Up River, Stories of the Flood
Interview conducted by Philip Shabazz
Painting by Sue Luddeke

Shabazz: "Who actually rescued you from the high flood water?"

" ... Around three a.m., September the seventeenth, 1999, two huge logs were filing across the river, prevented me from reaching my friend's house who had promised to help me with my ... .  Suddenly I looked back and turning my truck around I saw a huge slope of water coming towards me.  Then I  attempted to back up, but suddently the flow of water overcame the truck and drowned the motor out.  I was so scared and frightened.  I was paralyzed with fear.  I could not move the truck.  I got out and attempted to walk out of the water.  The water was two strong. I almost fell down.

My flashlight fell out of my pocket and it went down, down, down.  That frightened me so I went back to the truck and sat back down and started praying and singing and repeating every Bible verse that I remembered.  The fear began to diminish as I remained in the car for about two hours before anybody came.  I started to shiver.  I thought about death. But something told me to clap my hands and pat my feet and to shout around.

I felt better.  The water continued to rise.  It came up to my throat.  I got the feeling that I would live.  I knew that I would die.  A voice came in my right ear.  It said, 'Open your eyes.'  When I did, I saw a small truck near the beginning of the water.  I attempted to  ... to let whoever was in the truck ... let the driver know that I was alive.  The truck turned around and went out of sight.  Again I returned.

I closed my eyes and returned to my prayers. But Jesus just separated me from all material things, and ... Then again, I could ... a voice came in my ... my ear, my right, and it said, 'Open your eyes, open your eyes.'  I opened my eyes, and it was difficult this time because the water was near my mouth, and I saw the rescue truck already racing up and with the police car blue lights behind entering the water.  I ... I was so ... I was so happy, I knew God had not ... that night.

So the driver came up to me, to my car, said, 'It's the ... it's the lady. We have to lift her out.'  And all of a sudden I sprang up high from the water, and said, 'I can get out of here. ... Open this door!'  And they came over and opened the door.  They said, 'Don't take anything out.'  I had my briefcase and all my personal belongings on the back of this truck.  I pulled it out, and I walked over to the fire truck, the rescue squad truck, and I got over there.  They said, 'You have to sit down.'  I said, 'I don't have to sit down.  I'm just too happy to sit down.  Let me hold on.'  And I held on to the truck and I was taken to the fire house to wait for someone to take me home."

Philip Shabazz: "That  tells you you were holding your breath, because I mean if you raised that window and the water was up to your mouth too . . ."

"Yes. And being a nurse, I knew that the water was . . . in my mouth and that my lungs would overcome . . . you know, knowing how I would die. I just kept saying, 'Lord, don't let me struggle, don't let the . . . this lung. And I had given up everything . . ."