The last 48 hours has been pretty wild, weary and worrisome. We had an epic rainstorm to beat the band, a real gully washer. Remember I said, there might be floods in (some) places? Turns out, we had one. Under our house! A bit of a shock because this has never happened before. We did not actually think it could. Because it rains a lot here, and naturally, provisions are made for that inevitability. All the proper downspouts and channels are in place for water to be carried out to drainage creeks and canals and beyond. But with a quick snow melt combined with heavy rains converging all at once and flowing down the mountainside (which our house happens to sit at the bottom of), things went beyond the normal limits. The waterways here over-flowed and could not manage that much water all at once and things began to back up. By the time we realized it, there was about a foot of standing water under us and rising. From the outside of the house everything looked normal. There was no standing water around the perimeter at all. It wasn't until we removed the trap door to the crawlspace (inside the closet under the stairs), that we realized what was happening. What to do? Well, without a water pump and time being of the essence you are forced to get creative! A wet shop-vac seemed our only means of removing the water, bucket load by bucket load. Over 200 gallons we estimated. It took most of the day. We prayed the power would not go down. Calls to water management agencies told us that they were swamped with calls, were out of pumps, had more on order, and put us on a waiting list for a house-call later in the week. Everyone it seems had some sort of trouble. First in the high areas here, and then in the lower areas of town, when toward the end of the day, all the water poured into overflowing lakes and tributaries before reaching its final destination; the Willamette River. We heard about roads that were flooded, trees that came down, power outages in some places, and houses and roads on the nearby hillside in peril of slipping off foundations. All quite scary. Fortunately, the waterline never reached floor level here and for that we were relieved and ever-so grateful. When we checked on it again before bed last night, the few inches of water that had remained seemed to have found its way out. By then the rain had stopped and the creek receeded enough to allow the water to finally flow out. BIG *sigh* of relief. This before and after photo tells the story pretty well too.
I took this picture at the height of the storm. This drainage creek runs through our backyard. It begins at the road, travels alongside our driveway, then turns and goes under the fence, flows back here (shown), and through a drain pipe that connects to an underground drainage system. At this point, water was just gushing through both ends of the fence and right on down the back roads. The sound of rushing water was incredible, like white water rapids. No way to convey my alarm and shock when I saw this.
I took this picture today, showing what it normally looks like after a heavy rain. I've always hated those big jagged rocks. But I think I like them now. Yes, I definately appreciate them much more. Hope everybody is safe and has weathered the storm. I don't think we are out of the woods yet, as far as weather goes. We can only take things day by day, and try and stay prepared. I think that's true wherever we are and whatever our circumstances. Be safe.
On a lighter note, the little ducky is a freebie I found from a vintage pattern. Click to enlarge the pattern. It would be cute embroidered on a baby's bib or jacket. Or whatever suits your fancy. 
Vicki,
That is a crazy amount of rain! I am glad that no serious damage was done to your house!! That must have been a long day of emptying bucket after bucket of water from the crawl space! Here in SW Pennsylvania, we are expecting a snow storm tonight...around 4 inches for our area. We got a quick 2 inches last evening...it came down so fast and it was so beautiful!
Posted by: Bonnie@WhatAboutPie | January 20, 2012 at 03:45 PM
Oh how frightening. I hope that you'll invest in a sump pump...they're not too expensive and could provide you with a lot of peace of mind. Hopefully, events will never converge this way again. Take care, stay safe and dry!
Posted by: Vee | January 20, 2012 at 06:11 PM
Hmmm, I guess shoveling all day was not so bad after all!
Posted by: Mom Wald | January 20, 2012 at 08:52 PM
Dear Vicki, oh my.. that must have been frightening! We've been watching flood news coverage on TV all day. Our basement must have flooded at one time because we have a sump pump down there, but in the 30 years we've lived here it's never flooded. Thank goodness! I've been on your Etsy page drooling over the cookies and tarts. One day when the light is better I'm going to move my dollhouse into the dining room and do a photo shoot and put up a dollhouse website. I'll put a link to your shop on it when it's done. :-) ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
Posted by: Teresa Kasner | January 20, 2012 at 09:06 PM
How worried you must have been. I'm so glad the water is receding. As the snow melts quickly around here, we've been advised to watch for flooding, too. Our house is okay, but there are many others who live in danger's way.
Posted by: Lorrie | January 20, 2012 at 09:12 PM
So glad you are okay! Looking at the news online has been rather shocking. My daughter and her little one have been visiting us down here, while my SIL has been keeping us updated (where they live is thankfully okay, so far), though they're returning later today and the thought of them crossing all that water to get back home seems a little worrisome. Hopefully the waters will continue to recede and everyone will stay safe. Hope you and yours' stay safe too!
Posted by: tinker | January 21, 2012 at 12:56 AM
Isn't it amazing how fast the water can come up and then recede? Glad you are o.k. We deal with it here from time to time, too. Today we have ICE.
xo, Cheryl
Posted by: Whosyergurl | January 21, 2012 at 02:01 PM
Yes, there were some tired bones by the end of all that. Hope you guys fare as well with the coming storms. It is beautiful though, but always a price to pay it seems!
Posted by: vicki haninger | January 23, 2012 at 07:28 AM
We've got a pump on order, just in case it ever happens again. Good to be prepared.
Posted by: vicki haninger | January 23, 2012 at 07:29 AM
Yes, it was a bit unnerving to say the least, that's not something we ever expected to have happen. Disasters never give us much warning though so we hope to be better prepared in the future.
I can't wait to see your dollhouse website. Be sure and send me the link. Thank you for linking to us too! xox
Posted by: vicki haninger | January 23, 2012 at 07:31 AM
We were so very fortunate. An older couple not far from here had their house destroyed when the hillside gave way. They were sleeping at the time and were awoken by their security system when the sliding door broke. They got up and saw cracks forming in the walls and got out just in time!
Posted by: vicki haninger | January 23, 2012 at 07:33 AM
The overhead views were shocking to us as well, we had no idea the flooding was so far and wide. Thanks for your care and concern! Hope you guys are all safe there too.
Posted by: vicki haninger | January 23, 2012 at 07:34 AM
Oh not ICE! You have my sympathies!!
Posted by: vicki haninger | January 23, 2012 at 07:35 AM
Vicki, I'm so glad things weren't worse, and that you are all ok. We had a tragic occurence here in our city last year, when a basement filled with water after a snowstorm. It is amazing how fast flooding can occur.
Frozen rain did a lot of damange to trees and power lines around our part of the NW, but the sun is shining now, and power is returning to many, so hopefully, all will continue to return to normal for awhile.
xo
Posted by: Lena | January 23, 2012 at 01:36 PM