The rains fell and the floods came
Introduction: “And the rains fell, and the floods came…”
Most readers will recognize the above statement taken from the words of Jesus and his Sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthew 7.
These words will not introduce a Biblical discussion. Rather, it will take local residents – past or present-into a distant time when flooded areas were prevalent in the City of Calhoun when late winter and early spring rains came. After reading the section on our flooded streets of the past, please keep reading about the “Man and his dog” in a following section of this column.
The readers who were young back in the 1940s and into the 1950’s will not remember when many of the streets providing major routes in and around the city were made impassable. Those as old as my 83 years and older will well remember when necessity demanded we deviate from the regular paths taken to our homes and around town.
Let us now take a look at the situations caused when the rains fell and the floods came.
How weather conditions changed the local geography:
Someone might ask why do we not experience in modern times those floods so prevalent several decades ago. I need to emphasize that there is nothing said here indicating we will not ever again experience a “downtown” flood. The odds for such happening are much less today. Let me explain:
The construction of the Allatoona Dam in the late 1940s greatly relieved the conditions contributing to flooded conditions in Calhoun and other areas. The Carter Dam upriver on the Coosawattee added even more stability in eliminating floods in certain areas. Incidentally, a question often rises in this mind and asked of others more qualified to answer: what would be the damage the Meadowbrook area. For years my mortgage company would tack on a flood insurance policy. My contesting argument was if my house is flooded, there will be no Calhoun. To understand this one must know even though I am close to the creek, I am up a quality rise of the landscape at the intersection of South Louise Avenue and Dan Cheri Drive. Hank Chitwood of All State Insurance pursued the issue and located a 100year flood plain map for my location. Many years ago, water had come to the corner of my lot but it would have taken a major flood for the water to get in my house (therefore, no Calhoun). I don’t have flood insurance today. The Man and His Dog: The following incidents led to the above comments concerning floods and wet weather. A little over a week ago my heart was moved with sympathy and thanksgiving. It was sitting in an office building with rain pouring that the scene out the window allowed me to see an apparent homeless man walking down the street. Neither he nor his dog on a leash was completely sheltered from the cold and wet situation they were in.
My heart reached out to them but before I could leave the building to offer some assistance, the man and his dog were gone. A friend and I did look for him after the meeting was over. The search was to no avail. The rest of the day was one of my most uncomfortable days. The man was obviously wet and exposed to the elements. Did the man have food to eat? How far was he to travel? What did he need to make him comfortable?
The homeless and needy are a real issue in our communities and in the world. Our thanksgiving should be real as we consider the features of safe and comfortable shelter and sufficient food to eat. We should extend thanks to God for those things and friends who would help us in the time of need.