Barbara Judd (Glover) Booth

Written Memory

June 22, 2009

I remember that night very well. My husband, Gary and I were at a party across town when heard a report on TV that there was a storm increasing in intensity and there may be flooding along areas especially along Canyon Park and the creek area.. Since we lived in that area along with our parents we called his parents to see what they were going to do. They said they had lived there for 40 years and they were fine and were going to stay in their home. After speaking with my parents who lived on the far side of the creek we decided we should return to our home, gather a few things then head over to their home and caravan to a safer area. We walked into our little cottage which fronted the creek, and as I walked back into our bedroom, I looked out the window just in time to see a trailer house float by. We grabbed our dog and our cockatoo bird and headed off in our Jeep to my parent's house. Only way to reach their home was to go across a wooden bridge. We ran into the house just as my parents and step brother were getting things together in order to evacuate. I went into the bathroom, put our bird on the shower rod thinking he'd be safe and we'd return later to get him. We had left our dog in the car with one of the windows down. I told my mother to hurry and we'd be in the car waiting for them to follow us out. She said as soon as my step father got some last minute things they'd be right behind us. We left, got back into our Jeep waited for them to get into their car. After a short period, for some strange reason, I got a feeling that now was the time to get out of there. I yelled at Gary to GO NOW! For some reason he listened to me, and we started off across the bridge. We made it, but just as we got to the other side the bridge went, and there was no way back. As we were driving out we found our dog floating down the road, but I was able to grab him, and pulling him into the Jeep, we headed off to a safer area. After Gary dropped me at a store he went off to find a boat to try to go back and get his parents, and my parents who we knew were stranded. Nothing was available, and by that time the highway patrol was not letting anyone back into the area. It all ended 5 days later with Gary viewing the bodies of both sets of our parents. His parents had died close to their home, while my parents had ridden the roof of their house down to Canyon Creek and, according to my step brother who had survived, went over the spillway. My brother was pulled to safety by lines thrown to him by some members of the National Guard. To those who have said "just get over it"----believe me that is something you can never just get over. This will live with me for the rest of my life. I've been back one time, but that was enough.

My name is Barbara Judd Booth (in 1972 my name was Barbara Judd Glover)