“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 986 (Monday) – crazy day

From the office window, looking down Merrimack Street with the lit trees, towards the now lit for the holiday season City Hall and the smokestack tree, the flashing lights of emergency vehicles accented the illuminated streetscape. The police station can be seen from the office, and the fire station is just beyond it, so lights and sirens are common downtown. 

The ride from the garage to home after work started out quiet, much like the morning ride. A block beyond the high school on the other side of the road, it got interesting. The road was wet. Not it-just-rained wet (it hadn't). More like monsoon season wet. Water pooled in the street up to the top of the curb along the median strip. A fire truck was in the road.

Water, water.

Water gushed up and while sitting at a red light, there was time to look around. It was a lake on the other side of the median strip. Water covered all the travel lanes, the sidewalk, and the yards and parking area around the buildings. A few parked cars sat in water that was as deep as the tires were tall and up to the body of the car. A police vehicle parked across the road blocked access to the flooded area. 

 While sitting at another red light and admiring the view from the bridge, a police vehicle came screaming through the intersection up ahead. It felt like a theme was developing.

On the approach home, two streets beyond mine, a police cruiser sat on the opposite side of the road with the brilliant, blinding blue lights flashing. A neighbor pulled into the house next door right after I pulled into my driveway. Against the backdrop of a helicopter circling overhead, we exchanged pleasantries and compared notes about our respective rides home. She came from the opposite direction and said it looked like a car had hit the house where the police car was.

Facebook was full of chatter and images about the water main break, which required evacuating residents from flooded homes by boat. The senior center was being prepared for shelter. People commented on brown water from the taps in several neighborhoods. Mine was running clear, but as a precaution, I went to Family Dollar for bottled water. I drove past the house where the police car had been and saw that the stone steps in front of the house were shifted and the wrought iron railing leaned at an extreme angle. Crazy day.