Flood Preparation

This is my first real flood.

I had a tease in 2006, when the street had six inches of water,

  which turned into sixteen inches in my garage.  Somehow maybe, Carol lent them to me, I had hip-waders when I was interviewed for KPIX in

 my driveway.  All good fun.  That was probably 42 feet.

This is predicted to be bigger: maybe 44', possibly 46', worst case 48'.

But high enough, to try and save what I can, from the apartment below.

Maybe I was wrong with the Pergo for downstairs.

I was cocky (who, me?) and stated that it would NEVER flood again.

I've already figured that I will install cheap pine boards next time, which I

  can do myself.  With a proper paper-sealer under layer, the floor won't let

 cold air in.  But will yield to the force of the next flood.  Properly sealed on

 top, this should almost equal the Pergo effect.  I don't need durability,

  there's always the next flood, and Pergo was too intolerant of water.

It's past eight and I just moved my car already.

I watched out the front window, as strong streams were whooshing down the faux gutters along Hwy 116.  I thought, " twelve hours from now, these

  will certainly be torrents, possibly a foot deep in the driveway".

Carol and I discussed that it should be safe to wait until morning, but that was should, and she gets up a quarter a day before me.

I noticed that two of my "uphill" neighbors had already evacuated:

  the old doctor lady on the West side of D street and the family of 2-3

  across the street from her.  I also noticed that many people had parked

    up behind me already, strange cars, and we locals know everyone's car.

The driving rain is unrelenting.  The associated wind has knocked over a five-year Clematis vine, attached to lattice work held up by a 4" X 4" in the ground.  The 4" X 4" snapped in half.  A combination of water[weight], and wind [pressure], with a fulcrum point at ground level.  Next time, I'll trim them every year.

The most frantic local contingent are my finches and other small birds.

The wind/rain combo is far more inhibiting to x-ounce birds than to y-pound birds.

My finch guys are ravenous from early morning through enervating

 twilight-continued, pounding rain.

I even put out big-bird food this evening for those horrid pigeons,

   feeling sorry even for them.