Rising Above the Water

Denham Springs seemed like a small city where everyone knew each other and nothing too exciting really happened. Conveniently, most every big storm found its way of avoiding us with no damage, so when it started raining, we never saw what was to come. The prolonged downpour through those few days started to collect. I remember getting up in the morning, and seeing how the water had risen a few inches each night. On the day the rain had stopped, the water was up to our front porch. My entire yard, street, and as far as you could see had a foot or more. Luckily, we weren’t flooded, but when I saw that my friends were already evacuating their homes, it became clear how devastating this would be. My church, my school, everything was hit in some way or another. Stores were closed, and we bought all of our food from an empty gas station. Everything seemed to be drawn to a halt in that month of struggling recovery, and the flood is relevant in many conversation to this day. Our community had to come together in that time of need, and we are all bonded by that experience.