Article

2007-06-28 -Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

Heavy Texas Rains Wash Away 4 Frito-Lay and 1 Dorito Trucks

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Posted by Chort Angavish4472 2007-06-28 01:55|| || Front Page|| [11139 views ] Top

#1 Oh, the humunchities!

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2007-06-28 06:10|| 2007-06-28 06:10|| Front Page Top

#2 Shame, Zenster, shame!! ;-)

Posted by trailing wife 2007-06-28 06:47|| 2007-06-28 06:47|| Front Page Top

#3 Yikes. Hope our Hill Country people are all okay.

Doubt you'll hear them grumbling, whahahaha.

Posted by Besoeker 2007-06-28 07:04|| 2007-06-28 07:04|| Front Page Top

#4 It's all Bush's fault. If he didn't spend all his time clearing the indigenous plants from his ill gotten property, there wouldn't be floods like this.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2007-06-28 07:28|| 2007-06-28 07:28|| Front Page Top

#5 I'm in San Antonio, and the rain just hit us about an hour ago... so far, so good. I'm staying at home today, got another chapter and a couple of reviews to write and post.
My daughter has school, across town though; if it looks bad later, she'll stay home as well.

Posted by Sgt. Mom 2007-06-28 08:09|| www.ncobrief.com]">[www.ncobrief.com] 2007-06-28 08:09|| Front Page Top

#6 Sgt Mom, what's the over-under on idiots driving thru flooded low water crossings? That was always my favorite part of the local SA tv news.

Posted by Steve 2007-06-28 08:51|| 2007-06-28 08:51|| Front Page Top

#7 Consulted with daughter, and our informed estimate is 8-10 who will have to be rescued. At least a couple of those will be people who don't know English and can't figure out the warning signs...
The City began fining these people the cost of their rescue, but most people don't realize that once the water is up to the floor level of the car, you are a whisper from floating away. Especially if there is a strong current.

Posted by Sgt. Mom 2007-06-28 09:30|| www.ncobrief.com]">[www.ncobrief.com] 2007-06-28 09:30|| Front Page Top

#8 I believe the over/under for cars is 16 inches.
For trucks, perhaps about 36 inches.

Posted by wxjames 2007-06-28 10:16|| 2007-06-28 10:16|| Front Page Top

#9 The problem is that you can't tell how deep the water is until you're in it. Then it's too late.

Posted by Rambler">Rambler 2007-06-28 11:13|| 2007-06-28 11:13|| Front Page Top

#10 "In Texas tonight, the chips are down as heavy flooding washes away a Doritos truck . . ."

Posted by Mike 2007-06-28 12:06|| 2007-06-28 12:06|| Front Page Top

#11 In a lot of places, Rambler, they have markers planted exactly were the water collects, with the feet and inches painted on them, starting from ground level. But in a lot of other places there isn't a marker, and the only clue you have is if you know that particular place very well.
And when it really, really, really pours down in buckets, like it looks to do today, a lot of spots that don't normally flood will do so. In October of 1998, the Hill Country got so much unexpected rain that the rain-guages overflowed. All they could tell is was that it was more than 24 inches, falling overnight. There were people whose cars were swept away, just driving down the street, nowhere near a creek or a low-water crossing! In about two minutes, a perfectly ordinary city street turned into Niagra Falls!

Posted by Sgt. Mom 2007-06-28 12:59|| www.ncobrief.com]">[www.ncobrief.com] 2007-06-28 12:59|| Front Page Top

#12 Ima waiting for the salsa truck to wash my way.

Posted by ed 2007-06-28 13:14|| 2007-06-28 13:14|| Front Page Top

#13 Betcha can't wash away just one.....

Posted by USN, Ret. 2007-06-28 14:22|| 2007-06-28 14:22|| Front Page Top

#14 After EVERY Heavy rain they can find at least one idiot that attempted to turn their truck/car/SUV into an amphibious vehicle. I think the TV station send out crew to known locations. In conclusion, it's all Bushitlers fault, well just because.

Posted by Cyber Sarge 2007-06-28 19:09|| 2007-06-28 19:09|| Front Page Top

#15 Arizona has a stupid motorist law which says that if it's marked and barricaded and you go anyway, you have to pay the costs for your rescue. (This doesn't apply for floods in areas not marked and barricaded.)

Posted by Gary and the Samoyeds">Gary and the Samoyeds 2007-06-28 20:39|| http://home.earthlink.net/~sleepyjackal/index.html]">[http://home.earthlink.net/~sleepyjackal/index.html] 2007-06-28 20:39|| Front Page Top

#16 There's a railroad underpass on the other side of Richmond - street basically goes straight down & then straight up. Floods whenever there's even a heavy thunderstorm (where's the water gonna go?). The city always blocks it off with sawhorses every time there's a heavy rain, but they didn't use enough that the ~~idiots~~ cars couldn't drive around them.

A number of years ago a woman tried to drive under the tracks after much rain and of course the car shorted out, doors & windows were (electric) locked, way before cell phones, etc. If she'd had any sense, she could have (a) seen the water and gotten suspicious), and (b) seen how little space there was between the top of the water and the bottom of the trestle. She didn't. The street isn't well-travelled, and no one saw it happen. Cops found her body a day or two later when the water had finally receded enough for them to notice the trunk sticking up out of the water.

So the city leaps into action and paints a depth meter on the concrete so you can see how deep the water is (IIRC, it's a 14-foot "ruler") and hopefully not drive into it.

Several years after that, underpass is flooded again (at least 10 feet), sawhorses are blocking the street on both sides - enough so you can't just drive around them - and a guy wants to drive under the tracks (it is the shortest route ~~when it's not flooded~~), so he gets out of his car and moves the barricades so he can drive through. You guessed it - same thing happened, electrical shorted out, car died, no cell phone, etc.

When the cops found the car, his face was pressed up against the back window). IIRC, they found him sooner than the last one because a cop on patrol noticed that the barricade had been moved and got suspicious & called for the FD divers. But he was still dead - just less bloated.

I know there are cases where the water just rises so fast you get caught in spite of all your precautions (see Hurricane Gaston and the Richmond area a couple of years ago), but 98% of the time it's just stupidity and not paying attention.

Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut 2007-06-28 21:22|| http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/]">[http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/] 2007-06-28 21:22|| Front Page Top

#17 Both of those drowned morons could have avoided death if they had a pocket tool or some other sharp metal implement to shatter a window with. I always have a Victorinox Swiss Army pocket tool on my belt for just such reasons.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2007-06-28 23:33|| 2007-06-28 23:33|| Front Page Top

23:58 Barbara Skolaut
23:46 RD
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23:33 Zenster
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22:59 Ptah
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22:49 USN, ret.
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