Dam! Dam!

I wrote this in November of 2002, a few months after moving to the dam area. Brooke has long since returned to 911 dispatching back down in High Point where we used to live but Mistie now works for Halifax 911 so she keeps me abreast of the local news. The most worrisome lately has been that the local police and dam officials are planning to hold a dam disaster drill in March. It seems they do this every year too. What?! A dam drill and they don't warn me...er, citizens so that I....they can get out of town?! What kind of lunatics are running this place?

BTW Brooke is my middle daughter and Mistie is my oldest. I hope you enjoy the story.


We are all familiar with the term “ignorance is bliss” and I’m here to tell you it is. Or was. Brooke has stolen my bliss. Sometimes it just doesn’t pay to have family who works in the public sector.

Brooke, Mistie and I were out just driving around town looking at houses after lunch at Pizza Inn today having a blissful time when Brooke oh-so-casually mentioned something that she learned at work; Roanoke Rapids is smack in the middle of two dams and that if one of them ever broke we’d be under water within 5 minutes. What?! We live not only near one but TWO dams? Double dam!

I’m a nervous wreck now and my stomach has been tied in knots ever since she oh-so-casually mentioned this little fact to us. She even thinks my reaction is funny. I’ve told her if I wake up in a cold sweat at night that I’m dragging her out of bed to sit up with me. Of course I’ll have to make sure it isn’t cold water lapping at my bed that woke me first.

Since we were in the general vicinity of one of these dam dams, she asked ifI wanted to see it. At first I was afraid to go. After all I want to be as far away as possible when—if it breaks so that I can get a head start running. Then I decided it may make me feel better seeing it up close. It didn’t. That dam looks so flimsy! It’s not really very impressive and sort of small. It scares me to think that that short somewhat narrow wall is all that’s keeping us dry. I’ve already decided that if we enter a heavy rain period I’m heading north away from the dams. I won’t take I-95 though. They have those tunnels in Baltimore that run under the water. I used to despise going through those things when we lived up there. I was always sure the walls would crack and water would rush in to wash us away just as we got to the middle.

Brooke is very relaxed about the idea of being caught between two dams and soon tried to change subjects on us by asking if I know what she wants forChristmas. (This is assuming a dam doesn’t break and wash us away before then.) I said, “Yes, a swim vest!”

Our real estate agent told us all about the two lakes and one river around here. He also told us all about the walking trails around the river and a little history of the area. He did not however mention the two dams or that this entire area could one day be one giant swimming hole. I wonder if I can go back and sue him for misrepresenting the area?

There are some beautiful houses that are built right on the lake. As we drove around the area I found myself tsk tsking those foolish folks working around their yards in obvious blissful ignorance. I'll bet if I sent Brooke to have an oh-so-casual chat with them that you could pick up some lake front property real cheap shortly after.

Mistie thinks I’m an alarmist but I think I’ve come up with a perfect solution to my problem. I want to buy a boat. We can save money though since we won’t need a boat trailer. We can just set the boat in the front yard and jump in at the first sign of rising waters. We could even make it a houseboat since if this place goes under, we’re going to need a place to live.

I miss my bliss.

After I wrote this, I learned from Tim Lee (of Tips du Jour and Recipe du Jour fame and who lives on Lake Gaston near at least one of the dams) that we actually live near THREE dams! As alarming as that fact is, I do feel somewhat better that he promised to e-mail us if any near him breaks. That was so nice that I've decided to save him a place on our houseboat if we ever buy one. Assuming of course that he's a strong swimmer and can get here before we shove off.........

As for this dam drill--I've been assured that no one touches any controls, that it's simply to test the response time of the local police in the event a dam does break. Hmmmmm that makes me pause to wonder......do the locals drive amphibious cars and do they carry life vests in their back seats? Anyway, I just hope that no one gets too gung ho and decides to start playing with levers so that they can offer a live dam burst test.

Has anyone else seen that commercial that shows a house being hit by lightening then fire, etc and how insurance will cover it all? THEN a flood hits and they say insurance won't pay for that without a special supplement. I sincerely hate that commercial.

Jayne/nagymom