September 14, 2007
Weather Woes
Well, thanks to this I might continue my fund-raising efforts for a few more days.
I haven't been outside to check the damage to any great degree yet, but know that the straight-line winds in my area were strong enough to damage homes under construction within view of my house, down trees, and lift my rather substantial grill into the air and toss it into my neighbor's yard. I'll retrieve it tomorrow, but my guess is that it's toast.
If anyone hasn't donated yet and could, I'd appreciate it.
I really liked that grill.
Update: Picture added above. For us, that's all we lost, and for that I'm very thankful.
Talking to folks in the area and surveying the damage, it appears out area took a hit from a very minor tornado (there were a total of six in the area, all blessedly weak). Not a lot of damage in my neighborhood, but there was in the older neighborhood nearby where there were far more mature trees, a lot of which lost branches, and several large oaks that were totally ripped apart.
Nobody got seriously injured or killed, and that is what really matters.
The "Liberal Braintrust" Update: It seems that several lefty bloggers have seized upon this post as proof of great hypocrisy on my part, as I've stated publicly on several occasions that New Orleans should not be rebuilt in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
The reasoning behind not rebuilding New Orleans is scientifically-driven and practical in nature. The Mississippi delta silt upon which the city was built is rapidly compacting, and hence the city itself is literally and inevitably sinking. This is combined with the fact that the marshlands protecting the city are eroding at a rate of 25-35 square miles/year, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, along with noted scientists from coastal and marine studies programs including LSU, have stated the geological inevitability of the city merging with the Gulf of Mexico prior to 2100, and quite possibly by 2050 or sooner with the landfall of any major hurricanes (which Katrina was not when it hit; New Orleans suffered category 1-2 winds), or a sudden rise in sea level, which could occur if global warming is as dramatic as some expect.
Simply put, New Orleans is a sinking hole in a swamp surrounded on three sides by hungry waters: rebuilding the city with an anemic patchwork of small levee improvements is a colossal exercise in stupidity, when relocating the population is a much more intelligent and more viable long-term option. It may also ultimately lead to a far greater loss of life the next time the city is inundated.
Liberal Logic: New Orleans = Bobs' Grill.
Somehow, this bit of scientifically-supported common sense means I'm a hypocrite because I extended my already running week-long yearly fundraising effort, mentioning specifically late Friday that that I'm going to need to replace my storm-tossed grill.
Said grill was up-ended and tossed into my neighbor's yard by what appears to be a very small tornado that spun out of a line of thunderstorms that developed quickly as a line of storms passed through Friday evening. The line of storms was the leftovers of what was Humberto, the storm that hit minimal hurricane status before it made landfall on Texas last week and quickly dissipated.
According to these esteemed liberal thinkers, asking my readership to continue a voluntary fundraiser is the exact same thing, somehow, as demanding billions of taxpayer dollars from the federal government to replace a city doomed by geology, oceanography, and hydrology.
Perhaps if I lobbied taxpayers for the funds that argument would have some merit, but I'm not applying for a grant, or demanding that taxpayers fund anything. I didn’t do that. I extended a pre-existing weeklong fundraiser where I asked for voluntary donations from my readers. My "crime" was continuing a voluntary fundraiser for a specific reason?
Heaven forbid. How do I live with myself.
CY, are you around Asheville? I'm in Monroe and we had something similar a few weeks back. I don't think anyone has been able to determine exactly what knocked down 23 electric polls starting at my place. It was either a tornado, lightening, or what most believe a microburst.
Do you have any information about a town up there called Sylva? I have an old friend who lives up there. Well, more like an ex who still hates me but I hope she's ok. :)
Posted by: Capitalist Infidel at September 15, 2007 03:14 PMSorry CI, I'm near Raleigh...
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at September 15, 2007 09:21 PMSorry about your grill. I live in a coastal area up north and we get funky little gale storms all the time when things start to go flying.
But I have to say that seeing the photo documenting the tidy little disaster of your grill made me laugh out loud.
You see, I had just clicked over after having read some god awful report on the godawfulness that is Iraq's infrastructure (you know: very little electricity, a shortage of potable water, an outbreak of cholera, food distribution problems, and the like), and I thought, How typically American. A toppled-over grill is a calamity.
Just shows how fortunate we are.
Posted by: Grace Nearing at September 16, 2007 03:21 AM"I really liked that grill."
I bet you say that to all the grills.
Posted by: Bill Smith at September 16, 2007 05:28 AMThat was some wild weather Friday. I was watching a tornado try and form near the Triangle Town Center mall. Fortunately, just didn't have the energy at that time.
Sorry about the grill, CF.
Posted by: William Teach at September 16, 2007 08:29 AMI want a grill just like the grill that harried the neighbors' yard.
Posted by: Sissy Willis at September 16, 2007 03:05 PMAlso, if you didn't mourn the loss of your grill, the terrorists would have won.
Posted by: Sissy Willis at September 16, 2007 03:17 PMLooks like an original "Charbroil". Can't get those anymore.
I still have the grates if that is all it takes--I've been meaning to try and build a replacement for mine, but I probably won't get it done in this lifetime.
Posted by: Larry Sheldon at September 16, 2007 06:23 PMIt's actually a version of this Royal Oak. I like cooking with charcoal more than gas, but they don't make them heavy enough to stay on the ground around here, apparently.
Kinda scary something about a hundred pounds like that can get airborne.
Grace, what you say is so true.
Bill, Sissy...get help.
;-)
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at September 16, 2007 07:02 PMWhy should we help you replace the grill if you're going to keep on living in a hurricane area? You're living on 'sand' like the foolish man and it will just be washed away again.
Posted by: Michael at September 17, 2007 09:11 AMShow some initiative, man.
Just use your burning cross the next time you want to grill some weenies.
Posted by: Luke Duke at September 17, 2007 10:40 AMIf I remember correctly didn't say that we shouldn't pay to rebuild NO? But now we should all chip in for your crappy grill?
I think this is just a warning shot from God - you had better get your life right with Him or it will only get worse from here.
Posted by: frankly at September 17, 2007 10:55 AMMichael, you're obviously not bright enough to get this, but living over 130 miles from the ocean. I'm not what would typically be considered any more of a "hurricane area" than is San Antonio, Texas.
Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised, however.
You did come from a blog that thinks that there is some sort of equivalence to be made from me asking my readers to donate private funds if they so desire because they like my blog, and the demand to use public tax dollars to rebuild New Orleans.
It is rather pathetic how far they'll go to set up a false moral equivalence, but it is even more pathetic that their readers allow themselves to be so easily fooled.
Well, I'm sure you donated plenty of money to America's Second Harvest or some other charitable organization when Katrina blew through.
Posted by: Run Up The Score at September 17, 2007 11:27 AMYou tell 'em, CY!
You are *so* right: there's no equivalence between asking the Public to fork out their hard-earned cash to save a city and asking the public to fork out their hard earned cash to save a grill.
Quite apart from the fact that one involves a capital "P" and the other doesn't, a grill is like waaay more important.
Posted by: Andrew at September 17, 2007 11:35 AMCY: What are those round, circular doohickeys attached to each leg of the barbecue? Hint: they aren't meat tenderizers.
Maybe, just maybe, you might want to move stuff you don't want to lose into the house or garage when a hurricane blows through.
Posted by: Bob's Trick Knee at September 17, 2007 12:22 PMWell, I'm sure you donated plenty of money to America's Second Harvest or some other charitable organization when Katrina blew through.
Well, our church took in a few refugees when they came to Raleigh and we contributed to helping htem get clothing and housing, and our church also sent down teams to help rebuild (which is where I got many of the Katrina damage photos used ont his blog). I couldn't go because of work commitments, but I did help collect food, clothing, and money for survivors in the aptly-named Waveland, Missisippi, which was hit directly by the storm surge. We "adopted" a retired couple that had moved there only months befor the stormm and got them some basics as they waited for their home to be rebuilt. We prayed for them, and continue to send letters back and forth with them, providing the psychologicla support that is every bit as important as money, with "Tom" becoming my daughter's pen pal.
I'm also very much involved with Beauchamp Tower Corporation, a not-for-profit that is attempting to get the federal government to turn over some "moth-balled" ships slated for the scrapyard, which will be retrofitted by civilian and corporate donors to provide major disaster emergency response. I communicate directly with BTC CEO Ward Brewer, though that isn't anything I've talked about much on my blog lately. What we're talking about is something I've dubbed the "Savaltion Navy," and what may become the greatest part of our nation's mass disaster response planning.
That said, what have you done, Run?
And other knee, there was no hurricane here, just a line of thunderstorms which spun off tornadoes. Not that you come here from a blog smart enough to know the difference between hurricanes and tornadoes.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at September 17, 2007 12:32 PMBTW, the BTC OES effort is just so much vapor.
The idea suffers from several fatal flaws: 1.) the ships are generally unsuitable for relief operations unless massively retrofitted; 2.) BTC hasn't anywhere near the monies needed to accomplish the repairs and mods; 3.)many of the ships require significant environmental remediation--another cost BTC can't fund.
Posted by: Bob's Trick Knee at September 17, 2007 01:29 PMIt depends on the ships being targeted, BTK, and there are specific candidates in mind.
You are not in a position to determine how much the remediation will cost, or for that matter, know the assets, commitments, or capabilities at BTC's disposal.
Like so much you spew, you have absolutely no idea of what you are talking about.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at September 17, 2007 01:36 PMIt seems to me that you lost your grill due to your own carelessness. If we come in and purchase you a new grill, you will have no incentive to properly take care of that one either. Pretty soon, you'll be leaving your grill out in all manner of nasty weather, and we'll be buying you a new one each week. It'd be grill-welfare.
Incidentally, I live in Durham and went through pretty much the same storm. As it started, I went outside and moved my grill in the garage, like any reasonable Conservative would do. You should learn to do the same. Perhaps the financial burden of having to replace it yourself will teach you that lesson, and maybe a bit of self-reliance as well.
Posted by: Conservative Scholar at September 17, 2007 01:36 PMi live outside of Raleigh m'self. and i too keep my grill in the garage, because, well, i have a nice grill and i don't want it to get knocked around by any late-afternoon T-storm that might come by.
that, and i don't trust my neighbor's kids not to steal it or blow my house up.
Posted by: cleek at September 17, 2007 01:57 PMMichael, you're obviously not bright enough to get this, but living over 130 miles from the ocean. I'm not what would typically be considered any more of a "hurricane area" than is San Antonio, Texas.
You were obviously not around for Hurricane Fran.
Posted by: barry at September 17, 2007 02:03 PM
