The Great Flood of 2011 was one of seemingly Biblical proportions, particularly if you lived in low-lying areas of Concordia Parish.

Fortunately, our community was largely spared any Biblical disaster scenes. We were blessed indeed.

But the flood did have a significant impact on our community and its people.

At the end of the flood, the most damaging effect was exhaustion — physical and mental.

The unknowns of what was to come combined with the surety that something bad was coming down the great river that defines our community taught too many residents about fear.

Thanks to amazing efforts on the parts of community and business leaders, common citizens and even prisoners huge amounts of our infrastructure was saved.

The flood scared the heck out of many of us, but it also gelled our community together. Disasters always have a tendency to do that, and this one was no different.

If silver linings exist in such large-scale, community scares, it’s our recognition that when something bad happens, residents and leaders quickly drop all of our differences and reach out to help neighbors in need.

For us, the memory of how well our community rolled up its collective sleeve and got to work will be the most telling, most indelible memory we have of the flood.