A PTSD Weather Moment

We've been listening to the news about Hurricane Henri this afternoon.

We are coming up on the 10th anniversary of our flood of 2011, the flood that put my neighborhood on the cover of a commemorative book about the flood published by the local newspaper.  Since then, climate change has added to the risk.

Our flooding was caused by two tropical storms, once hurricanes, Irene and Lee, which dumped massive amounts of rain on upstate New York.  Irene was an active weather system from August 21 to August 28, 2011.  Today?  August 21.

You never forget.   Once, the sound of rain was pleasurable.  Since September of 2011, the sound of heavy rain makes me anxious.

And now, Henri.  The weather models at 11pm last night had us, at one point, in the 5-8 inch range of rain, and, an hour to the east of us, 12-18 inches.   I don't know what we would have done if those predictions came true.

I don't want this kind of flashback.  I don't ever want to see a tent put up by the Salvation Army cooking meals for people in walking distance ever again.  We were so fortunate, the water stopped literally feet from our house, but our basement was flooded and some of our first floor flooring also had to be replaced because of the water sitting there for several days.   But several blocks away, it was worse.  And we all dealt with the smell, the mud, and more.

Nor will I forget when singer Maureen McGovern toured "that" part of our neighborhood, because a fan asked her to come.  What a class act.

The truth is, it is what it is.  My friends and relatives in Florida have this to deal with every summer, not once every 10 years.  This isn't the west with its wild fires and droughts.  This isn't the Pacific Northwest, with the heat wave that killed hundreds.

But still.

Maybe it's our turn.

And maybe it's not.

We'll know by tomorrow.