Thursday, September 18, 2008

The Floods of the Guadalupe River

From Lavonne:

While dealing with the after effects of Hurricane Ike here in Huntsville, I’ve been thinking about the three major floods that Seguin has encountered during OUR lifetime.

I have one vivid memory of the flood of 1972. I remember sitting in our living room on South River Street, the rain coming down hard, and through the darkness, one lone police car with its flashers on, and the sound of it's officer speaking over his megaphone telling people to evacuate. I remember the sound of the warning siren coming from the fire station just a few blocks up the street. To this day, I hate that sound.

A few months after the flood of 1998, I drove through what was left of the Glen Cove Subdivision. I remember the sadness that overcame me when I couldn’t find Martha’s childhood home. It was gone. Not even a slight indication that a pool once occupied what now appeared to be nature’s success in obtaining more green space. What wasn’t gone; however were the memories of childhood sleepovers, birthday parties, girl talk around the pool, but more important the love, generosity, and thoughtfulness of Martha’s dear parents. Thank goodness for memories.

I was visiting mom when the heavy rains started in 2002, and here we were 30 years later, but the warning siren from the fire station made me feel the same fear that day as I did as a five year old.

How many of you remember the flood of 1972? How many of you were in town when Seguin was devastated in 1998 or 2002? What are your memories? Share them with us.

P.S. When was the last time you heard the “Emergency Broadcast System” advertisement either on tv or over the radio? Those advertisements don't seem to be as frequent as when we were kids.

1 comment:

MH said...

I think I was "home" visiting for the flood in 1998 or maybe 2002. Honestly, have few recollections of dates or times - all one big swirl of life. But I do remember - whenever it was - going out on the 4-wheeler. Or going as far as we could at "the river place". The cows were up to their necks and pitifully trying to make it across the swollen boundaries of the Guadalupe. Some made it on there own. Others needed a helping hand. Try telling a cow you are helping it in those conditions.
Here we had a summer of tornadoes. Green skies. Hail that lined the sidewalks, making them look more like January than June or July. Broken crab apple tree branches and battered blooms. My littlest still runs from any noise that even resembles thunder.
But your point is the best one, Lavonne. Thank goodness for memories.