What is your weather like ... today

[CountryEscape]

Only difference between a back hoe and a high hoe is a high hoe reaches farther away from the ... hoe!!!! :claphands: That's incredible, they have them on the bridges to keep stuff from damning up the river. What a good idea! Never heard of that happening around here, but then I don't live near the river either.
I got 2" of rain this morning, in about 2.5 hours, and didn't think it was that bad until I looked down to the new neighbor's house. Water was running over the road, flooded their driveway and low area to the right of their driveway. His kids were having a gay old time running in the water. It was about 8" deep at the deepest part. The new owner was not too happy! I told him it has only happened 2 or 3 times since I've lived here, but one of those times was really bad, flooded all the way up to the garage, although I didn't tell him that. That was 2 years ago, we had tons of rain in the spring, came at 2-6" at a time seemed like, so much water it had no where to go. He thought his culvert was plugged up, but I suspect it's the one farther down and the ditches need to be cleaned out again to help water flow. The road is just low right at his driveway, which is NOT ideal either.
So, what did I do outside after that much rain? Well, I transplanted some Shasta Daisys and Liatris into the wildflower garden, and planted the Pompas Grass into a large bucket sunk into the ground so they can "grow up". A friend winter sowed them, and said it will be next year before they get some real height, but needed to isolate it somehow so I knew what it was! Yep, I played in the mud for sure! Looked like a little kid when I was ready to come inside, too. LOL
Also got plants pulled for a couple of ponders, too.

 

[MitchM]

Are you posting from jail Colleen?
I was thinking some big policemen were going to be taking you away. :lol:
It sounds like the berms they're building are helping. Good to hear.

We went into Calgary today, but our regular route was washed out, so it took longer plus our mail pickup is now a 20 mile detour further away.
Hopefully things will be back to normal here in the next couple of weeks.
Calgary's got many months of cleanup to go.

 

[MitchM]

Here's a surprising fact I just learned - flood insurance is not an option in Canada! We are one of a few industrialized nations whose insurance companies do not offer it.
Sewer backup, yes. Flood insurance, no.

 

[HTH]

Glad you are OK Colleen.

Hoarders come in both Genders.

In the US if you want flood insurance you can only buy it from the federal government.

 

[sissy]

Just got a chance to come on and happy for you so far colleen and hoping the good news continues :cheerful:

 

[CountryEscape]

HTH, I'm pretty sure I could get flood insurance through State Farm, but maybe because there is no need for me to have it. :cheerful: People who live in the flood plains probably have to get it from the government, because no insurance company wants to take the risk. But, areas that are normally not in flood plains should be able to get insurance for disasters that come once every 30 years, right? I just heard that the town where my boss lives had major flooding in some areas! She and her family are in FL, so not sure she is aware of it or not. Hopefully her house area is on higher ground.
That's going to make for some rough going for a lot of folks in Alberta, Mitch, but those that didn't lose property or have damage will likely be happy to go around for now, knowing that they don't have huge losses. It's awful what towns have to go through to clean up after a flooding. Hoping it all goes smoothly and not too many yucky stories of things that washed up and into buildings!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Well I thought I had flood insurance!! We asked for everything? Now I know why so many people refuse to leave, no insurance! That is good to know! Thanks Mitch!! And I did not have to post from jail either! Ha ha ha!! We pretended to leave and hide! I drove down the alley around the road bloc. The police are not in my area too much, there are more concerned with the people right next to the river, as they suffered the most!

Now that there is very little risk of water comming to my front door, I can sleep! I tried to lay down but who can sleep with so much scary stuff around me! Let me tell you, I WAS Stressed OUT!! My heart was beating so hard, and I kept thinking it was all bad dream! NOTHING scared me more than a flood! What scared me the most is being away from my home! After being here since 1987, I think I have become attached to staying? I don't even like to leave town! I have not been on a vacation for 13 years! The thought of leaving my house and home for so long would cause me great stress! I hate being away from the ponds, puppies and the house, must be some sort of disorder?

Well I went down to the river by the Trans Canada bridge, water is high, not to far from touching the actual bridge , but lower than 1995. I could not stop on bridge to get the good pictures of the water rushing right underneath, cause the cops were everywhere! I did stop at the park, but the road is washed away, and made a nice shallow place far away from the dangerous fast flow of the flood water, for the puppies to splash and play...

I ran into a guy that was checking the elevavation of the river for the city, as the pump houses are endanged as this point. We stopped and had a chat, we agreed that the flood was not as bad as they said it would be. It was worse for sure in 1995, I was younger back then but I remember it well, cause I was in a panic about my fish ponds back then too!

We stayed till the cops came and kicked us out!!

 

[callingcolleen1]

City workers are doing something in the back alley right now, lights are flashing, not sure what they are doing, maybe sandbagging the power lines... it is dark now, we turned off the lights so it looks like nobody home. They turned the power off now in some areas, hope they don't turn the power off here tonight! I should be sleeping, to over tired now to sleep, will stay away till the water has crested at 1am, about two hours from now....

 

[MitchM]

In the US if you want flood insurance you can only buy it from the federal government.

Our government doesn't offer it either.

 

[MitchM]

Apparently the lands between Medicine Hat and Calgary were quite dry, so the water seeped into that as it went.
In Calgary there had been small rain showers in the weeks preceding the big rain event, so the land was already almost saturated When the big rainstorm came, that water had nowhere to go.

It sounds like you'll be ok, Colleen. Let's just hope the berms hold.
Very glad for you.

The town of High River is a ghost town. No one is allowed in.
Our employment was already very low and rents very high with little to no vacancies. I don't know where we're going to get more construction workers for all the rebuilding or where we're going to house them.

 

[MitchM]

That's going to make for some rough going for a lot of folks in Alberta, Mitch, but those that didn't lose property or have damage will likely be happy to go around for now, knowing that they don't have huge losses. It's awful what towns have to go through to clean up after a flooding. Hoping it all goes smoothly and not too many yucky stories of things that washed up and into buildings!

Alberta is the wealthiest province in Canada CE, with our oil industry and all, so that will definitely help things come back quicker.

When the homeless center in downtown Calgary evacuated more than 1000 people to a large hotel that was being converted (it had no working kitchen yet), requests for donations were being put out through the regular and social media. They showed pictures of lineups of cars of families that had driven to Costco, purchased large food trays, other items and loaded up their vehicles with as much as they could donate to bring there.
It was very heartwarming to see!

 

[CountryEscape]

Wow, awesome to know that folks help out others so well. Yes, heart warming for sure! Glad to hear it.

 

[sissy]

We here in VA have Gods Pit Crew they not only have a big warehouse but they have big rigs to take stuff all over and they not only take stuff they help in the clean up efforts .

 

[callingcolleen1]

Who wants to come help me put away all this junk from the basement back downstairs!! will get nefew to help if he comes down again soon! Nefew was here and was a big help, he carried all the boxes upstairs yesterday and that was a very big help! Nefew is such a good kid!! He is here all the time, I swear I gave birth to him, NOT my sister!!! Ha ha ha!

The stress from the thought of losing my fish and home in the flood just about drove me insane! Thank God I did not have a heart attack!! If I ever move, it will be up to the Hill!!! But I will never move, been here too long and this is home. The city did an excellent job protecting us this time, last time in 1995 they did not build any dykes or berms, or sand bag any of the storm drains on the street to prevent the water from backing up that way. They have learned a lot over the years, and that is most likely why I do not have water lapping at my house as was the case in 1995.

Here is some pictures, they placed plastic over the storm sewer drains and then dumped sand over top,and that helped too a lot I think. There was some seepage here and there, but for the most part it worked pretty good, simple, cheap, and effective!!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Oh my sweet Lord!!!! The neighbor just come home to check his house and the basement is full to the top of SH*T and POOP floating everywhere..... I was wondering where the smell was comming from!!!