With drought being so prevalent in the eastern United States this year, we welcome rain; any rain or moisture that comes, no matter how much or in what capacity, is a blessing to us.
But with the rain comes unexpected and sometimes tragic consequences.
Yesterday, as the rain started to fall, I was excited as to what it meant for everyone in the area. Rain means more water in the wells, a chance to revive produce in gardens, a chance to maybe let the wildlife and plant life here come back to life... and honestly, I was a bit selfish and hoping it meant kayaking for Carl and myself, and river play for the kids.
While we are thankful for the rain we got, it is not near enough to get our water tables back up.
Pretty soon, I began to realize, we might be getting a bit more rain than we can chew... our front drive/road was now a roaring stream... our yard was running with water... I could only imagine the flash flooding on the rivers. There were reports of tornadoes and horrible car accidents.
There was enough water in our drive for the kids to play with their huckers in the rain...
Early in the evening, some friends called. They decided (MUCH AGAINST THEIR BETTER JUDGMENT) to go kayaking, and run "laps" on a local run. The river flashed on them. They are lucky, they are only missing boats and gear, not their lives.
Right now there is at least one kayaker missing in the Smokey Mountains.
We now know that this incident has been reported a fatality. Please send prayers and positive thoughts to the kayaker, his friends and his family.
As someone who has lost a close friend on the river, this will be a hard time for all involved. Please think of the friends and family over the following weeks.
Issac Ludwig will be missed.
http://isaacludwig.com/
