While the water from the March 13th flooding has receded in many places in the area, one family was stranded at home for 12 days.
Brad Rops, his wife, Kristi, and son, Ethan, watched 3 inches or more of rain fall March 13. That rain and snowmelt kicked off days of flooding on their farm north of Davis.
On March 14, they woke up to the Vermillion River out of its banks and flowing across their yard. The morning of March 15, it appeared like the water had gone down 8-10 inches.
“We’ve gone through this flood thing a few times. We know what’s going to happen and what to expect and what the routine is,” Rops said. “We had sump pumps ready to go and livestock were in places that were safe and accessible. So, Thursday felt like any major flood we had.”
The Rops family has lived at their place three miles north of Davis since 1991. Their first major flood they endured came in 1993. Since then, they have learned what needs to be done to be prepared.
However, during this most recent flood, that Friday afternoon ice chunks were coming down the river and eventually accumulated at the bridge. By that evening, the water was as high as it’s ever been and stayed there for several days.
Rops noted the worst part of the flooding was the current and the ice chunks.
To read the entire story subscribe.