Thank the Lord the Sun is shining in St. Charles, Missouri this morning.

There has been scattered thunderstorms with down pours in our area of for a few days now (off and on). Interstate 70 was flooded in the St. Peters area, just a short drive from us. Other roads and county highways near us have flooded, with 4-5 feet of water flooding out some businesses between us and downtown St. Louis (City). Yesterday, our Senior St. Louis Metro Golf League actually got the scheduled round in. But, in the early afternoon we had another downpour for about 45 minutes. My backyard looked like Lake Arlin. Our backyard slopes a bit left to right. We have a swale (for drainage) in the back portion of the yard, as houses behind us slant toward us. I have seen the swale take in the water, but never like it did yesterday; it was overwhelmed. So a couple of days ago, when we had 11 inches in 6 hours (while we were sleeping) I can only imagine what Lake Arlin looked like then. It was the first time we had water come up through the basement floor via a small 6 foot long hairline crack. Fortunately that dried up quickly. I was concerned the rain we had yesterday (because it was so heavy) would cause another pressure flooding through that same crack. It hasn’t dried up long enough for me to patch. Most hairline cracks are not foundational problems. But this heavy period of rain forced the water under our house (the concrete floor) to go and enter only where it could, a hairline. The walls and even floor around where the floor joins the walls are sound and dry. They have not been compromised and that is a very good thing. Foundation is sound. In the 6 years we have been here, our basement has been bone dry. But, in those 6 years it has never poured down rain like it has now. We are fortunate, our flooding only amounted to a small area (about the size of a large bathroom floor) and was only about 1/4 of an inch deep (3/8 in one slightly low spot). A neighbor, a couple of houses down from us (the direction our swale runs) posted their basement flooded and they have standing water in the yard. Looks like the water flowing through our swale got slightly rerouted (due to the heaviness) causing much of the water to miss the drainage basin (located in my next door neighbor’s yard). Our neighbors two houses down (that posted they had flooding) just moved there in December. They probably think this is a consistent occurring event. I am sure, their problem is similar to ours……….just patch up that hairline crack in the floor. Thing is hairline cracks are common, and normally don’t create an issue; until something abnormal, like this rain, arises.

Anyway, thank the Lord for the sunshine………..and patch up those hairline cracks………it won’t hurt. Better safe than sorry. I learned the hard way. But I am fortunate I am not in 4 feet of water like some folks.

Be safe!

Enjoy your day………..I am! Going golfing……..again.