lol gail...exciting?! lol
I used to think all of Kansas was sea level (turns out we are something like 900 ft up) and I told that to my little 2nd cousin that who lives in Utah. She was around 9 years old. She was pretty concerned and said to me...how do you keep the ocean from drowing you? Really cute. ; )
But being sea level and living next to the sea? As gessiegail would say... "kinda exciting!!" lol jk
I'm really not sure how much rain we had. I was told that just on Saturday (not counting the rain on Sunday), Ottawa 30 min. to the Northwest had 8 inches and Garnett 30 min. to the Southwest had 16 (and Welda 30 min South of them had 26). So since we're kinda between them, I can assume we had 12 inches just on Saturday. But being between 2 branches of the Pottowatomie River was what killed us.
Someone asked me about our toilet situation so I thought I'd just post that- there are Johnnie on the Jobs about every block. We do have a place to urinate. lol And we are able to take showers and do our dishes- we just have to dump the water in our backyard.
There are 2 lakes nearby whose reservoirs are past the flooding stage. They are worried about the dams not being about to keep that kind of pressure and have to release more water into the Pottawatomie River. So we expect the water levels to come back up for a while, but not to where it was.
I really didn't expect to be able to get mail- our post office gets its mail from Osawatomie, which is mostly flooded. But I suppose we are getting it from Kansas City now because it's still coming.
O/T The rains came down and the floods came up
:) hee hee .... I don't know what I'd do if I had to use one of those porta potties! I hate those things ... as bad as an out house! When we lost power for a week during the hurricanes a couple of years ago, we could flush the toilets by getting buckets of water from the pool! We are in an unincorporated section of the city so we don't have city water or sewer, but we have wells and septic systems. So, without power the well pump doesn't work. It was so hot, no air conditioning ... generator was small so we could run two little fans .... lived in a bathing suit! Hubby took a picture of me shaving my legs in the swimming pool. Not fun times. It sure made me appreciate electricity! Hubby went out after that and bought a large generator that will run the frig, a small window air conditioner in the bedroom (which we've yet to purchase in case of anothe storm with power outage) and it will run his 150 gal aquarium too, so the fish don't die. I think he's a little disappointed that we haven't had to use the new generator yet! He bought it right after those 3 canes' in summer 2005 .... so the thing is almost two years old and shiny new! He gets it out and starts it up every so often.
cjolene,
SO glad to hear you are doing okay and your home survived. These storms are so scary. Are they more prevalent or is it really a southern thing? I grew up in Michigan and like to tease my DH that we never had any major weather troubles. And really we were lucky. Snowed in maybe a day or so but that was it.
I do know "The Wise Man and the Foolish Man" song. Are you suggesting we built our homes on mountains? I think they do that in California and then they have landslides. =( So I guess nothing is safe.
Wonderful news your church has stepped in to help already. You never hear about the kindness of folks like that on the news do you?
At least your little boy isn't potty trained yet or it would make for another adventure, eh?
Oh my goodness...lol...I wouldn't want to have to coax any little kids to use those port-a-potties. I didn't even think of that! lol
No, you're right- our church doesn't advertise when they help communities out like this and they don't alert the media. They certainly don't do it to get recognition. But they do it all the time- here's a website for it:
http://www.lds.org/ldsfoundation/accelwork/priority/1,7476,1336-1-9-737,00.html
lady lin, you lost power for a WEEK?!?! Yuck!! I am cracking up that you were so concerned about the fish, though, I think that might have been the farthest from my mind. lol
hee hee ... not me concerned about the fish ... that's Hubby's pride & joy ... a 150 gal Marine/Salt Water aquarium! Salt water fish are quite expensive, some even when real tiny! So, he didn't want to lose any of the fish or live coral and live rock in the tank! You should see what we go through with our house sitter before leaving for vacation, making sure they know to hook up an inverter or something if the power should go out during a storm! If there's a power failure, the pump can't run in the tank, and any living thing in there would be gone!
I was just catching up on your thread, cjolene and I don't think people call the media when they do "good"........most churches spend most of their money on mission work for the poor in spirit, poor in body, poor in money, etc......
In our little town of Portland where our church is located, we received over 300 Katrina people for over a week.........I remember the emails going out for 40 wall clocks, etc...
In Houston where the city received hundreds of thousands of people from Katrina, both my daughter and her husband worked 80 hours a week each and then put in 4 hours a day each at the Astrodome seeing sick children and adults.
In my heart, it is only natural to do the generous thing without wanting recognition.........this is just my belief that people always rise to the need of suffering humans wherever they are.......even if our government doesn't see the need, for example.
I just found it in Rob's Violet Barn catalog..........description is: Fully dbl. white w/mottling of yellow. Dark, TLV foliage. Best of its' kind. Semimini (Sorano)
I think it was me who first mentioned you never hear about the churches helping out(unless you are the locals) . I just know a lot of groups who went to the Katrina after-math to help and it wasn't on the news....all we were able to see on the news was people upset about FEMA. It's so nice to hear about of the "good" news, even if only on Dave's. Glad to hear you are well cjolene!!!!!
I think CJ sent all the rain down here to the South! We really need it ... and it's raining again today! Rained all afternoon yesterday, all night and we are still getting it. Thank Goodness we aren't having the storms with thunder and lightning though. We sure don't need sever weather with Tornado's ... but this rain is lovely!
Hope all are drying out in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas! And my thoughts and prayers are with everyone affeccted by those floods.
Sometimes it's hard to realize there are still good neighborly people in this world, because (most of the time) we only hear the negative from the media... but I know there are still many, many who work long hours helping their fellow citizens. Kudos to your daughter and son in law Miss Gail, who gave of their time helping those in need after that horrible hurricane. Knowing they are Doctors and how busy they stay with their own jobs ... to take the time to help those less fortunate is a very giving and kind thing. So many just look the other way and think "someone" else will do it. We have some retiree friends here who after Katrina her husband went with a group of men from their church - took truckloads of supplies and their motor home to Mississippi for two weeks, came back home for a couple of days ... loaded up more supplies and went back for another few weeks. They were helping rebuild homes. I know in past hurricanes down here when there are massive power outages there will be trucks from electric companies from different areas of the country coming into Florida to help ... same with wildfires ... the fires of 1998 around here were pretty bad and we had fire fighters from a bunch of different states down here helping fight fires. I think it's just that the media reports more bad news than good.
"Me thinks" you are absolutely right, Lin...............people seem to just rise to the need no matter what.............not like in my grandparents's day...........people are the 'me generation' today but most do remember how their grandparents helped their neighbors and follow suit.
Several weeks ago, we had had no rain and the soil started to blow away for the farmers' cotton. My brother was in a tailspin trying to get the tractors in the field as quickly as he could to keep the top soil down.............low and behold I look out the window and a friend of ours was using his own equipment to save my brother's cotton...........no one had asked him to help............when Jimmy thanked him for what he had done, his response was so cute, "Well, i got to get to heaven and I don't go to church regularly".............we all laughed.........
Oh Gail .... I love that answer he gave to your brother! I don't go to church either, but I know God Loves Me whether I pray in a church or in My Garden that HE so lovingly allows me to cultivate.
Lin, I left you a message on my thread about plant stands.......i totally forgot one of my children and her family are in Destin right now........she just called....and said she needed her "fix" for the day...........we all talk several times a day.........isn't that horrible!!!!!!!! (LOL)
cjolene,
can donations through your church be done with money to the head office earmarked for this disaster?
Gail: Not horrible at all! When my Mom was living I talked to her every single day too! It is wonderful that you are so close with your children! I hope they are having a Wonderful time in Destin ... I've never been there but my youngest sister (in North Georgia) and her family used to vacation there years ago. Now they go to Longboat Key in the Sarasota area. From what I hear Destin has really nice beaches. I hope the weather is staying nice for them while they are in Florida. A lot of the state is getting hit with severe storms and rain.
I've heard it said FEMA is already not going to pay out in this instance but haven't heard any more details on it. I wonder what level of a disaster it must be to get assistance? I know they are still paying out on Katrina. Just curious here.
I sometimes wonder about FEMA .... folks have been very discouraged in past weather disasters even after Katrina ... not getting the help that they should from the government.
Let's face it friends!!!!!!!!!! I am not talking politics.........both sides have a lot of corruption........but if you really want things to go wrong, ask the government to help!!!!!!! The only part that makes me so mad is it is yours and my tax dollars they throw away........not helping anyone.......
gessie....yep I can agree with that! That's fine if it's the people help the people but ah can we keep some of our dough then? Honestly! The less the govern the better.
Amen.
Just for fun.......here are a few pics i took a little while ago before the rains started up again..........churches in Corpus Christi have let the Red Cross in as there are many evacuations going on.........some have gotten 24 inches the last two days and it is still raining..............
The pics I am showing you are from only 12" of rain in a couple of days.......much more to come tonight...
***this is the creek behind my house...........still has about 100 yards to reach my house...
I am sitting on the highway bridge looking at the dam my brother and the state put in to keep so much water from rushing into the creek.....
moved from the driver's seat over towards the passenger seat watching the waters go over the dam like it isn't even there.....
this is the gate at a barn going into the pastures to feed the deer...........there is no road right now........we got down there with a big 4wheel drive to see about the deer.......they are safe and high right now....
taken from the same spot behind all the barns.........coming up pretty quickly........check out the trees and the water line..............
********I feel terrible about the farmers, but I do love the rain!!!!!!!!!
Wow Gail ... I sure hope your house isn't in the path of the floods. If so, I hope you can get to higher ground. How close does your brother live? I sure hope y'all stay safe and evacuate if you need to. So much rain! Wow! It's still raining here but we've had only about 3 - 4" the past couple of days. More to come, but no flood warnings here thank goodness! I will be praying that y'all dry out soon! All these photo's are so scary. Stay Safe!
Lin, you are too precious............I am not afraid..........grew up down here with weather like this..........want to watch the news at 9:00.........they are saying a lot more rain from the same place that this has come.........
Just keep posting so we know you are okay!
thanks and i will.........Jimmy is UP the road about 1/2 mile.........I am laughing as i say this because city folks don't understand.........plenty of fishing boats in the family to come get me if they have to...........
:) LOL Gail! I keep saying my hubby's boat is one of his expensive toys ... you know boys and thier toys?! But, if we ever got flooded out, I sure wouldn't complain about him having a boat!
these are not expensive boats...........these are for bay fishing.............easy to maneuver when the waters rise.........
gail, just where is Taft?
Hi guys! ; ) Been such a busy day. I've finally found a few ways I can be involved and boy am I beat! But it feels so good. ; )
Gessiegail, I am so sorry to see that it is so close to your house. I absolutely know that feeling you must be experiencing.
Tir, I really don't think they will earmark those funds just for us, but we've already been promised quite a bit. ; D There are so many rumors about FEMA right now, and I honestly don't know what it true. But this is the last I've heard- that they will only go to counties that the governor has declared a disaster area. Lane is on the far, far corner of the county- 1 mile from Miami County (which is a disaster county) and 3 miles from Anderson County (which is a disaster county). But technically, we live in Franklin County, which has not been declared a disaster county. So they may help the people in Osawatomie, but we are not depending on them to come here. Then again, everything we've heard regarding them are just rumors. No one from FEMA has come to Lane OR Osawatomie that we have heard of. People with houses flooded in Lane actually have to go to Osawatomie for public shelter because there's no place for them here. You are so sweet to be so worried about us. ; ) By the way, I saw yesterday they were starting up a new Bingo game- you should play with us- it's really fun. ; )
Most of the flooding has gone down. I took a few more pictures, but I'll wait for the disaster in Taft to be over before posting them. Except one- remember this house?
http://picasaweb.google.com/NuttySeedling/Flood20070701/photo?authkey=hL0nzOwB6pg#5082344219315963346
see how deep the street sign is right next to it?
http://picasaweb.google.com/NuttySeedling/Flood20070701/photo?authkey=hL0nzOwB6pg#5082347324577318450
The girl who lives here had some pictures developed and had me scan them. I'll just share one of the scans here. The house looks 10 times worse now that it is getting torn apart, but I guess any house would. And it is super smelly...I left there with a mega headache.
Cheryl
cjolene...........don't let me keep you from posting!!!!!!!!!!! We were blessed last night..........we didn't get any.......but the housekeeper lives 20 minutes away and called to say that they cannot even get out of their house............no driving allowed...........
The morning isn't over and it is dark outside..........
***Lou, Taft is 18 miles NW of Corpus Christi in San Patricio County...........other counties surrounding us have gotten the brunt of it..........we are lucky in that we were on the fringe of it last night.........doesn't appear we got any more.
Nueces County (Corpus Christi) has had over 24 inches..............they have the evacuation centers set up..........Annaville had to evacuate (a suburb of CC)
CJ .... you don't have to worry about Gessiegail ... She thinks weather like that is exciting! I bet she's one of those people who loves watching the Lightning during storms! Me .... I'm hiding in a closet every time it storms! :)
I guess about Gail .... I could just say .... she's a Texan!
not sure all Texans claim me, Lin!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But i do love an electrical storm......they are even better in the mountains..........
hee hee .... Gail, I can't imagine anyone NOT claiming you!
..... I've seen storms like that in the mountains too when we've been on vacation, and I still hide! Must have been something from my childhood ... hee hee. I don't know of anyone else in my family who is afraid of storms. I have a friend who's Mom used to hide in closets too! Like the lightning can't reach us hiding in the corner of a closet .... LOL.
CJ, I haven't been on much, but just wanted to let you know I'm sure thankful that you, your family, and your home are safe. Floods are quite frightening. It flooded here several years ago. Never came in the house, but was just a couple inches from coming up on to the front porch. Quite an experience, to say the least. You'd have loved it, Gail! LOL
Lin, I love a good storm, but when they start talking about tornadoes, I just want to faint. I've already got my closet picked out in case one ever hits! LOL
Oh yeah .... Tornado's are an entirely different story. They REALLY scare me! We don't have any warning sirens down here like they do in some states for tornado's and every time they predict severe weather with tornadic activity I am on edge. We had Tornado's hit our area on Christmas Day last year that did so much damage and displaced many, many people whose homes were destroyed! The University where my husband teaches was in the direct path and many buildings were damaged or destroyed and it's an Aviation University .... every single airplane was destroyed. It was just a Blessing that it happened when it did ... school was closed for the Christmas holiday and there were only a couple of security folks on campus when the tornado's came through!
We don't have the warning sirens, either, Lin, and I'm a nervous wreck when weather like that comes around. But I've read news stories saying that even if there are warning sirens, they don't always give enough time to take cover. Tornadoes can just spin out anywhere, anytime from a storm. That's what is so frightening about them, to me anyway. There's no way to be truly prepared for one. Gives me the shivers...
A blessing indeed that school was closed when that one hit the University. Tornadoes are so horribly destructive, and there's nothing you can do. I know building codes along the coasts are more stringent because of hurricanes, and even that isn't fool-proof, but I don't think there's a way build something that can withstand a direct hit by a tornado. It is such a concentration of power in a (relatively) small area.
Hi guys! Wow...lots of catch-up reading to do! lol We have a tornado siren, but we've found out that the last couple times there was a tornado in the area, the siren didn't work. Hmmm... but it's not like anyone around here has a basement anyways. No where to go. So the siren is pretty pointless anyways...just scares the tar outta ya. lol
My brother sent me these photos I thought I'd share (since gessie doesn't mind...hey, has that water gone down yet?!)
This is the Marias Des Cygnes River (pronounced Mar-De-Zeen) in Ottawa, just 30 min North of us. This is now (still higher than it normally is). Try to look at the lamp lights on top of the bridge. Pretty, eh? Love that old fashioned look....
