Flooded out.

Last night the Mrs and I went to sleep with water from the drainage backflow barely touching our yard around 1am. I woke at 4:30am, confident there would be little change.

What I found instead was a rise of at least 3 feet, bringing the still-rising edge 2/3 the way up the yard. I woke the Mrs and we began putting things up as high as possible, packed some bags, grabbed the dog and were just about to leave when the doorbell rang.

The National Guard was out helping to evacuate people. The wife and I headed out into what would eventually be waist-deep water (with me carrying the dog). As we were leaving, the water looked to be reaching our front porch.

We were taken to the staging area at Target on Millerville (we live in Fairwood Estates) and were told there would be buses waiting to take us to a shelter (the Guard members didn't know which one).

We arrived at Target and unloaded the truck only to find out that the buses weren't coming back because the staging area was about to flood. They said our options were to stay there and gems for ourselves or load our shite back into the truck and they would take us to where buses were staging from now.

The Mrs and I picked option C. We put our stuff in a Target buggy, grabbed the dog and walked up the nearly vacant I-12 from Millerville to Sherwood. It felt almost like an episode of The Walking Dead, but with water instead of zombies.

The in-laws live on Belfort (just off Sherwood). We get there, unloaded gear, washed the dog then saw the water easing up the street. So we evaced... again.

We went south on Sherwood to the Mrs' grandmother's apt at Sherwood Lakes (assisted living facility) where the wife noticed the lake behind the facility rising as well as the storm drains in the parking lot backflowing. So we evaced... AGAIN!

This time the theme was "screw you guys, I'm going home" as the Mrs, myself, her parents and the dog left South Louisiana altogether to ride this out at my family's home in North Louisiana.

With 10 closed from I-49 to Crowley and 12 closed from Airline to I-55, it was probably the nicest drive I can ever remember making from BR to Lafayette (which was pretty much the only way to get out).

Prayers and well-wishes to all impacted by this. Get some rest, rebuilding begins soon.