Summary, Paraphrase, and Quote

Summary:
     "Lydia's Story" is written by Jan Brideau who narrates the story of a soft-spoken old women  after meeting her in a hospital, and formally calls her Lydia. Lydia faces terrible storms one after the other as she tries to hold on to her dear life, and keep away from the rapidly rising waters pouring in from nearly all sides. There is horror all around her, but she tries to keep her head high through it all to survive (128-131).

Paraphrase: 
     Lydia traverses through her house in waist high surging water to find high ground on a wooden desk. However she was soon met with more trouble as the water kept rising to the point where she had to move to the top of her kitchen counter, and before long that also started to get consumed by the endless surge going through her front door. She made retreated to the top of her closet where lucky she remained safe from the elements for five terrifying days without food, refreshments.
    When the storm finally calmed she escaped from the closet into the neck high water, and gravitated to the outside of her porch. She yelled for someone to help her, and after a time one of her neighbors came with a boat to assist her. (130).

Quote: 
"Terrified of drowning, she kept reminding herself to think clearly" (130).