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Two Letters Re: Some Observations on Recent Flooding in the US Midwest
James,
I got this from a friend in Indiana:
All is well at our house but the town is suffering. Here are a few comments
for your edification.
- Small rivers come up fast with 10 inches of rainfall. Unknown to me, but
if I had delayed another 30 minutes in going home, I would not have been with
my family where I was needed.
- This was the first time other than snow events when I could not leave town.
All roads underwater, including interstates and state highways.
- My Chevy 4WD pickup will go through deeper water than most cars. Don't purchase
any used cars from Indiana for awhile.
- The portable generator worked great. With smart load management I could essentially
run the entire house including frig, freezer, microwave, geothermal air conditioning,
and lights. Total power off time was 12 hours with less that 6 hours of generator
run time. Now I want to have more fuel on hand. A quieter generator would have
been a plus.
- When the power went off and it was expected to be off for the duration of
this emergency, we all immediately took showers to use the available hot water.
Sometime later the city water pressure went way down but not completely off.
Toilets remained operational.
- The hospital was flooded and will be closed for an indeterminate length of
time. All patients were evacuated. Plan your medical emergencies accordingly.
- I'm in the market for a battery powered AM/FM radio with headphone jack so
I can listen to local news without disturbing others during the night. Local
radio seems to be the best source of information. Cable went off line. The
weather band radio was useful as they routinely give river level conditions.
- The middle school and later the high school were opened for those seeking
shelter. I'd rather sleep in the woods.
- My brother lives 30 miles away but works here. He was stranded and spent
the night with us. He appreciated the hot shower, clean bed, dinner, etc. He's
now thinking that a bug out kit would be a good thing. He would have slept
in his truck rather than go to the shelter. Drinking water would have been
his first issue.
- Cell phone communications stayed up but were overloaded. Too many folks use
them for non-essential communications. Same for 911 calls. I don't have a good
work around but will give this some thought.
- There was no car or pedestrian traffic in our subdivision during the night.
I anticipate this would change if the situation had stretched for several days.
With no street lights or city ambient lighting, night vision [equipment] would
have been helpful.
- The headlamp on a headband really makes the odd jobs in the dark much easier
to manage. LED flashlights
are a good thing. Surefire [flashlight]s were kept in reserve.
The town is in clean up mode now. Thanks and Best Wishes, - Bill N.
Mr. Rawles
Hello from a long time reader. Thanks for all the info. I thought I could
give everyone a heads up on what is happening in the new Wisconsin
wetlands. First off it is amazing how foolish people act when a disaster strikes.
There a literally hundreds of people walking around in backed up sewer
water which
is waist deep. Without even shoes? People think that if they drive
their
sports car fast enough through the water they can make it. People who
live within sight of a river are on television saying how shocked they are.
Didn't it ever occur to anyone that if you live within 20 feet of a body
of
water
it
might rise someday?
My house is fine, on a hill in the higher part of town. Our Bug Out Location
(B.O.L.) is fine too, just called and got the"okay" word. It is nice to know
which ways
to take
out of town
in
the event of a flood for next time. Make a note of this it might come
in handy. People are helping each other sand bag their homes and businesses.
I wonder
how long people will work together if food were to not be trucked in.
It
was funny to watch my neighbors load groceries into their house in
the pouring
rain. Preps come in handy on a rainy day, literally.
There has been lots of damage around all of Wisconsin, I had to take an alternate
route to work as they shutdown a few of the lower roads. Seeing the damage
first
hand
is sad
and at the same time I think is good for people because it makes them
realize how
quickly everything can be lost. Coming home from my in-laws' house, I
had a man hole cover blow off two feet from my truck, due to the water pressure.
The next
day there was an article in the local paper on how one woman's SUV was
totaled because
she wasn't so lucky.
Now I'm just waiting wondering if I will have a job, if the d**n on Phantom
Lake goes, so does the building that I work at. - Bill C. in Wisconsin
