Irene is drowning Vermont

by folkbum

I drove on this bridge last week Wednesday. It's between the main road and the house where Norman Rockwell did many of his most famous Post covers. It's historic and iconic.



I couldn't find any additional news, but I can't believe that in the hours since this was taken, the water hasn't completely washed it out.

Weather

by folkbum

I keep wanting to complain about the crappy weather we've had here this spring, but it doesn't seem reasonable when you consider that this is shaping up to be the deadliest April ever, weatherwise. Apparently, yesterday's storms aren't done yet.

Stimulus

by folkbum

Obviously, the city or the state can't print the money to do this, but we could kill a bunch of birds--metaphorical birds, I don't want to get in trouble with yet another interest group this week--with a single stone here.

There are still hundreds of thousands gutters in Milwaukee County that feed into the storm sewer system and, eventually, feed the great mass of water in the deep tunnel during the 100-years storms we seem to get a couple times a year now.

Let's hire a bunch of people--500? 1000?--and have them spend the rest of the summer and fall disconnecting them and installing rain barrels, leaving behind some basic instruction of how to use the rain barrels, of course. MMSD already has a program where homeowners can do this for themselves (at a cost of $45 a barrel), sure. But the vast majority of homeowners haven't done so, and probably won't.

So let's just do it, as stimulus. The barrels are made in Milwaukee. The people installing them will be from Milwaukee, and picking up employability skills and a work history that they can take with them to (hopefully soon) another job once the economy picks up. Plus, injections of cash into the community will stimulate demand more broadly.

Undoubtedly, there are also thousands of miles of water infrastructure that needs updating to the 21st century, too, though MMSD has been among the leaders nationally in that regard. But storm events like tonight's remind us that solutions to infrastructure problems not only are necessary, but can be done now as stimulus.

Is everybody ok?

by folkbum

Clearly a lot of people were effected, some devastatingly so, by the weather last night. I almost got stranded by flash flooding where I am--I don't know how My Sweet Ride didn't stall out about a billion times--and I hope everyone else out there is safe and sound where you are.

And there it is--MPS Closed Friday

by folkbum

Just announced at the MPS homepage.

Given that the actual temperature predicted for 6AM tomorrow is 5° less than the temperature at 6AM this morning, it makes sense.

Trouble is, this is the end of a semester, and I had projects and papers due before exams start Tuesday morning. (No school Monday for the MLK holiday). I'm not sure yet how I'm going to handle that.

More failure from the right

by folkbum

Much of the month of December was cold and snowy. What do the bloggers on the right do? Suggest that "global warming" was disproved! Hurrah! Algore's a moron!

However, this week, we had near-record highs. From the right? Not a peep. FAIL.

THIS storm has my name on it ...

by folkbum

Thank Your Sir, May I Have Another

by folkbum

Wars Mah Bukkit

by folkbum

More coming:


I've been singing this all week (yes, I know we don't live in Louisiana):



What has happened down here is the wind have changed
Clouds roll in from the north and it started to rain
Rained real hard and rained for a real long time
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline

The river rose all day
The river rose all night
Some people got lost in the flood
Some people got away alright
The river have busted through cleard down to Plaquemines
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangelne

Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tyrin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away
Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tryin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away

President Coolidge came down in a railroad train
With a little fat man with a note-pad in his hand
The President say, "Little fat man isn't it a shame what the river has done
To this poor crackers land."

Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tyrin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away
Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tryin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away

(Post title reference.)

Please make it stop

by folkbum

Their Timing Is All Wet

by capper

Milwaukee County, like the rest of southern Wisconsin, has been going through an unforgiving deluge of rain over the last few days. Totals are nearly a foot of rain in Oak Creek. Many people are trying to pump out their basements, and salvage what they can. (I've also heard many stories today of insurance companies denying claims out of hand. Gee, why does that sound familiar?)

Then Milwaukee County, which established a hotline on Saturday, can't keep up with the flood of calls. They didn't plan on enough phone lines apparently.

Given those two facts, is today really the best day to be crowing about starting a new aquatic park?

Flash Floods

by folkbum

If you live in the Deep Tunnels, I suggest you seek higher ground.

I hope everybody has survived the weather.

I'm Sure It's Only Coincidence

by capper

I'm sure that it's only coincidence that on the day that Senator John McCain is coming to town to tout "his" economic agenda that the National Weather Services would issue a wind advisory.

My advise is to just stay inside and watch the telly:



On second thought, maybe I'll just step out for a drink after all.

You don't need a weatherman to

by folkbum

This morning we had this bit of weatherola (my emphasis):

The National Weather Service says a weather phenomenon known as a cold air funnel cloud is possible across southern Wisconsin today and tonight.

In a special weather statement issued today, the Weather Service says the cold air funnels rarely do any damage and usually only last a few minutes before disipating.

The cold air funnels differ from tornadoes. "There is little potential (today) for intense thunderstorms that produce tornadoes," the Weather Service says in the statement.

Of course, just a few hours later . . .

The National Weather Service has received reports that a tornado has touched down near state Highway 60 and county Highway I in the Town of Cedarburg.

There are no reports on the paper's website of any damage or injuries or anything at all, really, beyond that paragraph. A google news search also turned up nothing. I hope that means all my Cedarburg readers (and anyone else up thataway) are all right. And it serves as a reminder that predicting the weather is harder than it looks on TV.

Hail, Hail, the storm's all here . . .

Hope it wasn't too bad at your place. The TV tells me there was baseball-sized stuff in places.