Go figure. The one time something nationally newsworthy happens in Keene, I’m out of town and thus missed blogging it.
Thanks to everyone’s who has emailed about the flooding here in southern New Hampshire. I’m okay, and so is Reggie…my basement, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky. But unlike the next-door neighbors whose foundation is crumbling or the across-the-street neighbors who had basement water up to their first-story floorboards, the house where I live was relatively untouched, with “only” about 3 feet of water in the basement and no apparent structural damage. My awesome landlord’s been pumping the basement since this morning (thankfully, I have nothing of value stored down there) so he’s hoping to have the basement dry and the heat/hot water restored by tomorrow.
Since I just got back from New York this afternoon, I missed yesterday’s mandatory evacuation of my street, during which time National Guard troops floated in front my house to help my neighbors to higher ground. I also missed (gratefully, thank you) the most graphic photo opportunities, some of which you can see here on the Keene Sentinel website.
Above is the one photo that I think best describes the day-after aftermath of the Flood of 2005: a Boston news team that’s been parked right in front of my house since I got home this afternoon. It’s always surreal going from the hubbub of the Big Apple back to the relative obscurity of Small Town, New England. Today, though, even Big City Bostonians are interested in little ol’ Keene. Given what it took to earn our Fifteen Minutes of fame, I think relative obscurity is looking better by the minute.
Oct 10, 2005 at 6:00 pm
Keene even made the Detroit Free Press. Imagine my surprise when I spotted Keene heading up a paragraph this morning.
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Oct 10, 2005 at 7:07 pm
I remember my junior year at KSC, in 1987, the Asheulot flooded over it’s banks on campus. I lived in the Owls Nest and we were to be evacuated. This, of course, is nothing like that. I was worried about you. Glad you and your home came out virtually unscathed!
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Oct 10, 2005 at 7:53 pm
OMG! How scary! Glad you and Reggie are ok.
But more importantly, what were you doing in NYC?? 😉
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Oct 10, 2005 at 8:26 pm
Happy to hear you returned to a relatively dry and safe home. The people in Keene seem to have a truly generous spirit when it comes to responding to events like this in other parts of the world. Please let us know what we might do to help you and your neighbors as you deal with the clean-up and craziness of our New England weather.
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Oct 10, 2005 at 9:20 pm
Hadn’t heard about that (the rock I live under gets heavier by the day). Glad you’re okay. I hope everything turns out okay for everyone else in the area, too.
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Oct 10, 2005 at 9:48 pm
I hadn’t heard it either since I don’t watch the news. I knew that part of the country was getting plenty of rain, but I didn’t know you got SO MUCH of it! Glad your place wasn’t hit too hard.
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Oct 10, 2005 at 10:27 pm
When I first heard about it, I thought about you. I came back here and could not glean from your post if you were gone or not.
At least you got a few days off, right? : )
Glad nothing happened to your home.
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Oct 10, 2005 at 10:33 pm
Lorianne- so glad you are ok. I read about this in the morning paper and immediately thought of you – mostly since you are the only person I know in Keene! I asked K if he had heard from you, but he had been at the vet taking care of a stray cat (he can tell you about it). With the effects of Katrina,etc. so close to Nashville we know that flooding is nothing to be coy about. Hope the water recedes soon, especially in time for the jack-o-lantern lighting!!
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Oct 10, 2005 at 11:42 pm
Holy hannah that’s some devastation Lorianne, I’m glad you are okay! Such a pretty little town, and now so much damage. Be safe!
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Oct 11, 2005 at 5:29 am
So glad you and Reggie are ok and the damage to your house wasn’t worse. These extreme weather conditions in so many places are very frightening. Reading the news reports and recalling all your photos and accounts of the Ashuelot River and your walks beside it, I realised that Keene has become real to me – I know someone there; it’s not like hearing about a strange place in a far off country.
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Oct 11, 2005 at 9:30 am
So glad you are safe and sound! I did a blog about the Keene Experience here: http://carol-sandy1.blogspot.com/2005/10/bad-weather-affects-real-people-nh.html
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Oct 11, 2005 at 1:54 pm
Glad to hear you and Reggie and home are OK.
I wonder, how did the stone bridges fare?
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Oct 11, 2005 at 2:55 pm
Thanks, everyone, for the concern. They’ve just issued ANOTHER flood warning for the next few days: we’re supposed to get more rain, and with the ground as saturated as it is, there’s a real danger that everything will flood *again*. So we’re not out of the woods yet; everyone’s just hoping these new rains won’t be as torrential as the weekend’s.
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