Wings Take Flight From Flood
When Patrick Wing returned to his mobile home on Bear Hollow Road the day after Christmas, he didn’t know that an hour later he’d have to evacuate his family because of flooding.
Wing and his family — his wife, their two children and his niece — got home at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 26. An hour later, Wing looked outside to discover that Bear Hollow Creek — the dry stream bed that his driveway crosses — had started to fill and the road was submerged. His home sits between two wet-weather streams.
Deeming it too dangerous to stay, he immediately took action. The Wings packed all of the irreplaceable items they could into their vehicle as Bear Creek quickly engulfed the driveway and began to leave its banks.
With the driveway covered in rushing water, the family had no option but to maneuver a steep and muddy ATV trail along the back of the property until they reached a passable road.
By the time they left the home, the knee-high water was coming in through the floors, Wing said.
“I thought we were going to lose the house,” he said.
The force of the water ate a 15-foot-wide, nine-foot-deep crater in the driveway.
“Bad thing is, it’s going to cost $5,000 to $6,000 to repair” the driveway, Wing said. “There’s no way I can afford to fix it right now.”
Wing has taken to the web to
help fund rebuilding and reinforcing a bridge across the driveway. According to the GoFundMe page created, https://www.gofundme. com/dygtj3aw, the family is hoping to raise $400 to get started and get home.
The home withstood the flood; however, it sustained some water damage to the roof.
The family is staying with relatives in Arkansas until they can safely return to their property. Wing says it will be the middle or end of next week until that’s feasible.