Things are going swimmingly in Southern WV

[Lasher]

According to the USGS river gage where I live the floodwater crested yesterday at almost 26 feet. Normal river level is about 3 feet here. I helped evacuate the local tavern. Now I have an extra Harley, a juke box, and three full beer coolers in my garage. Well, they were full yesterday. The party was at my house last night.

Here's Mrs. Lasher directing traffic:



The river reached 25.95 feet here on November 19, 2003, which was the biggest flood since the gage measured 26.05 feet on January 26, 1978. On March 7, 1967 the water was at 27 feet.

Think those were floods? According to records going back to 1909 there has been only once that the gage measured higher than 27 feet. On August 5, 1916 the river reached a level of 35.66 feet. That’s 10 feet higher than the water got this time. Now that was a flood.

[Hubert Flottz]

1. Hey dude I'm glad you're okay!

The river down here is headed toward the March of 1967 level. I counted as 50 basketballs floated by in 2 hours yesterday. Do you need me to send them back to BC? One canoe...7 bales of straw...2 four wheelers...9 fridges...789876545654 trees....my back yard is mostly underwater but my house is still 20 feet above the river. The river is in the houses across the river from me. Some of those folks bailed out about dark last night. The river is still on the rise here but is only coming up now about an inch an hour. Yesterday it was rising about a foot an hour most of the day. The gage at Tornado was reporting the level at 30.67 at about 8:00 am. It should crest here about 9:30 am.

[Lasher]

2. Put me down for a 4 wheeler

I already have a canoe. I didn't come out too bad. I sent you the garbage that was down by the road to get picked up and I ended up with someone else's topsoil on my bottomland garden.

My house is so far up on a hill that some people get a nosebleed when they come here. Glad you're OK too. Hope the same is true for the rest of the WV DU'ers.

[Hubert Flottz]

3. The water is dropping now.

Has gone down about a foot since daylight. I found your trash! It's in my raspberry patch. It will be like going to the flea market when the water goes down. I already found one nice tennis shoe. Hope the other one is down there under the water somewhere. I have all the local ducks and geese camping out in my back yard now. Looks like I'll be eating good for a few days!

[Lasher]

4. 1 pair of wild mallards and a stray chicken here

I keep out cracked corn anyhow for all the varmits. Actually these guys make regular visits. Bet you didn't know anybody who has to feed the stray chickens. This one came here from about 1/2 mile away. I made a nest out of straw, hoping to get a fresh egg or two. It's about time they start helping pay the bills.

I had six treated fence posts in my garden for the electric fence corners and was going to have to pull them up so I can more easily plow. The water pulled up three of them for me. I recovered all but one. When you get it I would be grateful if you would return it.

We oppened the gates yesterday so folks could get past the flooded roads by riding their 4 wheelers through our property. We always do that when it floods but have to exercise control otherwise, or we would be overrun. It seemed like hundreds of them went by. Some just kept going back and forth. For awhile I was almost as popular as when the garden comes in.

A lot of them took a shortcut through my yard and my brother's without asking. Something like that happens every time. Amazing how quickly grass can be turned into a well defined dirt trail. Most of them I don't blame, they were just following the leaders, figuring it was OK. If you've ever wondered why some assholes post their land, just buy yourself 10 or 20 acres then invite people to come in and hunt or ride 4 wheelers. You will get a prompt answer.

[Hubert Flottz]

5. I have a nice sandy beach now around my berry patch.

The river is dropping fast now...down about 4 feet. Trash is still going down the middle of the river about 20 mph. The folks across the river are cleaning the mud out of their basements. If I hadn't moved my Jon Boat to higher ground yesterday evening it would be gone. Wind is going crazy here now...perfect set-up for a big tree to get blown down, with the ground this soaking wet. The river can't get me but these BIG trees can. Never a dull moment. Throw me in a cold twelve pack and I'll see if I can catch your lumber! I've seen enough lumber go by to build a house with. Boone County ought to be squeaky clean now! I'm cookin' me a pot of beans out in my sun tea jar, I'd better go stir them.(SunBeans)

Edit...I wonder if the DUer from Hamlin made it through the flood?

[Lasher]

6. I've got a new sandy beach in front of my house.

Now I've got beachfront property and didn't have to wait for global warming to do that for me.

Yeah, I hope the fella from Mud river checks in.

[Saboburns]

7. Hi Ho Fellers

I did indeed make it through the flood.

I live in Hamlin, up on a hill right behind dear Old Hamlin High, so no water worries. The Mud didn't flood as much as other nearby rivers methinks, most of the rain was ust south of us. The Guyandotte got fairly high tho.

Route 3 had a patch get washed out right in town and they are routing all the traffic through the backroads of Hamlin, which puts them all going right by my house. Lively around here.

[Hubert Flottz]

8. Glad you made it !

I have a nice beach now and lots of plastic bags in my trees down by the river! I hope it washed Lasher's trout down to my fishin' hole.

[Lasher]

9. Great! Thanks for checking in.

Hubert is too lazy to come up here to BC and fish with him, now he wants my trout! I figure he's right, whatever was in the river got washed away.

It's kinda hard for me to get real excited about this flood. I was in Matewan in 1977, working to restore telephone service. Worst of all, I was at Buffalo Creek too.