By 8:00 a.m. November 1, 1998 the water had already covered the Camp Wood Road which is to the south of us, and the Hill Rd. into CW Falls which is to the east. The sheriff went to my mom and dad's home looking for people to start sandbagging the dike around our town. Around 20 some odd people including my dad, husband, daughter, and son worked very hard to try and stay ahead of the rising waters, but had to admit defeat as the waves were knocking over the sandbags as fast as they could put them in place.
My dad, who is also the Mayor of our town told everyone "Get to your homes and save what you can,then get out of town." This was approximately 2:20 p.m.
My husband and daughter(Amy)rushed home. My son Brian stayed with my mom and dad to help them. We put a few of our things up alittle higher, grabbed some bedding a few clothes and took the smaller children (amber and izak) up to City Hall.
Daniel and Amy went back to the house for a mattress when they heard the crying of what they thought was a child.When they went in search for the noise what they found was not a child, but the neighbors goat which was tied up to a dog house.The goat was trying to climb on a piece of wood that was floating around it's pen,the water was nearly over it's head.
Amber, Izak, and I watched as Amy trudged the 2 blocks from our home to City Hall,with the baby goat clutched in her arms and the water up as high as her waist in most places.We had already brought our two dogs to City Hall.One tied to each side of the buiding, and I thought that when Amy walked inbetween the two of them that that would be the end of the goat,but they let the two of them through like they were Royalty.
In only a matter of minutes, the water had reached the necks of our dogs, and was about to reach the door of the firetruck which was in the middle of Main St. My husband was telling me that we had to get out NOW, we would no longer be safe in City Hall, the water was on third step and climbing ever faster up the rest of the stairs. I passed Amber and Izak to him and told him to take the children further up town and that I would catch up with them.He was very reluctant to leave without me, but there would be no way that I could leave my dogs to the tragety that was about to engulf them. Amy stayed with me, I had her untie Baxter and take him to the back room in City Hall,while I got Buster and chained him to a table leg in the front of the building.When I went to the back room to help Amy, I heard something very fierce coming from the basement door . I opened the door that leads to the basement(this is where we put the goat)to find out what this tremendous noise was. And to my surpise, the water had found its way in and was filling the basement at record time.The goat looking like he had made it this far only to be in the end trapped again, with no place to go just stood on the top of the steps looking at the water gushing in.I grabbed the goat up, he let out a cry, and we now headed for the bathroom. Amy and I made it safely to our families. I prayed for my animals.
The flood water did get into City Hall,but only about 2 inches or so. Our pets and the neighbors goat were spared.