Hey Kimmer, Beacher, BruceF, you folks ok out there?

[Gregg]

QUOTE(kimmer @ Dec 6 2007, 09:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We still don't know what this storm was. Depending on the expert you are talking to at any one particular moment, this was either a cyclone or a hurricane.

So, did they explain the difference?

QUOTE(kimmer @ Dec 7 2007, 12:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The big discussion is why this storm doesn't have a name. HA! The comment is, "If this had happened on the east coast it would have had a name."

See what I mean, Sandy?

And kim, the first part was the encouragement. I hesitated, but left the second part in. Sorry.

[dolphin]

These photos and posts remind me of my early childhood. We lived maybe 3/4 of a mile from the OHIO river and in 1956 I believe I woke up and looked outside and people were going down my street in row boats. The water was up for two days. My heart and prayers go out to all of you out there. Thankfully none of our TS family was hurt or worse. Stay safe and dry. Let's hope Beacher is OK!!!

[beacher]

Hey guys, sorry for causing any concerns, but everything is well here at The Beach.  Last weekend was amazing; we had everything from sun to snow, and everything in between, and then on Monday, we had a torrential downpour (for here; 4" of rain in 24 hrs), which led me to cancel lessons that day, in case the hillside came to “visit” anybody on The Beach.  Luckily, it just wound up being a restful reading day, laying on the love seat in the living room extension and watching the wind and waves rushing down through the Tacoma Narrows.  Since my house is on stilts over the water, things got a bit tense when the water was only about 18" from the top of the front porch about 45 minutes before high tide, and they were predicting heavy winds, but they didn't fire up until about an hour after high tide.  Whew!  Man, it's really freaky when waves start breaking over the porch, which has happened twice in the last 2 years!  (I don't care WHAT Rush, Sean, and Michael Medved say about global warming being a "liberal conspiracy"; in the 44 years that I've lived down here, that has never happened before!)  Next summer's project is to raise my house 20"; I've got all the beams sitting on the deck!"  You’re aware that there was massive flooding, down around Chehelis, and that I5 (main North-South freeway) was under 5-10’ of water.  Unbelievable, and to think that it was pretty much caused by the greed of the city fathers makes it a “hangin’ offense”, in my book!  Several reports say that the filling of the wet lands where Costco and Wal-Mart were built is what caused the flooding, since the water couldn’t go there anymore.  Yep, they just HAD to have that tax money, provided by the businesses, so many of the taxpayers of Chehalis are now paying the price with the loss of their homes and possessions. . . Funny how the businesses seem to be able to get around “wetland” regulations, but pity the poor individual that runs into them!  Ah, God, I’m so cynical. . . They said that they’re going to open the freeway to trucks tonight, and hopefully, by tomorrow, they’ll open it to regular traffic.

[kimmer]

Beacher, I'm glad you are okay!

QUOTE(sandbox @ Dec 7 2007, 12:06 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Storms can be an eye opening experience, they test your metal.

That they do, and as Chris said ... "Sage words of preparedness, SB!" We were fairly well prepared, but this showed us a few "holes". We are trying to be stocked and ready as our hill is an evac point in case of a Tsunami ... so come January when the shelves are restocked ... we'll be adding to our emergency buckets.

QUOTE(Gregg @ Dec 7 2007, 05:34 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE(kimmer @ Dec 6 2007, 09:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We still don't know what this storm was. Depending on the expert you are talking to at any one particular moment, this was either a cyclone or a hurricane.

So, did they explain the difference?

No, but I remembered the discussion from here recently, and when the power was back up I did some research ... but the experts get paid to give their opinions and opinioning they are doing.

QUOTE(kimmer @ Dec 7 2007, 12:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And kim, the first part was the encouragement. I hesitated, but left the second part in. Sorry.

No need to be sorry, I chalked it up to your dry wit, and that's why I winked and smiled at ya. You made me laugh -- and I need to laugh!

QUOTE(beacher @ Dec 7 2007, 09:09 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Unbelievable, and to think that it was pretty much caused by the greed of the city fathers makes it a “hangin’ offense”, in my book!
... Ah, God, I’m so cynical. . .

Cynic away. The damage we had here in our neighborhood is partly due to these 2 twits of developers and the city fathers and their greed ... Oh well, nothing to be done about it now. We're all picking up the pieces and moving forward ... and as I've said ... we are all thankful to be alive and dry and all that.

I give five stars to our one local grocery store (Ray's) and to Amerigas. Service above and beyond from both and they earned my undying gratitude.

I'm gonna go build some more web pages -- 3 done, several to go; but I'm having fun.

[Bill-R]

The road opened this morning - I went to work and my wife went and got groceries and I brought home Pizza!! The road crews have been very busy up here and have done a great job getting things back going.

Now to restock the emergency buckets for the next one and I have my eye on a generator at costco!

[Gregg]

QUOTE(Bill-R @ Dec 7 2007, 08:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The road opened this morning - I went to work and my wife went and got groceries and I brought home Pizza!! The road crews have been very busy up here and have done a great job getting things back going.

Good news!

They have done a terrible job in our city clearing snow. We've gotten 13 inches already this month! Last weekend's freezing rain seems to have infiltrated the minds of the DPW administration. What? They forgot to watch/listen to a weather report?

[Xairbusdriver]

No one around here even thinks about a generator until after the need arises! "What, me worry?" Of course, by then, both models will be off the shelves. All shelves! No store ever has more than two! "Plan ahead!" That's too much like keeping ones eyes on the road several cars ahead of you, few ever do that, either!

[chriskleeman]

Yea BEACHER!!! A toast to all of you who have weathered the storm! Bill hope it was yummy! I've been worrying a bit Glad you are all ok!    

CK

[Bill-R]

Well things are starting to get back to normal.  Most things are getting repaired but there are about 5 roads/bridges that will not be fixed for several months. Here is a picture of my friends house.

                           

I have to say that I was amazed at the media coverage over this event.  The day of the storm all you could hear about was Lewis county and Kitsap (where I live) county. Here in Kitsap we got 12 inches of rain in less than 24 hours and that was on top of the 6 or 8 inches of snow that fell the day/night before. The next day after I-5 closed at Chehalis that is all they talked about.  Don't get me wrong I am not jealous or anything and I know that they had problems and probably just as bad but it just seemed like all of the sudden it was the only place that had troubles.  I guess what got me the most is, like beacher mentioned, they caused the situation that resulted in the flooding.  As I drive around my area I am shocked at the damage and my heart goes out to the many people who's lives have been effected by this storm. I also hope and pray that they will be able to find the help they need to get their life back in order.  My friends house would have been covered by flood insurance but it is not going to do him much good because 95 feet of his property washed away down the creek and his insurance will not cover it because his property is unusable now.

[beacher]

Ah, man, that just makes me sick, Bill; my thoughts and prayers are with your friends.  At least when I got "hit" by the tree and hillside, back in '96, I still had a place to live in, albeit a little "drafty", and the majority of the house was OK.  It still took me about a year, working on it by myself, to get back to where I had been.  Obviously, your friends don't even have that to look forward to. . .

[kimmer]

Oh gads, Bill. I feel sorry for your friends.

We feel really fortunate. Our trees that the wind twisted and snapped and sent to live in our neighbors yard -- by a major miracle did NO damage. No one could believe it. Missed her roof by inches. Didn't break her fancy fence. Didn't ruin her landscaping. Didn't damage anything in our yard either.

So we are WAY poorer (don't yet know if insurance will cover this or no), but feeling thankful.

The white wolf sanctuary is gonna take the food that spoiled in our freezer, so that's less to just dump as well.

[chriskleeman]

Ouch, Bill...

We had a flood across the river around Acworth NH a few years ago that did damage like that to many homes in the that area. It all happened so fast that it was a miracle that more people weren't seriously hurt. But several homes just washed away from spots where they had been for years, and there are sections of road that will probably never be opened again. Several people just watched their property swallowed by the raging waters.

My thoughts and prayers are with your friends too.

Chris K

[Xairbusdriver]

So, how are our mid-west folks handling the ice storms?! My Sister-in-Law (in Columbia, MO) was pretty much homebound Monday, Churches closed Sunday, hear the temps are above freezing now but the damage is already done. South of you, gunug?

[Gregg]

Thankfully, we had snow, no freezing rain. The plowing crews can't keep up with it. It will take a few days to clear it all. It's a mess, but there haven't been any power failures or bad accidents on the roads like I've heard about just to the south of us.

[Xairbusdriver]

Just talked to my S-i-L, who is a counselor, and she is not a happy camper! She was not prevented from getting to work yesterday but several of her clients didn't call until >30 minutes to cancel. Hope she regains her composure before trying to help them with their problems next week! Apparently these people never thought about the fact that their doctor may not live at the office!

We don't seem to have many members who admit to living in northern TX, OK, CO, SD, ND, MT, MO or western KS or NB. What is Apple doing to get Macs to this huge area?! Most of them now have electricity and even phones!