...anyone seen the ark?

So, I'm sure you all read my post about the flooding that took place in our area several months ago. Well, it's flooding again - only this time, our hospital flooded. It was a "flash flood," and apparently the drainage systems swelled to capacity and then started bubbling up into our basement. Our pharmacy and computer system is in the basement, so this was not. good. We heard the overhead pages announcing impending disaster: Code Red, Code Down, Disaster Plan in effect, Command Center is open, etc. But one page in particular caught my attention:

"Attention, please. The day shift parking lot is flooding. The day shift parking lot is flooding. The day shift parking lot is flooding."

Oh, no.

I, of course, park in the day shift lot, and because I'm an early bird my car is in the lower part of the lot... the folks who scream into the parking area just before 7:00 a.m. are on higher ground. My car was at very nearly the center of the lot, where it all dips. I forded a small river to get across the street and ran to my car, only to find it under water. The depth measured somewhere around my knees, and I wondered aloud if I should even start my car, thinking it would get water into the engine, etc. Someone nearby said I'd better try or my car might never start again. I plunged forward. Inside my car I found about four inches of water, an old gas receipt floating at my feet. I backed slowly out of my space (remembering the teaching of a wise old man otherwise known as Dad, I chose to ease gently rather than blow through the water like the nuts around me), and attempted to pull forward into the flow of cars being moved out of the lot. The water at my feet sloshed forward and back with the movement of my car. People were driving like maniacs, and the current created by a car whipping around me actually caused my car to float to the right. It was pretty wild. I edged forward until I was through the huge puddle and pulled my car into the visitors' lot which is on higher ground.

Not much I could do about the water in my car at this point. I ran back into the building to finish another four hours or so of my shift. When I got inside, I took a quick inventory of my appearance... yikes. My pants were wet from my waist down, and heavy with the water so they were threatening to drop. The bottom of my scrub top, which had peeked out from under my fleece, was wet (along with my report sheet and my paycheck, which were in the pocket!). My hair. Now that was another story! I looked like a drowned rat with my lovely locks slicked back into a rainy ponytail. Yikes. I borrowed the unit hair dryer and took a few minutes in the break room to dry my hair so I could face the public. I called for a set of scrubs from the OR. Our hospital colors are a lovely teal green, and my top today was kind of limey. I had worn a navy blue undershirt beneath my lime green top, so I opted to lose the scrub top and just wear the undershirt. I felt a little more human and pressed on to finish my shift. Hallelujah, it's over now! And I have the next FOUR days off.

Sigh.

PS - Josh's parents just called to borrow our shop vac, as their neighbor's basement is under water. I had just finished vacuuming the water out of my car, so it was available, luckily. Looks like I actually had it pretty easy...