Well, folks. I can now say that I have experienced a flood and let me tell you, I won't ever view the word "flooding" the same way.

As many of you know, I live in Poplar Bluff. Actually, I live on Highway 53 outside of Poplar Bluff going toward Qulin, about a mile from the Black River.

When Emergency Management came to my door Wednesday afternoon and said that we had to evacuate, to be absolutely honest, I didn't think much of it. My idea of flooding was maybe some standing water in the yard outside.

I locked up my dogs and we even brought the pygmy goat in in a dog crate in case her pen got a little water in it and we set out for the hotel. Even when my husband went to check on the house Wednesday evening and there was about two feet of water covering our property, I still thought nothing of it.

My sister's house was already full of water by then, so we took her dogs to our house, that actually sits on about three and a half feet of foundation. No problems. Sure, it's a lot of water, but we're still okay, I thought.

Then the levee not far from our house broke. We heard the news and rushed toward home to try to get to our animals locked inside the house. Unfortunately, the water was much faster than I ever imagined it could be.

(For those of you near tears, none of our animals were hurt, thank God. Keep reading for the rest of the story.)

The river had claimed Highway 53 and passage was impossible without a boat. That was also the case Thursday morning and we still couldn't get to our animals.

By Thursday evening, we were frantic. However, the water was no longer rushing over the road, so despite warnings not to, we piled into my husband's truck and drove into what I imagine was three feet or more of water.

We made it home and all the dogs were fine. In fact, they were not only fine, but only the three oldest dogs had even had an accident in the house. By Friday night, there was only about a foot of water left and by Saturday morning, the water had receded so that we could begin cleaning up.

We got lucky. Our home was situated up high enough that no water got in, although we are most likely going to have to replace all the flooring because the water was up to the floor underneath the house.

Unfortunately, my sister's home was a loss. She and her animals are safe, but she has very little left of what was once her home.

I thank God everyday that he let us get through this safe and sound, despite what material possessions were lost. I thank God everyday for all those here who offered to help in any way they could and in case I missed someone, thank you for all your heartfelt offers. You don't know how much they mean.

But now that I've seen flooding first-hand, I think that I can feel more compassion for those who suffer through the same thing. I didn't really realize before the impact that flooding can have on an individual and a community.

Although there are trying times ahead, at least we can say a few good things came out of this whole situation!