So May came and it brought with it rain – a lot of it. In fact it set a new record in Oklahoma with getting 19.48″ of rain. Over 4 times the average. In one day it rained over 7 inches.
Silvia was parked at Travis’ buddy’s house who lived somewhat out in the country. When his buddy bought the property he was told that it was in a flood zone, but they hadn’t had a flood in that area 100 years. So our chances looked good.
Before the rain began we had everything stripped out. Heavy rain flooded and the water got to the center of our wheels. It was a close call – but there was no damage. Since the ground was so wet, we didn’t have the option of moving it. All we could do was hope and pray the weather didn’t get worse.
Then one morning we got a call from Travis’ buddy with bad news. The next storm brought more water and this time it came a foot above the floor in the trailer. Fear and anxiety immediately flooded my mind but it ceased quickly when Travis and I came together in prayer. We knew, in spite of how we felt, that everything was in God’s hands and this storm He had allowed. As hard as it was, we both committed to the Lord and chose to trust in His will.
Pulling up to his buddy’s house was surreal. The water from the creek behind his home had overflowed due to the rain and brought with it debris which stuck to his chained link fence. When that happened it created a dam and the water had no where to go but up. After time the fence couldn’t hold the pressure and it fell over. The flow of the water picked up and moved items. In fact the neighbors car and trailer were pulled and nestled into the woods. As difficult as it was to see the effects of weather – no one was hurt and nothing was severely damaged.
Opening the door of the trailer we had no idea what to expect. All we could do was trust that God had it all in control and we were going to be fine. Well, this was what we saw. Keep in mind when scrolling through the photos that the linoleum is white. The electrical panel, battery charger, power inverter, water heater and water pump were all under water. The only thing that was not under water was the furnace…but at 15 years old its time was at an end anyway.
I definitely struggled with “why” while walking around taking these pictures. Trying so hard to understand how God could allow this to happen. We were being obedient to what He had asked us to do. It just didn’t make sense, until we looked at the floor.
When it flooded – the water receded quickly. It only stayed about an hour. So other than the electrical stuff, it didn’t do the amount of damage that it could’ve done if it had sat there longer. If you look closely through the pictures you’ll see faint water lines. The blessing was in how the water softened the glue on the floor so we were able to peel it right up.
The following day the weather changed and we had sunny skies. The heat helped pull out all the excess moisture and for the next couple weeks we decided to leave the windows and vents open to air it all out. And after a thorough cleaning, it was as though nothing had ever happened.
Less is more,
Niki
L I V I N G L E S S 