty feet to the bridge above. 
Along with a couple other "rubber-neckers" I parked at the water's edge to catch the rising water in my frames. The next day, those cars would have been parked in shallow water.
Back across the river, in Williamstown West Virginia,  muddy waters slip into basements.
More and more through the years, sea gulls have been calling the Ohio "home."
Today it seems normal.
The road back home along River Road is still passible though in a few hours that won't be true.
I'm glad it is too early to plant corn in Mr. Lane's corn field.
The trees, behind, mark the edge of a quiet little creek, now buried beneath the waters it's much larger relative.
Nutrients and new top soil from upstream are dropped on the field.  This summer there will be corn or soy beans growing out of that soil.
But for now it is just water.  This is the site of the crow "staging area" I described  a couple weeks ago in Crows Clan Gathering.  The photos from that entry are from the hill side of the road. You can see the same white farm house from these photos in the distance of those photos.
For now, the road ahead is clear. Tomorrow would be a different story.

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10 comments:

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

I am up the river in PA and it is a mess. All around this will be a Spring I will be glad to see gone.

bonifer said...

Not good, these waters can leave a path of damage, hopefully they will lower soon for you!!
Spring is coming everywhere !!

Unknown said...

Great reportage.
Love your story and photographs.
I just hope the river waters dont get TOO high.
Costas

RedPat said...

Wow - be safe!

D said...

I cannot imagine going through the flooding as people do each year throughout: they are beginning to pile bags of sand around Minnesota; parts of NJ are under water... and these amazing photos from you. Stay on the high ground! :)

Mike Whittemore said...

That's wild! the Hocking River near our apartment became very high last week as well.

黄清华 Wong Ching Wah said...

Especially like the tree shots... wonderful pictures but please be safe of this troubled times everywhere, it has not stop raining since then !

lostlandscape said...

Very impressive photos. The last time I saw the Ohio River it was in flood, and I was surprised how nonchalantly people took the rising water. It makes me wonder why we don't have basements in relatively dry Southern California while homes in flood-prone areas do have them...

Mia said...

Spring can bring huge amounts of water into the rivers. Up here in Norway there are normally lots of snow in the mountains, and some years the rivers will flood, not all to often but it courses a geat deal of damage. Your picture are fantastic, I guess in a week or two things will be back in normal.
(translating my sites can be a true challenge, being born in Sweden, living in Norway, stayed for a long time in Switzerland... I did try to write in english before, perhaps I should start again... Not that my English is all that good but perhaps the writing will make more sence..)
Thanks for visiting my blogg :)

Nellie from Beyond My Garden said...

Mia, Your english is wonderful. I don't speak any language well enough to even attempt writing in that language.
Thanks everyone for your comments. I have one more post on this flood which has now passed.
nellie