Here is a long, but informative article, which offers some conclusions on what happened during the recent floods, including where some fingers of blame might be pointed. (Suddenly some reasons why this flood was so much more horrific than any before have ever been become clear).
It also offers some predictions of future disaster if changes aren't made. It doesn't look as if certain government entities have any intention of making those changes though....let the houses wash away, they have to protect the precious stream beds (!) As mentioned, it is long, but really worth a read.
Speaking of storms, that little tornado that formed right out behind the barn....the boss went out there the other day and there were sheets of roofing steel thirty feet up on the trees right outside the back windows. Thank you again to all the folks who called with the tornado warning. It really was there! Right there! It was just small enough not to do much. Wow.
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Thank you for that link.
Here in PA word went out soon after the water receded that permits were required to clean up debris left in streams and creeks even on private land. These would, of course, require onsite visits from the state authorities prior to beginning work. The claim was that more damage was done to stream beds and altered flow channels after folks cleaned up willy-nilly post-Agnes in 1972.
Now, I may have a Masters in Ecology and belong to Audubon and Trout Unlimited, but this, to me, is shear madness. If folks want to remove blown down, washed down trees and such from a stream after a flood I say go for it! If towns/watershed communities want to get together and dredge sand and gravel bars theat threaten to cause the rivers and streams to overflow then go for it.
And if DEC or EPA or one of the other alphabet asshole bureaucracies can't/won't do it's best to protect citizens first because they are concerned about some poor little bottom feeder, then it needs to be dismantled pronto.
I hate it that you're getting hammered like that. Hopefully you'll at least have an easy winter.
WOW! I didn't know you were in a tornado...or the barn was close to one. I AM SO THANKFUL that it was just behind and on ON the barn. Thankful for small blessing, My Grandmother always said! I am so glad you are okay!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
June, it shocked me to read that DEC is preventing flood control measures. I suppose I should have known but I didn't. Meanwhile they are spending a fortune guarding the few remaining Chittenango ovate amber snails as if they were spinning gold inside those little striped shells. (Alan has shared anecdotes from what he heard during fisheries and wildlife classes that would curl your hair....if you were wondering why the state is broke.)
Joated, good grief, that is awful. When did people's lives stop mattering to government?
With your background I'll bet you understand how I feel about the snails in the above comment. I find myself cheering on the salamanders that eat them. Common sense has become as rare as unicorn fur these days.
Linda, thanks, we did have about ten days of decent weather, during which we got an amazing amount done. Of course now it is raining again..
Linda B, it was scary! We didn't even know it was coming until friends and family began to call. Then we put our shoes on so we could run for the cellar if we had to. We watched the whirlwind form right between the back of the barn and the ag bags. Thankfully it didn't amount to much.
I asked somebody about why DEC Region 3 is stopping the stream-clearing and he told me it's because it would upset the ecosystem for the trout downstream. Hm.
I figured there had to be a reason, but I had hoped it would have been a more human-friendly one.
I'm in Region 4, as you are. I don't think DEC's been too obstructive here. There are still rootballs in streams; my sense is that there's so much clearing up to do that it will just take time.
And we hope, of course, that no more houses go floating northward in the meantime.
Oh wow. That tornado business is creepy. Living in the midwest creates a real healthy respect for funnel clouds.
BTW. Joated nailed it.
June, you should read up on those Chittenango oblate amber snails. Of course you wont get the whole story, but dang
Cathy, he did. Up until the past two years tornadoes were a once every ten years ago, just one at a time phenomenon. Now, yowsa!
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