Dick and Hazel Pearson

Written Memory

July 30, 2011

Escaped our house just ahead of the deepest waters. It was nearly knee-deep when, with our three sons, we were able to drive across the front yard in a four-wheel drive to higher ground.
Got through the Gap ahead of the high water. Put the family including the dog to bed on the 7th floor of the Alex Johnson (thanks to the hospitality of J. Vucurevich who owned the A.J. at the time). Power was out so climbed the stairs by candlelight (candles came from the restaurant - The Carousel).
I (Dick) spent the night cruising the area still above water downtown. Drove up Skyline Drive and spent an hour observing what was happening both sides of "The Gap," while electric sub-stations exploded below. Drove a couple of injured people, who showed up at A.J., to the hospital.
By morning's light the scene was very eerie-murky, smelly, "other-worldly" with devastation everywhere as seen in thousands of photos. Managed to find a way through the blocked streets to our house which had a high water mark inside at 3 ft. above floor level. Lost everything except a few items left on beds (the mattresses floated and kept their "cargo" high and dry.)