The serenity of Cox's Ponds was anything but that Tuesday morning as flood waters from the Frenchman engulfed the fish ponds and recreation area along the river channel. (Republican photo)

    By Russ Pankonin
    The Imperial Republican
     With SCORE camp in town this week, Jeannine Cox of Champion was looking forward to a big time, hosting the science camp students at their retreat along the Frenchman known locally as Cox's Ponds.
     That anticipation turned to tears for Cox by Tuesday morning. Flood waters from more than 10 inches of rain turned the quaint, serene setting into a cesspool of raging flood water.
     Cox said she can never remember the water getting so high on the property which is situated right along the Frenchman Creek.
     Even when a 10-inch deluge near Holyoke came down the valley in June, 1997, and ravaged the retreat, it spared their one-room cabin nearest the channel. Not so this time.
     The crest of the water rose to more than a foot high around the cabin. As the water receded later in the morning, it left behind soaked furniture and muddy floors.
     Prior to Tuesday, the cabin was ready to house SCORE instructors and other friends arriving from Texas.
     "Isn't this horrible. I had this all ready," she said. "We have friends coming from Texas," she said in an emotionally cracked voice.
    Bob Milners keep eye on river
     About eight years ago, Bob and Jippi Milner built a new home on a small hill about 75 yards south of the Frenchman off Road 321.
     About 4 a.m. Tuesday morning, the water crested, rising quickly in the two hours prior.
     Water came up to the house, climbing up 18 inches on the basement side of the house.
     "We were pretty fortunate. Very little seeped in. We were trying to keep it backed up," Bob said, adding they only got about an inch of water in the basement.
     "When the sun came up, that's when I started realizing, man, it was a lot worse I thought out here," he noted.
     He said there wasn't a lot of water around the house but the river was really raging.
    Travises stayed in town Tuesday
     Another home threatened by the combined flood waters of the Frenchman and Sand Draw was the Kelley and Bev Travis home on the junk yard road, Ave. 331.
     Water from the two basins covered the county road south of their home, as well as the driveway to the home.
     They spent the night in Imperial with their daughter, wondering whether or not the flood waters had reached their home.
     There were other evacuations in the area as a safety precaution. Rick Teply left his home on Ave. 328 and Shona Heim remains water locked on her farm.
     She noted she's never seen this amount of water in her lifetime and the rain was still coming.
     She said she'd already had two more inches of rain Wednesday.