Here Comes Irene: Flood Prep & Rain Expectations

[Proton Soup]

we found out the hard way that pecans lose limbs too easily as well.

shame about the black walnuts. they taste great, even though getting the meat out is a dirty, messy chore.

 

[wuliheron]

The ravine next to my house is full of them. Because they are so far down in the ravine, they are no threat, the just fall into the ravine.

Still a shame when a tall tree breaks in half though.

Its called free firewood, and there's nothing shameful about free. If you prefer though you can think of it as the "circle of life" and just let it rot there.

P.S.- Those beautiful black streaks in the wood (called "figure" in any wood) are where the grain is weakest and growing on a slope it will be so full of splits and cracks its useless for furniture.

 

[Evo]

Its called free firewood, and there's nothing shameful about free. If you prefer though you can think of it as the "circle of life" and just let it rot there.

Good firewood, I wonder if I can make it down to where the tree is? Well, obviously I can get down there, question is can I get back out, the tree fell on the steep side. My poor little dog got too close to the edge and started sliding down until he hit a tree, he had a very hard time getting out and he wasn't that far down.

 

[wuliheron]

Good firewood, I wonder if I can make it down to where the tree is? Well, obviously I can get down there, question is can I get back out, the tree fell on the steep side. My poor little dog got too close to the edge and started sliding down until he hit a tree, he had a very hard time getting out and he wasn't that far down.

If its that steep and you aren't familiar with handling chain saws and winches I'd let it rot.

 

[turbo]

If its that steep and you aren't familiar with handling chain saws and winches I'd let it rot.

Chain-saw + Evo = gruesome death.

 

[Redbelly98]

Warning: keep remaining fingers away from blade!

 

[turbo]

Warning: keep remaining fingers away from blade!

Warning: Keep remaining limbs from chain as long as you have hand on the grip and a finger on the throttle.

 

[wuliheron]

There are chaps and gloves you can buy these days that make chain saws safer then ever. You can literally run the saw over your leg and it stops instantly before you even get scratched. However, that doesn't help if the chain saw bucks or the log rolls over you.

 

[Proton Soup]

find another way into the ravine. hike in from the bottom with a hand saw, and carry out one piece of wood per day. now you've got an upper/lower body workout to keep you busy til winter.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

There are chaps and gloves you can buy these days that make chain saws safer then ever.

I used to have a business selling chaps to gay caballeros.

 

[turbo]

Who is that gaucho, amigo?

 

[Redbelly98]

find another way into the ravine. hike in from the bottom with a hand saw, and carry out one piece of wood per day. now you've got an upper/lower body workout to keep you busy til winter.

That would get tiring, carrying all that wood up and out the long way around. Instead, drop all the wood in place at the bottom of the ravine. Use some of it to build a sturdy beaver-style dam. Hike back to the top, wait for the rising creek waters to deliver all that loose wood into your waiting arms. Saweet!

 

[Evo]

that would get tiring, carrying all that wood up and out the long way around. Instead, drop all the wood in place at the bottom of the ravine. Use some of it to build a sturdy beaver-style dam. Hike back to the top, wait for the rising creek waters to deliver all that loose wood into your waiting arms. Saweet!

lol!

Maybe I can pay a couple of sturdy teen boys to tie ropes to it and we can haul it up the side.

 

[turbo]

lol!

Maybe I can pay a couple of sturdy teen boys to tie ropes to it and we can haul it up the side.

Only if you have a different brand of teens than I do. Last year, I offered to pay minimum-wage (cash and tax-free) to a teen to stack firewood for me. He showed up for part a day, and part of another and then dropped off the Earth. Earlier, he had been complaining that he'd have to earn over $400 to take student-driver training, but as soon as actual wood-stacking was involved, his enthusiasm for earning money disappeared.

 

[Evo]

A picture a member drew of me sawing a limb off of a tree.

https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=576571&postcount=72

 

[lisab]

A picture a member drew of me sawing a limb off of a tree.

https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=576571&postcount=72

love that

 

[turbo]

We've got bridges completely gone, and roads washed out. Still I have electricity. What a mackerel!

 

[turbo]

I have to be so happy about the diminishing winds. Maybe I can have Internet and music tonight!

 

[Astronuc]

Far from a dud, hurricane Irene caused the worst upstate flooding in years

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Hurricane-Irene-Hudson-Valley-Floods-New-York-128567338.html

And police and emergency responders had to rescue loads of stupid people who decided to drive their cars into flood waters or take their boats or canoes into unsafe streams.


It nice - cool and sunny. The rain stopped about 12 hours ago, but our basement sump is still receiving a strong stream of water. Fortunately, we did not lose power during the storm.

 

[Astronuc]

It took me about an hour to get to work this morning, when it normally takes 13 minutes. One of the major roads through the area was close due to flooding.

A colleague is trying to get to Washington DC, but flights were cancelled, Amtrak is not operating, and many highways (including Interstates) and roads are impassable, and others are congested.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Below is a link to some snapshots I took this morning in town.
https://picasaweb.google.com/jsnyder527/Irene#"

 

[Astronuc]

The Trenton railroad station is flooded after the nearby Assunpink Creek rose to record levels and overflowed its banks, sending a torrent of water flowing through residential streets to the Delaware River.

SEPTA buses, trains and trolleys are operating, but service is suspended on the Cynwyd, Paoli/Thorndale, Norristown, and Trenton lines because of residual storm-related problems.

N.J. Transit rail service remains suspended until further notice, except on the Atlantic City Rail Line, and bus and light rail lines are running on a modified schedule, the agency says.

Amtrak says its trains are operating between Philadelphia and Washington but not between Philadelphia and Boston.

A different article - Philadelphia copes with outages, flooding after Irene
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/128571183.html

Much further north, the Mohawk River in upstate NY, west of Albany/Schenectady may reach record flood levels. That is 100 - 150 miles N/NNW of NY City.

 

[lisab]

Below is a link to some snapshots I took this morning in town.
https://picasaweb.google.com/jsnyder527/Irene#"

Except for the water everywhere, it looks like a beautiful day. I hope you and your wife are reunited soon!

 

[Evo]

Below is a link to some snapshots I took this morning in town.
https://picasaweb.google.com/jsnyder527/Irene#"

That was great! I noticed that people had abandoned hope of even taking small boats to cross the great expanses of flood waters. I hope that someday you and your wife are reunited amid the chaos.

 

[wuliheron]

It took me about an hour to get to work this morning, when it normally takes 13 minutes. One of the major roads through the area was close due to flooding.

A colleague is trying to get to Washington DC, but flights were cancelled, Amtrak is not operating, and many highways (including Interstates) and roads are impassable, and others are congested.

Welcome to the future. With the greenhouse effect, industrialization, and overpopulation you can expect this to become a fairly regular occurrence. Already some of the worst flooding has occurred in known flood plains where people were warned not to build. Within fifty years the estimates are that i95 will require 18 lanes one way and you'll be able to drive from NY to Miami without ever leaving the city... weather permitting of course.

 

[Evo]

The midwest has been suffering from terrible floods all year, not nearly as bad as the great flood of 1993 when this part of the country was mostly under water, and of course, there are now houses were there were lakes back in 1993, people will never learn.

Many of the roads are prone to flooding and just about every street has major construction going on right now to add super drainage, makes it a nightmare to try to get anywhere though.

 

[wuliheron]

You'd think people would have gotten the message after New Orleans, but denial still lingers.

 

[Evo]

You'd think people would have gotten the message after New Orleans, but denial still lingers.

People have short memories once the mess is cleaned up.

 

[Astronuc]

I took a picture earlier of a house a few blocks from my office. The local creek was flowing out the window of the basement. There are many flooded homes. I'm going to go out again later, but I think there's probably a pile of debris blocking flow down stream of the creek, which winds its way through the town. Some parts are not easily accessible because of private properties.


A friend who lives near Chi M mentioned that central Connecticut got flooding. Some guy thought it would cool to canoe down main street in the rushing water. His canoe capsized and he was swept into the river. The retrieved his body down river.


Update: I've attached two images taken a couple of blocks from my office. The car in the driveway is on the south side of a creek/brook. The depth is about 10 feet or so from the rod surface. The water is up to bottom of the bridge deck. In the back ground is a floating oil tank, and a car repair shop that is underwater. Several car in the parking area were in 3+ feet of water.

The house in the second photo is on the north side of the creek. The water is backed up. The water is flowing out of the window, so there is more water behind the house trying to get to the creek.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

You'd think people would have gotten the message after New Orleans, but denial still lingers.

The people of my town have been in denial since 1677. The town was settled because of the crick. A dam and a mill race were soon built and thus yesterday's flooding became inevitable. I think the townspeople are ready admit that the past 330 years have been a huge mistake and relocate the whole shebang to the Gobi desert.