Avery Seidel

On September 4, near the Gulf Coast, Tropical storm, Gordon, hit, sending heavy rainfall to Southern Illinois and affecting many people in the local Wayne County area. Among the most important of these were the farmers. With roughly ten inches of rain, each farmer was affected in one way or another, many of whom lost large amounts of crops. Local farmer, Paul Seidel said, “I lost around 60 acres of beans. The rain laid them flat. They can still be harvested, although they won’t produce near as much as they would have before.” Paul had previously stated, pre-rain, that his crops were “looking to be better than his previous few years.”  His thoughts drastically changed after the rains. Farmers in the Cisne area were combining corn in standing water, this being so they can try and save as much as possible.

The major flooding also affected many local roadways. Fellow classmate, Sydney Jackson stated that she was unable to leave her house because the water was so far over the road. This flooding also caused washouts creating big pot holes in the middle of some roads. Wayne County Highway Road Commissioner, Dennis Seidel said, “It was difficult to for me to leave my house to put ‘road closed’ signs out. I was trapped in from both sides, leaving me no choice but to drive through it.” Despite these minor tragedies, no lives were lost and everyone managed to get back to their everyday lives in less than two days.