Midwest flooding

[Judy G. Russell]

Things have been bad, worse and worst in the midwest. My brother, who's a doctor in suburban Indiana, just across the state line from Chicago, was without power for two days --they had to move my handicapped nephew into a hospital for the duration because Tim can't be without power, and it couldn't be the hospital where Evan normally practices. Here's the reason:

[Lindsey]

Yes, I was looking at the news pictures last week in amazement at how widespread flooding is in the midwest.

Did they have to evacuate all of the patients from that hospital? That's a huge problem all by itself.

--Lindsey

[Judy G. Russell]

Yes, I was looking at the news pictures last week in amazement at how widespread flooding is in the midwest.And add the tornados on top of the flooding... they've been hammered.

Did they have to evacuate all of the patients from that hospital? That's a huge problem all by itself.Part of the hospital was still operational, so they "only" had to evacuate 67 patients, but it says here (http://nwi.com/articles/2007/08/28/news/top_news/doc7c112cbe4b05bf668625734500071ed2.txt) that it's going to be weeks and many millions of dollars before everything is up and running normally.

[Lindsey]

And add the tornados on top of the flooding... they've been hammered.
One of the women at work was at the Corvette gathering in Carlisle, PA with her husband last weekend, and there was a tornado or microburst at the fairgrounds that damaged a lot of the cars, including theirs (Williamsport had tennis-ball-sized hail). But they were lucky in that they were not hurt; there were some injuries.

Part of the hospital was still operational, so they "only" had to evacuate 67 patients, but it says here (http://nwi.com/articles/2007/08/28/news/top_news/doc7c112cbe4b05bf668625734500071ed2.txt) that it's going to be weeks and many millions of dollars before everything is up and running normally.
Well, I guess it's something that the hospital wasn't knocked out entirely, but it sounds like it's going to be a long expensive haul to get it back to where it was. That's a shame.

--Lindsey

[Judy G. Russell]

One of the women at work was at the Corvette gathering in Carlisle, PA with her husband last weekend, and there was a tornado or microburst at the fairgrounds that damaged a lot of the cars, including theirs (Williamsport had tennis-ball-sized hail). But they were lucky in that they were not hurt; there were some injuries.Ouch ouch ouch. Both literally and figuratively. Think maybe the Tornado Gods are Ford enthusiasts???

Well, I guess it's something that the hospital wasn't knocked out entirely, but it sounds like it's going to be a long expensive haul to get it back to where it was. That's a shame.It is, indeed. And, of course, my guess is that they didn't have flood insurance...

[Lindsey]

Ouch ouch ouch. Both literally and figuratively. Think maybe the Tornado Gods are Ford enthusiasts???
LOL!! Maybe so! The real spooky thing is that this same woman was involved in a motorcycle accident on her last vacation. (She was on the motorcycle, a car pulled out in front of her, she hit the wrong brake and catapulted over the handlebars. She was not wearing a helmet. <ahem!> She was very lucky she wasn't hurt worse than she was. (I asked her after this last incident if she felt like she had a black cloud over her head...)

It is, indeed. And, of course, my guess is that they didn't have flood insurance...
Quite possibly not; most people dont, unless they are in a designated flood plane.

--Lindsey

[Judy G. Russell]

The real spooky thing is that this same woman was involved in a motorcycle accident on her last vacation. (She was on the motorcycle, a car pulled out in front of her, she hit the wrong brake and catapulted over the handlebars. She was not wearing a helmet. <ahem!> She was very lucky she wasn't hurt worse than she was. (I asked her after this last incident if she felt like she had a black cloud over her head...)I might think twice about going on vacation again...

Quite possibly not; most people dont, unless they are in a designated flood plane.A flood plane should have pontoons, no? (Sorry. Couldn't resist.)

[Lindsey]

A flood plane should have pontoons, no? (Sorry. Couldn't resist.)
Pffffft! "Plane" is the way they spell it on the NPR web site (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7513889). (Well, actually that article has both spellings, but "plane" seems to be the one most often used.) Also see http://www.chesterfield.gov/ManagementServices/RealEstateAssessments/Rea_Glossary.asp, http://www.ironcounty.net/departments/ITS/gis/maps/flood_plane.pdf and http://www.hartford.gov/Public_Works/Transportation_Division/GIS/gis.htm ("DPW is responsible for maintaining 218 Assessor property maps. These maps must adequately depict the size and shape of over 19,000 land parcels and over 29,000 building structures, as well as other information such as roadway alignment, street names, building and veranda lines, and flood plane lines.")

--Lindsey

[Mike]

Maybe they're thinking of the mathematical definition: an unbounded two-dimensional shape.

[Judy G. Russell]

Pffffft! "Plane" is the way they spell it on the NPR web site (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7513889). (Well, actually that article has both spellings, but "plane" seems to be the one most often used.) Yet the people who manage flood risks call themselves Flood Plain Managers -- see http://www.floodplain.org/ and http://www.floods.org/home/default.asp -- and FEMA consistently uses the term "floodplain" or "flood plain" (see http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/floodplain/index.shtm. All of the American states -- north, south, east, west -- use the "plain" spelling (e.g. Alaska (http://www.dced.state.ak.us/dca/nfip/nfip.htm), California (http://www.fpm.water.ca.gov/), South Carolina (http://www.dnr.sc.gov/water/flood/mgrsinfo.html), Maine (http://www.maine.gov/spo/flood/), Indiana (http://www.in.gov/dnr/water/surface_water/hydro_hydraulic/flood_maps/), Nevada (http://water.nv.gov/Flood/page1.htm), my New Jersey (http://www.state.nj.us/dep/landuse/se.html), and even your own Virginia (http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/dam_safety_and_floodplains/index.shtml)).

The same spelling is used in the UK (http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/flood/826674/829803/858477/858535/?version=1&lang=_e) and in Canada (http://srmwww.gov.bc.ca/aib/fpm/index.html) and in Australia (http://www.ga.gov.au/oracle/flood/flood_infolist.jsp?sno=410&sname=NSW%20Coastal%20Rivers%20Flood%20Plain%20Man agement%20Studies%20-%20Hawkesbury%20Valley) and in New Zealand (http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/Geology/GeologyOverview/9/ENZ-Resources/Standard/1/en) and and and...

IOW, flood "plane" is just "plane" wrong.

[Lindsey]

Maybe they're thinking of the mathematical definition: an unbounded two-dimensional shape.
Yes, that was what I had in mind. I was not sure whether the term was meant in a geographical or a geometrical sense.

--Lindsey

[Mike]

...a geographical or a geometrical sense.
Just the wrong sense. <shrug>

[Judy G. Russell]

Just the wrong sense. <shrug>Particularly since -- at least when filled with flood waters -- a flood plain will be three dimensional! (Length times width times depth!!)

[Mike]

... at least when filled with flood waters -- a flood plain will be three dimensional!
Especially when FEMA gets involved.

[Judy G. Russell]

Especially when FEMA gets involved.With them involved, you have to add the Twilight Zone!

[Mike]

Yeah... that fourth dimension. <g>

[Judy G. Russell]

Yeah... that fourth dimension. <g><cue the theme... >