The Floods of '93

The forecast for today called for heavy rain and warmer temperatures which would melt some of the snow pack. Combined rain and melted snow could cause flooding. I began remembering the floods of '93.

When we purchased our little two-bedroom bungalow on 4th St a half block south of Vine in West Des Moines in '87, we knew we were buying in the flood plain. Flood insurance was a requirement. In talking with the neighbors we heard stories of flooded streets and water several inches high on the outside walls of homes. We even saw that ourselves a couple of times after a lot of rain. No big deal.

When the phone rang Saturday morning July 10 and a friend asked if we needed any help moving our things out of the house, I was surprised. She said they had heard people in Valley Junction were evacuating. I told her I didn't think we needed to worry.

Kari had transferred to WDM from Edina, MN when Barnes and Noble opened a store in West Des Moines. She was staying with us until she found an apartment. Most of her possessions were stacked in our screened back patio. She and I had plans for the day so we left mid-morning and did not return for several hours.

Bud quickly caught us up on the news - downtown Valley Junction store owners were moving out as much inventory as they could and sandbagging around their buildings. Homeowners south of us were moving out possessions in whatever pickups and trucks they could borrow. We still were not too concerned, but decided to move Kari's boxes off the patio which was three to four feet lower than the rest of the house - just in case. Then we moved our cars several blocks away up on a hill.

We watched from our front deck as the water inched its way higher. Then there was a line of cars and trucks speeding north past our house. We heard "the levee broke." Suddenly there was a flood of water rushing up our street and spreading around the houses. I had read of fear causing people to lose control of bodily functions, that was the first and only (so far) time I experienced if for myself. I was scared.

But after the initial whoosh of water, it slowed down. Our friends called again offering beds for the night at their house. We thanked them, but said we thought we would be ok. In the dark we watched as the water slowly and steadily climbed higher around us. We decided we should evacuate. We put the bird and cat upstairs in the attic, piled as many things as high as we could on top of beds, dressers, cupboards and table, then called our friends. Yes, their offer held. "We're on our way."

The front deck was still above water. We locked the door and prepared to wade out to our cars. Just then some men came up the street pulling a boat. They shined their flashlights on us. "Do you want to leave?" Yes, we did. They brought the boat up against our deck. The three of us with Kari's two cats stepped off the deck into the boat.

The next day we drove as far as we could toward our house. National Guardsmen stopped us. We showed proof we lived in the area and were allowed to go in. Bud offered to wade down to our house so I could stay dry, but I had to see for myself what was left. The water was just below the top of the deck. We opened the door to see if it had been inside the house. Everything was as we left it. We lucked out.

The back porch/patio was under water. The crawl space under the house was full of water; within 5 inches of the trap door. Inside the house was dry. Such a relief. When the water began to recede we found all kinds of trash and belongings in our yard. I cleaned the back porch with water out of our rain barrel. West Des Moines did not lose their waterworks as Des Moines did, but we were under a strict ban to conserve water.

About a week later at 4:00 a.m., we were awakend by a fire truck driving through the neighborhood advising everyone to evacuate. This time the danger was from Walnut Creek to our east. Those waters did not come as far as 4th St. Once again we were lucky.

I had always loved the sounds of thunder and rain. But after that experience it was a long time when I woke up in the night and heard rain that I didn't feel dread.