10 Years After the Kansas Flash Flood

Ten years ago today, a flash flood rushed through Jacob Creek, over I-35, the Kansas Turnpike, at mile marker 116 outside of Emporia. It swept away a wife and four children, leaving a husband and father to mourn the loss of his family. And even though he was grieving, he still praised God for His hand on his life.

You can read about Robert Rogers and his family at www.mightyintheland.com. He also wrote a book called, “Into the Deep.” (If you read the book, keep some tissues handy… you WILL cry.)

Thankfully, his story didn’t end there with tragedy. He was blessed with a new wife and four beautiful children.

I hope I never have to suffer such a loss… I don’t know if I could respond the way Robert did. I truly don’t know how anyone makes it through that type of loss.

His story has touched our lives in a very real and unique way, though we didn't know them personally.

Robert and his family had traveled to Wichita from the Kansas City area for a wedding. They went for the day, and they were on their way home when the flood waters washed their van off the highway.

That same day, we set out to Wichita from our home in Blue Springs, MO, a suburb of Kansas City. My brother and his wife were visiting from Phoenix with their three month-old daughter, and we were going to see them. When we got up that morning, it was raining very hard. Jim had just started a job at Quik Trip working overnights and was working part-time at a church. We knew we had to be at church the next morning, so the trip was only a quick one.

Jim was exhausted, so I drove the four hours it took to get to my parents’ house. He slept in the seat across from me, and I prayed the whole time. I had second thoughts about going on this trip the entire 210 miles because the rain was so treacherous. But we arrived at our destination safely and had a great day.

We decided earlier that we would leave to go home at 8:00 p.m. This was not negotiable because we had obligations the next day. In fact, we only took enough pull-ups for the day for our twins, and we took no other clothes at all… not even for the kids.

But as “fate” would have it, we were playing a family game and having so much fun, that we put off going home until 9:00 p.m. As we drove from Wichita on K-96 to the El Dorado turnpike entrance, the weather seemed to get a little better, though it the roads were still wet. When we arrived at the turnpike entrance gate, we were turned away. They said the roads were closed, and we wouldn’t be allowed to enter.

We weren’t sure what to do. We could drive two hours out of our way to I-70 and get home at 2:00 – 3:00 a.m., or we could go back to my parents and leave really early in the morning. We called Mom and Dad and decided to go back to their house, even though we didn’t have pajamas, toothbrushes, anything.

When we got there, our kids were worn out. Jim walked into the house with a sleeping Isaac in his arms. Mom said we were sleeping downstairs, so Jim walked over to the steps. And then something horrible happened. I was standing by the front door on my recovering sprained ankle, and when I watched Jim going to the stairs, I had a horrible sense that something bad was going to happen.

As Jim started down the stairs, he tripped. He fell down the stairs holding Isaac in his arms. My mother let out this horrible cry when she saw it happen… It was probably because she fell down the same stairs a year earlier and broke her ankle.

I started running over there as soon as I saw her face. Isaac’s head hit the wall, and Jim hit his back and couldn’t breathe. He was gasping for breath, and my sister-in-law was thinking clear enough to call 911.

It all happened so fast.

The EMT’s suggested strongly that we go to the hospital and get them checked. So, Dad took us to the emergency room, and they examined Isaac and Jim. Isaac was okay, but Jim injured his back. By the time we returned to my parents’ house, it was 3:30 a.m. Jim slept in my parents’ bed, and I stayed awake all night, making sure my little three-year old baby was okay.

In the morning, we knew we would not make it home in time for church, so we called to let them know. And then we found out what happened on the turnpike in the dark the night before. Almost immediately, we realized that if we would have left at 8:00 when had planned, it could have been us in that flood.

It could have been us.

I drove us home that morning, crying most of the way. My husband and baby fell down the stairs, but they were still alive. Thinking of the agony Robert was going through was almost too much to bear.

And I just kept thinking that it could have been us.

Every time I heard his name or saw his face for the next months, I teared up. I had a hard time talking about it, or even thinking about it, but I prayed for him almost every day. And then he spoke at our church, and we were privileged to meet him. When we shook hands, all I could do was cry while I was telling him we were 30 minutes behind his family on that same road that day.

He was very understanding and compassionate towards me. How ironic! He's the one who suffered the great loss.

But God had a great plan for Robert Rogers. He met a beautiful lady, and she became his wife. They have two sons and two daughters. And he IS a testimony of God’s faithfulness and mercy.

I am reminded of several of the verses in Lamentations 3.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’” (vs. 22-24)

“For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.” (vs. 31-33)

Ten years ago, my eyes were opened in a different way to how fleeting life can be. I watched a man choose to bless God, instead of curse him, for even the losses he suffered, and I had to wrestle with my own beliefs and suppositions. And through the years, I have found, that even in the heartbreaks and misfortunes of life, God CAN be trusted.

Just ask Robert and Inga Rogers!

And me.