Perry County Tribune:
The Hard Truth About Floods
This article, written by Ben Carpenter, was first published in The Perry County Tribune on July 21, 2017.
Let’s start with one premise. Flood events are always going to be a part of life. When I get a call from a flood victim exasperated about the fact that water is in their house and with the demand that, “somebody in government has got to do something about this”. My response is generally not what they want to hear.
What is a floodplain or flood plain? A floodplain is an area of land adjacent to a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge. The land within any flood plain is always subject to flooding. There is nothing anyone or any government can do to modify a flood plain that will eliminate the risk of a future flood.
The recent flooding event in Perry County and any flooding event for that matter, is nearly impossible to describe to someone that has never experienced the damage that it causes. The visuals of physical damage that are shown with photos are just the start of the problem. Flood water is laden with sediment, bacteria, and potentially sewage. In the recent flood in Glenford crude oil was added to the flood water due to a 100 barrel oil tank that floated and spilled its oil contents. Flood water creates huge clean up challenges. Carpet, all floor covering, insulation, walls and furniture that are soaked with flood water must be torn out. The rest of the structure must be heavily bleached. Homeowner insurance does not cover flood damage. A flood insurance policy must be in place to insure a personal residence against flood damage. The County Commissioners did declare a disaster with the recent flood event in Thornport and Glenford, and will be pursuing action to do what we need, to secure any available State EMA funds. We must remember that floods happen and there is nothing that can be done to prevent these natural events, we can only prepare for when they will happen next.
The Perry County Health Department was out and put down some mosquito larvicide to control mosquito hatch before they can develop into adults, and took their mosquito spray truck to the flooded areas. This will help with the decrease mosquitoes due to the flooding.
Waste Management donated two 30 yard roll off containers for residents of Glenford with flood damaged houses to get rid of all the ruined house furnishings floor coverings etc. We are grateful to have community-minded companies in our County. Rick Blevins at WM was instrumental in making that happen. Thank you Rick, for all your effort.
Please be mindful of the folks that live in flooded areas. As the flood waters recede mud from the flood water is always deposited. With the return of sunshine the roads once covered with mud from the flood that is now covered in dry dusty material. Everyone on those streets will probably have their windows open trying to dry out their house. The traffic from each vehicle on that road kicks up a lot of this flood deposited dust which blows into these people’s houses. Vehicular traffic should be kept to a minimum in those areas until the next rain can continue the natural process and wash away the mud. Following rains also help crops that are impacted by washing off the plant leaves allowing them to once again absorb sunlight and carbon dioxide efficiently.
As I write this article and the rains fall once again, and now flood the midway of the fair. We must keep in mind that planning prior to a flood is the best way to reduce the damage of flood water.
If you need to report flood damage to your house please contact our County EMA at 740-342-1141.
