They say no man is an island, but some people in Marion County may have felt that way this past week.
The Pearl River crested Sunday at its highest point in 37 years, and while some residents chose to leave, others waited it out while the water surrounded their homes.
Carlton Thornhill, who lives on Mississippi 587 between Foxworth and Morgantown, said his home had about 8 inches of water in it. He was completely cut off for three days and has been staying on the second floor.
Thornhill has rabbits, goats and other animals, so he did not feel comfortable about leaving them behind. He said his friends were more worried about him staying than he was.
Thornhill reported spying three alligators, two small ones and one larger one, but all of his animals came out safe.
“If I had to go into the water to do something for the animals, I had to call someone and let them know so they would know I was OK,” he said.
While there was still water in parts of his yard late this week, he could pull in and out of his driveway.
When the water became too high, making it too difficult to get to him, he wasn’t worried. He said those times of silence were some of his favorite moments. He would sit on the upper porch and watch the ducks swim.
The other thing that stood out to him was the beauty of it. There were times when the scenery was so beautiful that it was hard to believe that there was a flood, he said.
For Krae and Maggie Morgan of Morgantown, they did what they could to make it an adventure for their 7-year-old daughter, Kenedy. They did not want her to be scared or traumatized as they spent a week with water completely surrounding their home.
The water did not get inside the house, just all around it. However, they did not let that stop them. They would take a boat back and forth to their vehicles, which were parked at his parents’ house next door, so they could go to work and anywhere else they needed.
Krae Morgan said Kenedy did great throughout the whole ordeal. The only time it really got scary for her was the first time they traveled by boat at night; otherwise they would make it a fun excursion for her.
“It’s all about making lemonade out of lemons,” he said.
While using the boat to get to and from the house didn’t seem like a big deal, once they got to dry land travel still wasn’t easy. He said it normally takes two to three minutes to get to Morgantown, but while the waters were still high he would have to take back roads and it would take at least 15 minutes. Instead of traveling 587 to Columbia, they would have to travel Mississippi 44 and go up past Goss to come to town.
On Sunday Krae Morgan decided to add to the adventure. Instead of doing the now 15-minute drive to Morgantown Church of God where they attend church, they decided to walk the railroad tracks that run behind his house and the church.
Maggie Morgan posted on Facebook Wednesday night celebrating being able to drive her car to her house finally.
“We have laughed and laughed and it’s been an experience but not one I would care to ever do again," she said.
Mike and Merri Anne Fortenberry were prepared for the worst at their home on Dean Griner Drive, which is on the east side of the Pearl near the Columbia Water Park. Their home is built right along the river, and at the flood’s highest point, they had 2 feet of water in the lower level.
“I had already moved everything up and was prepared,” Mike said.
They have been there for 17 years and have seen floods before, but this is the highest it had been for them. Mike said he kept checking the water level outside and doing what he could to make sure they were OK.
“We had plenty of food and water, so I knew we would be fine,” he said.
Fortenberry said the scariest thing that happened to them was when their next-door neighbors sent word their trailer was shifting because of the water in the middle of the night Monday. He said his wife called 911, and the couple was rescued.
However, the water did get higher than he expected. He has a pontoon boat next to his home on a trailer. He said the water got high enough that they could have gotten on the boat there and been able to start it up and take off.
Like Thornhill, Fortenberry also commented on the beauty of the flooded river. Between watching the wildlife and the water, he marveled at the wonder of nature.
