[AGL] Enough already

[Gerry]

Connie,
The river stayed in its banks, barely. It would have needed to be another 4-5' higher to be threatening to me. Rain stopped at about 3PM, in the end it was like Seattle for an hour or so, big drops falling softly and randomly. 

I got out this morning before the road went and when I returned in the afternoon the road was bad so I walked down to the house and got the pick and shovel and made some new tracks. Since the truck was coming downhill I didn't have to worry about getting stuck in the muck. By tomorrow it will be OK unless there is more rain. I live in the flood plain about a 10 minute walk to the river, not far above level of the river bank. When it floods I can see the water coming over the pasture where it has to cross an irrigation ditch before it reaches my place. The Sun came out a half hour ago, very beautiful. When the rain was about done I had a hit and hiked along the road and around my zone...incredible, summer plants in full flower ("weeds"). The cicadas will be out in the evening, new mosquitos too. The apples are getting big and bending down the limbs, garden is running wild. All's right with the world...until the next time we get dumped on. It was, in the end 1.5" in 10 hours here, more in the high country. 

The floods in NM are caused by too much water in the natural drainage system, arroyos, canyons, and ultimately rivers. Also by failed levees and other manmade interruptions of the natural flow. New developments around ABQ, big expensive desert houses with great views were really hit hard, built them in the path of the water, or built roads which altered the path of the water, or too much water on the roads turned them into arroyos, sometimes overnight, sometimes every week...bad engineering. The Rio Grande has been flooding big time in Southern NM and El Paso area. Hatch, the chile capitol of the world, has been flooded twice already (on the Rio Grande). BIG river. As a rule the monsoon showers are rather brief and pleasant, but this year there is so much moisture being sucked up from the Gulf beneath the high pressure area covering most of Texas that we are being hit hard. As a friend joked with me today, when we were praying for rain back during the drought we overdid it.

Now I have to put all the stuff I stacked on tables and counters to get it off the floor back where it came from...or maybe I'll wait a day or two.
G


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Connie Clark 
  To: survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s 
  Sent: Tuesday, August 22, 2006 11:21 AM
  Subject: Re: [AGL] Enough already


  Gerry,
  I had no idea - the news these days is all full of the important event of the arrest of a child pornographer - practically nothing else.

  Is your place on low ground?  I'm not familiar with how flood events behave in the mountainous areas, but it seems to me that if you flee in the car, you could end up in a flash flood at a low pass as the river overflows.  

  Our last major flood, I stayed put and watched the water come closer and closer to the door - but that is how it does here - slowly rises.  I can handle a few inches or even a few feet in the house - not life threatening just messy.  Some folks living closer to the bayous stack a row of sandbags that will keep out a few inches if that is all it turns out to be. You are talking about rushing water and that's different. Just move higher.

  Good luck and keep us posted if you can.

  Connie




  Gerry <mesmo at gilanet.com> wrote:
    In case you missed it, New Mexico is under water. Yep, the whole state except for the highest ground. Record floods everywhere, Rio Grande on a tear, roads out, emergency centers full, all kinds of freak events. It has been raining for nearly 2 months, highly unusual in that the amounts are much greater than normal, about 10 inches here.

    I was up well before dawn, awakened by thunder and rainfall on the roof. At first light I drove to the bridge to see what the river was doing. Bad news, it is barely within its banks. Now I have packed an emergency kit, moved all valuables to counter and table tops, unplugged everything but the computer, etc. I am ready to bolt. It is still dripping outside and according to the radar the rain should be moving north but not yet. As I write there is more thunder from the South meaning more rain is likely on the way...so much for the prognosticators.

    At the first sign of the river overflowing I will get out. Guess I'll go to Silver City and get a room in a motel. What to do? I would feel very foolish to abandon ship and then have the rain stop and the river recede. I would feel even more foolish if I presumed I was floodproof and sat here too long. In another hour will take another drive and see how it looks, assuming I can get out on the muddy, rutted road. 

    According to the forecast, there is no let up in sight, days and days of scattered rain. Sooner of later the Gila will reach its max unless some combination of events pushes the rain away, not likely according to the forecasters.

    Up the creek...
    G




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