Areaway

Our home features a walkout basement with an areaway (about 15 feet below ground level) that leads to our backyard. Anyone that has an areaway, especially one that is not covered, knows that it is vitally important to examine the areaway and to keep it free from debris so that you can prevent your basement from flooding during times of heavy rain. Debris such as leaves, twigs, plastic bags etc. have a tendency to “ride the wind” and find a nice comfortable landing place on the drain cover that leads to the piping that is connected to the sump pump. If the drain is covered, the sump pump won’t turn on and pump the water out of the areaway and away from the basement. Performing routine maintenance (cleaning out the areaway) is the best way to have peace of mind during rain storms that could cause flooding.

We are going on our 5th year living in our home and have had 3 minor flooding incidents. The most recent “event” occurred early on a Sunday morning about 2 weeks ago. I typically don’t remember my nighttime dreams but the ones that I do seem to have some significance as it relates to a current event or they seem to be recurring dreams. My dream on Saturday night was one of those dreams. On Saturday night I had a vivid dream in which a storm carrying with it extraordinarily heavy rains and winds came through my neighborhood, but I was not home. When I arrive home after the storm, I found that my house along with other houses in the neighborhood, had sustained damage. I had this same dream at least twice that night.

When I woke up, around 7:30 or so, I told my wife about my dream. Shortly thereafter, the sky darkened and burst open and we received a powerful downpour. After about 2 minutes of rain, something told me to check the areaway. I really didn’t think too much about it because we had a lot of rain during the early part of the summer and had no trouble with the areaway. In fact I had not even had to clean it at all during this summer. As a result of my confidence in the sump pump and the past performance of the drain system, I didn’t check the areaway until about 5 mins. later.

THAT WAS A HUGE MISTAKE.

Once I made it down to the basement and opened the door, I found a catastrophe about to happen. The floor of the areaway was quickly filling with water as the rain continued to pour from the sky. I tried frantically to clear the drain and to remove the water with my shop vac, but there was no stopping it. The rain was falling too fast and I was too far behind the trouble to prevent the consequence (flooding). As the water slowly began to seep over the door stop and into the basement, I finally was able to control the water and to clear the drain, but not until a small section of the basement had received some water damage.

I could not help but think that if I had heeded to the warning signs, if I had continued with the preventative maintenance plan that I had in place or if I had moved with more urgency and not gotten comfortable with “past performance” then this misfortunate event would not have occurred.

Just as in the physical, there are spiritual, mental, and emotional areaways in our lives. By avoiding the signs of imminent danger and by not performing regular maintenance to clean out the debris, we may find ourselves fighting with all of our might, but to no avail to try to stop ourselves from falling into a raging sea of trouble without a lifejacket.

We often don’t pay attention to people, relationships, issues etc. until they demand or command our attention. We have all experienced the regret that accompanies failing to act or acting too late. We have all been “reactional” instead of proactive even when the potential danger was as clear as day. Our pride and sometimes our complacency have led to our demise and our loss.

I am reminded of these truths regarding two important “areaways” in life…my heart and mind:

My Heart…Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

My Mind…2 Corinthians 10:5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

The storms of life will come, and those who are prepared, will come through the storms intact. I can assure you however, that if you don’t prepare for life’s storms you are sure to be blown away. I urge you to examine your “areaways” and to clear the debris that has gathered, so that as the floodwaters begin to rise, your “flood prevention” defense systems will kick in and protect your home.

Are your areaways clear?

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
B