I'd take my own pictures, but the only free day I have this week is Friday, which ironically is crest day. This means flooded highways and no-go areas with Army troops, check points, hummers and tanks. (From remembering '93 as a kid) (As you will see a violent confrontation in this slide show, police/army don't f*ck around).
Anyway these are Iowa mostly, Missouri's plight hasn't started yet. Although a couple towns are already 'gone' by now. Mark Twain's (Samuel Clemens) hometown of Hannibal should escape alive. Very neat little town if you're ever in the area. Although Twain would be mocking the flood fighting efforts saying you can't tame this wild river. Which you can't, we're guilty of building up around the river, and turning the river into a fast highway that doesn't have any 'release' points. To put it bluntly, we basically did to the river what you'd do to an obese man who wears size 50 pants and forced him to wear size 32... Its not going to work. I'm torn on the whole tear down the levee's and just let the river be like it was meant to be, because my family's farm is on one of these flood plains that have been leveed up when it shouldn't have.
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If you don't abey you will get shot. This is Iraq, I mean Iowa.
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Cedar Rapids, Iowa
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The cats in this by the way are Fry and Bender of Cedar Rapids.
Locals sandbagging a levee which broke today in Missouri. :( They just announced this on the radio.
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This town will be 'gone' by night fall. Historic little town.
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The river north of here.
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This levee broke around 40 minutes ago...
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Missouri pics are finally rolling in...
La Grange MO
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Hannibal
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got a picture finally of the levee all those people were trying to save (the amish folks etc)
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Another town just went. Michel would love the name Cap Au Gris area near a 'bottoms' town (flood plain) went tonight.
So the flooding is getting oh so closer to my neck of the woods.
Jesus! These pics make me want to throw my computer out the window and go hiking or something today. There obviously isn't much time left for us humans.
All the best to our Midwest American Neighbours!
Mother Nature definitely seems to be in a snit.....or is this the work of the Cosmic Jester. It's unsettling when the expectation of the norm is so out of whack.....and it seems to be. Everywhere.
I was just reading about the town of Hannibal! Reading a series of stories written by Jimmy Buffett.
You can ride a steam boat there too.
Mark Twain was a funny guy.
Well it looks like the historic river front town of Clarksville, the little town getting a bunch of international attention will make it, I think. The town is south of where those Amish people live and that levee broke.When a levee breaks north of you you're crest will go down and you get 'saved'. Yeah this is the cruelty of flooding. You're gain is another person's loss so to speak, but it is what it is, way of life of living on the river.
On the farm side, they've dropped the crest from 41.8 to 38.5 which is major flooding still, but its not that bad when the levee goes up to 50ft.
Still plenty of life in ol' man river.
Well they're using Twain's quote a lot these days. It goes something like you can't tame this wild river.
Look who came out of his cave:
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haha I love this, flooding is a strange beast, even stranger in 'bottoms' area where you put a house on a slight hill usually. So when flooding comes, you get lucky.
OMG......that's incredible !!! Seems to me that it was more good planning than good luck.
(I bet they're on pins and needles)
Finally they're (media) is getting within literally miles of the farm in coverage. lol
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Good Old Chester. Home of Popeye the sailor man.
I swear every time I go to the local store in town before driving down the road a bit, pregnant teenagers follow me in the place. This is down by the river, the road is supposedly haunted by a kid who got hit by a train. Don't ask me how the story came about, but its always a little more creepy to tell at night for some reason. At the end of this road, especially at night, the the trains always stop before the road and will flash their lights at you. Creepiest thing ever. Then of course there's the barges that shine their flood lights at you (they're looking to dock at the coal dock) on the highway and if you're not careful you'll fly off the road. lol