Arkansas flooding & disaster preparation

This past week we've received 9 inches of rain here at Big Rock Farm.  Thankfully, we haven't suffered any water-related issues.  We had standing water in the yard for a day during the heaviest rain. And we had standing water again yesterday.  This really doesn't cause us any difficulty.  We have to manage our water usage - our septic tank can't drain in such wet conditions.  There's no where for the water to go.... But once the standing water was gone, we're back to normal.

Many people in our area are not so lucky.  The town of Hardy had flooding on Monday, April 30th.  Here's a few pictures.

Hardy AR. Located on the Spring River

Hardy is located on the Spring River.  This is not a record level high for the river.  The bridge you see here in the center of the picture was built in 1983, after the previous bridge was washed away in a flood.  That was "the" flood.

Our friends live along the Spring River in the town of Ravenden.  Their yard gets flooded several times a year, but the house has never been wet.  Here's a picture of the water level sign by the bridge near their home.

Water level sign in Ravenden, AR. Located on the Spring River

The Spring River flows into the Black River.  The Black is in serious flood mode right now.  The towns of Pocahontas and Portia are being seriously fit.  People have been evacuated.  The local highway is closed.  We can't get to Jonesboro due to the flooding.

Pocahontas, AR. Located on the Black River

Road sign near Portia, AR. Located on the Black River  

 The White River is also flooding.  Batesville is also being evacuated.

Batesville, AR.  Located on the White River

Thankfully, our circle of family and friends are all safe and dry.  Many people aren't.  Having emergency supplies and a family plan are vital.  All the preparation in the world does you NO good, if you don't have a plan for using them.

My friend Dixie Gordon told me about Smart911 on Wednesday. I'd never heard of this service.  Local 911 personnel can access the data you've entered regarding you family, home, vehicle, medical issues & any animals/livestock you might have.  Here's the link: Smart911.com

My friend, Gena, and I had a booth at the local Ren Faire.  It rained the first day and was very windy the second day.   I think we earned enough to cover the cost of the space.  Just.  Anyway, we did talk to many people.  I enjoy showing people my spinning wheel, explaining how it works & how textile really effect our lives.  Most often, the kids think of Sleeping Beauty.  The men who stop by want to know how the wheel works & the women usually ask about colors & dyeing.  We pass out business cards & invite people to contact us if they're interested in learning spinning, weaving, knitting, crocheting or dyeing.

Me, in costume, spinning at the Ren Faire

Latest round of storms to hit Arkansas

Last Sunday night, Arkansas was hit by another round of tornadoes and flooding.  Thankfully, none of my friends or family were effected. 

We do have a storm shelter.  We have never had to use it.  In fact it's our "root cellar", where we store our dehydrated foods and such.

For more info on the how Arkansas was effected by the recent storms, please check out our local news station, KAIT8.  Storm surveys continuing for arkansas tornado

We got 7 inches of rain in our area.  The local town of Hardy had some flooding, along with all the other little towns along the Spring River.

Our friend who live in Ravenden found a cottonmouth (2 feet long) in their basement while there were sheltering from the storm.  NOT GOOD.  Luckily, it was stuck to one of those stick mouse trap things!  Damn!  It wasn't enough that they were in the basement, watching the river rise higher and higher... they had to worry about MORE snakes being in their basement!