Washougal River at Flood Stage Feb. '09, jillwatts@kw.com, 360-852-1689

We have great neighbors in our Washougal River community! We help each other in all kinds of weather and circumstances. The harder times brings out the best in this community. I am grateful for my neighbors!!

This is a great place to live, especially in the summer. But floods do happen and we have had a lot of melting snow right now. Our house is right on the Washougal River and it is close to flood stage! This is a picture taken on Jan. 7th, 2009 at about 2:30 pm. It's raining so hard right now...I think it's going to be a long night watching out for the flood.

I'm sitting here at my office desk watching the rising waters. The river in summer is only about 20 feet wide but today the river looks angry and brown with some of the waves up to six feet high. I see limbs and trees rushing by in the water. O.K., there goes something that looked like a shark.

The flood water is two feet from cresting over the bottom of our property. Our house usually doesn't get flooded. It is built up on a ledge so it usually stays pretty safe. We're also in a wide spot in the river with an even wider spot downriver from us. Did I mention how gorgeous this place is in the summer??

I spent the morning sandbagging for neighbors. Some of my friends came out to help her too. Thanks Doug Alexander and Cindy Faulk!! We helped sandbag for one of our river neighbors. Her beautiful river house always gets 6-7 inches of debrie. She has a rock wall built but the waters flow over and around the wall.

Our next door neighbor's house has the water approach their house with flood waters flowing all around it sometimes. When the water starts rising, our neighbors gather together and help move items and sandbag as best we can to protect the homes along the river. My husband and I joined with about four other neighbors to move stuff out of our neighbor's basement. This neighbor has doors on either side of his basement and just opens both of them and allows the river to flow through. It doesn't do damage, it's really a big nusiance though!

I am grateful for my neighbors. They don't have to come out and help but they always do.

P.S. Kayakers...where are you now??