Northeast PA Flooding

[Xiahou]

Link (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060629/ap_on_re_us/northeast_flooding;_ylt=AvXuVfufSi6KO9Qfb_9fcjGs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--)

Havent seen anything about this here yet, so I thought I'd do so myself. Me and my wife were evactuated yesterday afternoon (we live about 4 blocks from the levees) along with approximately 200,000 other people from the area. For most of us the news was good and the levees held- many areas werent as well protected and homes were destroyed. I was allowed back home just a few hours ago.

A few observations come to mind. First is how well the evacuations went- there was very little whining, people who didnt have transportation were bused to shelters and the SPCA even setup a shelter for people to drop off their pets if they couldnt find someone to look after them while they were gone.

The second observation that springs to mind is what ghouls the national/international media are. A local news radio station reported that the CBC in Toronto called them and asked them to find a flood "victim" that they could interview. They flocked to the area hoping for another New Orleans and seemed almost mopey and disappointed when there wasnt full-blown disaster. :shame:

[rory_20_uk]

There's no news like bad news.

~:smoking:

[doc_bean]

They flocked to the area hoping for another New Orleans and seemed almost mopey and disappointed when there wasnt full-blown disaster. :shame:

A good story can make their carreer, there is no good story without suffering.

Probably also why we see so much crappy reporting these days, they're just looking for something that will put them on tv :shame:

[solypsist]

yeah i definitely can feel ya on the media. they live for peoples' misery.

[Gregoshi]

Here's hoping and praying those levees hold up under the prolonged stress Xiahou. Here in the western suburbs of Philadelphia, we got hammered worst on Saturday - or so it seems - but that was on a very local level*. What was strange here on Wednesday morning was to look outside and seeing the sun shining for the first time in 4-5 days yet turning on the radio and hearing about the flooding everywhere. Anyway, I'm glad that you evacuated. In the reports I heard this morning, 200,000 were asked to evacuate in your area but they think only about 50,000 heeded the warning. :wall: Let's hope they aren't sorry they didn't.

* We were in Reading, about 25 miles away, at a family reunion and were swimming all afternoon without a drop of rain. Back home, my daughter was calling us every hour or two about the thunder, lightning and the downpours that were pooling water up in our back yard faster than it could drain away around the house. The water pooled right up to the back door before she got some neighbors to help her sweep the water out around the side of the house. Weird day!