The Rachel River Runneth Over
Jun. 27th, 2006 01:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ellyssianNiagara falls? Walk out my driveway and look left.
Mississippi River? You're standing in it.
Grand Canyon? That would be the driveway.
Two deep canyons down the driveway - you have to drive *into* the woods to line the deep canyon up under the car, then follow that to the other side of the driveway and out. And avoid the 2' deep pothole and cross canyon at the base of the driveway.
The 12" pipe under the driveway can't handle the flow. Most of the flow heads down the middle of the street.
I've heard some numbers on the depths of some "indoor pools" in the neighborhood - 1', 3', and 5'.
A cabin near the entrance to the development was submerged by the Rachel River. Justin and I drove through the river as it crossed the road. By the time we came back, the water had dropped. That water had filled a grotto at least 10' deep, and about half an acre in area.
The corner of Long Run and Red Hill Road was washed out. Water reached 3-4' depth over the road, as well as filling the normal channel for the stream. Red Hill Road itself is now much less of a road - large quantities of asphalt has been swept away.
In 50 years time, it only flooded nearly that bad once - 35 years ago, during a hurricane.
I watched one of the most unintelligent women in the world drive through 2-3' of rushing water. In a Grand Am. Pedal to the metal, and the car crawled the last car length worth of stream, moving nearly as fast sideways. If it had been one more car length of crossing, I would have had to call 911 for them to retrieve her body and that/those of her passenger(s.) Stupid, stupid people. Several trucks also went through.
It did drop - a lot, by the time I headed into work at noon - but I refused to use it until they officially reopen the road (which means, hopefully, that the bridge is actually still the kind that can help you drive over something, and not the kind that crumbles and lets you slide into something.)
I have pictures - nearly 40 of them, before I ran out of film - of the yard flooding, driveway, Rachel River, and of the Red Hill/Long Run intersection. Will drop them off for developing tonight.
For those wondering, rain is still a good thing, and any flooding damages in my neighborhood (or any other developed/developing area) are not "Acts of God" they are the "Acts of Politicians/Engineers/Developers who Think They Are God." Unfortunately, I don't think that will help people collect.
Mississippi River? You're standing in it.
Grand Canyon? That would be the driveway.
Two deep canyons down the driveway - you have to drive *into* the woods to line the deep canyon up under the car, then follow that to the other side of the driveway and out. And avoid the 2' deep pothole and cross canyon at the base of the driveway.
The 12" pipe under the driveway can't handle the flow. Most of the flow heads down the middle of the street.
I've heard some numbers on the depths of some "indoor pools" in the neighborhood - 1', 3', and 5'.
A cabin near the entrance to the development was submerged by the Rachel River. Justin and I drove through the river as it crossed the road. By the time we came back, the water had dropped. That water had filled a grotto at least 10' deep, and about half an acre in area.
The corner of Long Run and Red Hill Road was washed out. Water reached 3-4' depth over the road, as well as filling the normal channel for the stream. Red Hill Road itself is now much less of a road - large quantities of asphalt has been swept away.
In 50 years time, it only flooded nearly that bad once - 35 years ago, during a hurricane.
I watched one of the most unintelligent women in the world drive through 2-3' of rushing water. In a Grand Am. Pedal to the metal, and the car crawled the last car length worth of stream, moving nearly as fast sideways. If it had been one more car length of crossing, I would have had to call 911 for them to retrieve her body and that/those of her passenger(s.) Stupid, stupid people. Several trucks also went through.
It did drop - a lot, by the time I headed into work at noon - but I refused to use it until they officially reopen the road (which means, hopefully, that the bridge is actually still the kind that can help you drive over something, and not the kind that crumbles and lets you slide into something.)
I have pictures - nearly 40 of them, before I ran out of film - of the yard flooding, driveway, Rachel River, and of the Red Hill/Long Run intersection. Will drop them off for developing tonight.
For those wondering, rain is still a good thing, and any flooding damages in my neighborhood (or any other developed/developing area) are not "Acts of God" they are the "Acts of Politicians/Engineers/Developers who Think They Are God." Unfortunately, I don't think that will help people collect.
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-27 06:01 pm (UTC)See? Evidence that Natural Selection is not working. Obvious evidence that Intelligent Design is correct.
You've been hit pretty bad. We have not, fortunately.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-27 06:35 pm (UTC)Thought it was worse further south. Even on a local scale, one thing that kept me home this morning was that I thought I'd run into further trouble heading 30 or so miles south - but the Lehigh Valley area didn't get hit with nearly as much as we did.
Current report is that it's alternating between being overly bright and sunny to approaching pitch dark.
The measures I've been taken - which consist of "planting," "aiming drainage," and "planting thirsty plants" seem to be keeping the house itself dry, at least.
The next house up - the Rachel River comes down within 3' of the back corner before splitting to go around the house. When they were first working on that place the hole for the foundation filled up in an hour. Dig one day, come back the next to find a pond. Still, if they had given up, I could have planted some more stuff and reduced home ownership claims further down the street.
Thankfully, there's no more room for more houses - each one increases the problems a few doors down.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-28 01:48 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-29 03:23 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-29 01:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-30 02:25 am (UTC)