This week marks the 25th anniversary of the Flood of 1985, which the Roanoke Valley on Nov. 4 and 5th. For more, see swo-co.com.

On November 4 of 1985, I was working as a Supervisor at Atlantic Mutual Insurance Co. on Highway 419, or Electric Rd. During the afternoon our staff stayed glued to the windows and the news about the flood. In the early afternoon, I received a phone call from my grandaughter's mother advising me that the schools were closing and parents were asked to pick up their children. Their home was on Grandin Rd. extension in an apartment complex, and the only exit was blocked by rising water. I left work to pick up my 8 year old grandaughter, Tia, at Oak Grove School, and bring her home safely to my house on S. McVitty Rd. As we approached the turn to go to my home, we came to a rush of water crossing 419 leading to my street. It was hard to tell how deep it was, but I took a chance and crossed it. Road crews had not yet placed any barriers there. She is now married and the mother of 3, and probably doesn't even remember this event. My memories of that day and after consisted of staying glued to the TV, viewing the destruction from flooding, especially Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Victory Stadium, Hollins College, and the terrible scenes of downtown Roanoke. I hope that what has been done to prevent a recurrance of this is enough to make it an event of the past. It seemed to take a very long time for authorities to get started on the project.

-- Joyce McCarty, Roanoke

Mike Allen and friend Mike B. waded to their lockers when Cave Spring High School was flooded. There were cars floating in the lower parking lot. They saw a waterfall coming off of the Kroger parking lot (old location) at Cave Spring Corners. Getting home was an adventure, and once he got home Mike had to take the wet vac to his room because it was flooded. His brother Greg was trapped at Hidden Valley Junior High because the road into the school was under water. They had to wait for the water to go down for the busses to be able to leave.

Garst Mill Park was under water during the flood. That little creek crossing Cresthill turned downright nasty and took the back right off of one of the houses next to it and also took out most of the driveway of another house.

-- Shonna Allen

Has it really been 25 years since I stook on my porch and watched those tall trees on the bank of Back Creek lean and then fall into the creek?

I couldn't believe my eyes. I called my husband, "Come quick," and we stood together, watching the trees fload down the creek and disappear.

I always thought of Back Creek as small and shallow, but not that day!

Thankfully, 5832 Kirk Lane was, and is, high enough to be safe from the rushing water, but the bridge there on Cotton Hill Road was washed clean.

-- Evelyn Kirk, Roanoke

I was working with fellow hairdressors at Miller and Rhoads Beauty Salon at Tanglewood Mall when the heavy rain started to come through our back wall. A girl came in crying and said her car was full of water, up over the windows. We thought the flooding was only at the mall because of some construction work going on. My sister Bonnie and I went out to move our cars to higher ground and waded in water up to our waist. Some cars in lower parking spaces were floating. Linda and other members of our salon were coming from a hair show up Rt. 220. At Boones Mill, they tuned in the radio and heard about the flood. Everyone was concerned about the rest. No cell phones then! I managed to reach my daughter, a hairdresser at Valley View Mall to tell her to stay put. By then we had heard about a death. Only later we all realized what a disaster the '85 flood was.

-- Sandra Simmons, Bent Mountain