Rain rain rain rain

[Anteater]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050110/D87HBF100.html

We are now on Day 4 of torrential rain here in So. Cal., and it's getting pretty old. No damage at my house yet (knock on wood), but it rained so hard that it blocked the satellite signal at one point yesterday. I pity anyone who has to drive in this mess...that's going to be me soon, since we're out of groceries. How are you doing, fellow Cali OC people?

[Michaelhatesfans]

Normally, I'd give you the usual Pacific Northwest response when people in Socal gripe about rain, but luckily I read the news before I came here...
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2005/WEATHER/01/10/storm.rdp.ap/top.1618.storm.home.ap.jpg
Hang in there!

[dando]

Makes our 4-6" rainfall in Cbus last week look like a sprinkle. :( The pattern will be changing for y'all shortly. A ridge will build in the west next week to dry you out. Man, what a winter of extremes! One of the meteorologists I read is callin this the pendulum winter.

-Kevin

[rabbit]

Yikes, I lost my power for awhile, but at least I kept my house.

[Wally]

I think thats a double wide......

But I get the message.

[Methanolandbrats]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050110/D87HBF100.html

We are now on Day 4 of torrential rain here in So. Cal., and it's getting pretty old. No damage at my house yet (knock on wood), but it rained so hard that it blocked the satellite signal at one point yesterday. I pity anyone who has to drive in this mess...that's going to be me soon, since we're out of groceries. How are you doing, fellow Cali OC people? You Cal pussies, any time it's not sunny you think the World is going to end. :D

[indyfan31]

Actually it's week 2 of steady storms, and there's one more coming tonight before we clear up for a few days. The only good thing about this is that the reservoirs are filling up, something we haven't done for a few years in a row.
Earlier this afternoon a small town north of Santa Barbara was practically buried when the mountain behind it let go and a wall of mud swept through the town. There's one verified death and several missing.
Glad you can find humor in it Meth.

[RaceGrrl]

You Cal pussies, any time it's not sunny you think the World is going to end. :D



Maybe, but they sure get some big hailstones. :eek: :D :eek:

http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/TOPIX_CALIFORNIA_STORM.sff_CADD101_20050110181106. jpg

[Ankf00]

jeebus.

[peelo]

This is really funny. I mean, it's sort of funny. Maybe you'll find it funny. Actually, I don't find it funny at all -- even though I guess it is kind of funny, in a way. :confused: Maybe if it wasn't happening to me ...

Anyway, all flip-flopping aside, I have had some damage to my apartment. The celing is dripping water and peeling paint. There was enough water to soak eight dish towels in less than 24 hours (I was asleep for 8 and gone for 13,so I can't be sure when the bulk of the water fell). Funny part is, I live on the first floor, below someone else. My ceiling is not exposed to the rain. But this is cold, clear water -- it's got to be rain. Hmmmm. The landlord came over tonight and evaluated the situation and took some pictures and promised to get back to me in the next few days regarding exactly when he's going to have it repaired. There's an existing stain from when the upstairs neighbor's dishwasher was leaking so it looks like my whole ceiling is going to be painted. So that's a good thing, I guess.

My job usually doesn't require me to make the drive to and from work on a daily basis, but this I've been commuting to work in my car more frequently this month than in previous years. I'm just so thankful I haven't had an accident! Thanks to the monsoon, I learned something about my car: I have two radiators. One is the big one that cools the engine, but I also have a second, little one that runs the cabin heater. That little one has a hole in it. When I park on the left side of my one-way street and it rains, I often end up with pools of water in the car, which of course start to smell horrible rather quickly. It's not even an expensive fix. But hey, this is Southern California, where it doesn't rain too often and I don't use the heater much, and it works just fine when I need it. Thank goodness my other neighbors gave me this huge piece of plastic sheeting that I use to cover the front section of the car, securing it with the car doors and a potted plant on the hood. Yup, I always wanted to look trashy, now I finally do. I live in a high-rent district and I'm sure my Audi- and BMW- driving neighbors are just horrified with me ... HA HA HA!!!!

Just remember, when our power or telephone goes out, we simply pick up the phone and call SCE or Verizon. I feel so bad for the folks in Asia who were living such simple lives, lost everything and have nobody (like FEMA) to call.

-- Peelo (as in, "we don't have those anymore")

[CARTNUT]

Can't ride my longboard in the rain... :cry:

[oddlycalm]

The only good thing about this is that the reservoirs are filling up Yeah, I hear that, but geeeeezuz, does it all have to go back in over a period of 10 days.... :(

Sorry folks are having to deal with it, the old water/gravity thing gets old when it's your place and your stuff getting trashed.

oc

[JohnHKart]

I'm really burned out on it....and I almost crashed on the freeway Friday night after my gig because of it. I had zero drinks that night, I was on the 5 North between Beach and Artesia...at the bottom of a small valley...and in the fast lane, just before the freeway turns right....Except I started going straight towards the wall when I hit a huge puddle....no brakes just off the gas and turn right..The last time I had that feeling was when I got into an uphill off camber left hander the wrong way on the backstretch of the Nurburgring...It's not so much panic or fear as an oh **** I'm going to hit the wall....damn! So lesson learned, I won't be driving in the fast lane on a freeway in the rain like that again...and I wasn't going stupidly fast either!

John

[chop456]

The last time I had that feeling was when I got into an uphill off camber left hander the wrong way on the backstretch of the Nurburgring...It's not so much panic or fear as an oh **** I'm going to hit the wall....damn! So lesson learned, I won't be driving in the fast lane on a freeway in the rain like that again...and I wasn't going stupidly fast either!

John


That sounds like quite the hair-raising experience!

It reminds me a bit of my teenage years when we summered in Austria. Salzburg was, on occasion, home to some of the most torrential downpours I’ve ever seen! I especially remember the year I turned 16. Daddy insisted on hosting a big birthday soiree, as that was the fashionable thing among all the diplomats' families. I, being somewhat of a wallflower, was aghast at the prospect. I’d been pestering daddy for some time about buying me a roadster as it seemed that all the other boys at the academy were so blessed. Much to my surprise, daddy led me downstairs one morning and out behind the stables. There I found Hans, our stable boy, waxing the most gorgeous deep blue XK120 I’d ever laid eyes on! What a magnificent specimen, a dream for a young man like myself! It seemed to just glow in the morning sun, with bits of chrome glinting like the facets of a fine diamond. (Not the trash they try to pass off here in the states). Daddy insisted that I eat breakfast before taking it for a drive. Never in my life have I finished off a plate of buttered scones so quickly. I don't know that I tasted my tea!

Mother bought me a pair of the finest calfskin driving gloves and a new tam, which was in vogue at the time. After thanking Hans for the use of his goggles, I set off on my magical adventure! Through the twists and turns, the Jag performed as expected, the gearbox whirring with every downshift and the engine note splitting the humid morning air like a buzzsaw. The dew still sparkled fresh on the pasture grass as I explored the country outside of town. The idyllic villages whizzed by one after another until I felt I must have crossed the whole of Europe. It wasn’t even lunchtime yet! Oh, how my daydreams turned to the likes of Rosemeyer and Ascari as I hurtled through the emerald green spaces, fresh mountain air in my face.

Then it rained.

[Sean O'Gorman]

Maybe, but they sure get some big hailstones. :eek: :D :eek:

http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/TOPIX_CALIFORNIA_STORM.sff_CADD101_20050110181106. jpg

Oh no, did it crush Indiana Jones?

[Warlock!]

That sounds like quite the hair-raising experience!Sweet Jesus, dude... ya gotta stop that! :rofl:

[indyfan31]

I'm really burned out on it....and I almost crashed on the freeway Friday night after my gig because of it. I had zero drinks that night, I was on the 5 North between Beach and Artesia...at the bottom of a small valley...and in the fast lane, just before the freeway turns right....Except I started going straight towards the wall when I hit a huge puddle....no brakes just off the gas and turn right..The last time I had that feeling was when I got into an uphill off camber left hander the wrong way on the backstretch of the Nurburgring...It's not so much panic or fear as an oh **** I'm going to hit the wall....damn! So lesson learned, I won't be driving in the fast lane on a freeway in the rain like that again...and I wasn't going stupidly fast either!
John
That's just a couple of miles from my house. Lovely part of the freeway, it squeezes traffic from 4 normal lanes plus one carpool lane down to 3 narrow lanes, period. It's our way of saying "Welcome to L.A. County, now deal with it".

[Jervis Tetch 1]

Better wet than cold. :p

[indyfan31]

Normally, I'd give you the usual Pacific Northwest response when people in Socal gripe about rain, but luckily I read the news before I came here...
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2005/WEATHER/01/10/storm.rdp.ap/top.1618.storm.home.ap.jpg
Hang in there!

That thing teetered on the edge for about a day, with almost half the house hangin in mid-air. Then it just slowly tipped over, the news crews got it on tape. The owner says his insurance company told him "it might not be covered."

[Winston Wolfe]

That thing teetered on the edge for about a day, with almost half the house hangin in mid-air. Then it just slowly tipped over, the news crews got it on tape. The owner says his insurance company told him "it might not be covered."


I saw "dood" on the local telly for the past couple days.
He said something about he had 1 hour to get his stuff out, and he couldnt get the pool table out in time.
I wonder if he was able to get the grow lights and the crop out of there in time either! :D
Man, first tornadoes and hurricanes are "trailer park haters", and now you can add flash floods and swollen rivers to that list, too !

[JohnHKart]

Oh god the sun is out today....When I saw blue sky this morning as I was headed for bed about 6AM....I was so happy I almost started yelling and screaming and pumping my fist saying yeah...

Johh

[Michaelhatesfans]

I saw "dood" on the local telly for the past couple days.
He said something about he had 1 hour to get his stuff out, and he couldnt get the pool table out in time.
I wonder if he was able to get the grow lights and the crop out of there in time either! :D
Man, first tornadoes and hurricanes are "trailer park haters", and now you can add flash floods and swollen rivers to that list, too !
I didn't see the interview, but just the idea of, "You've got an hour to save what you can," and the guy starts grunting away trying to move a fugging pool table! :laugh:

[Cam]

Oh god the sun is out today....When I saw blue sky this morning as I was headed for bed about 6AM....I was so happy I almost started yelling and screaming and pumping my fist saying yeah...

Johh

Can someone remind me what the sun is? :cry:

[rabbit]

Can someone remind me what the sun is? :cry:
Hope this helps... ;)
http://www.hao.ucar.edu/public/education/basic/basic.html

I sure do miss that big beautiful ball of hot gases, including hydrogen, helium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, and iron. :(

[JohnHKart]

Can someone remind me what the sun is? :cry:

Yeah as soon as it was here....it's gone again and it's raining once more....:(

John

[RacinM3]

You Cal pussies, any time it's not sunny you think the World is going to end.

I know you were kidding, and I'm usually the first to say that Californians freak out at the slightest rainstorm. This one, though, was pretty intense.

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20050112/capt.la11101120001.western_storm_la111.jpg

In La Conchita, above and beyond 6 dead already, they pulled the bodies of a woman and her three children out today.

[JLMannin]

I know you were kidding, and I'm usually the first to say that Californians freak out at the slightest rainstorm. This one, though, was pretty intense.

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20050112/capt.la11101120001.western_storm_la111.jpg

In La Conchita, above and beyond 6 dead already, they pulled the bodies of a woman and her three children out today.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume the hillside was there before the houses were.

[Turn7]

Certain parts of the country are utilized and the lands built upon because of the terrain and how it reacts with the weather.

While Houston may be able to handle 14 inches of rain in one day due to the type of soil, the lack of hills that would channel the run off into raging rivers and the fact that city planners have done all that is possible to minimize the effects of an "expected" amount of rain, put 1/2" snow on the ground and everything shuts down, fall below freezing for more than 18 hours and all of the houses are flooded due to busted pipes, etc. .

That weather isn't expected and therefore isn't planned for.

While SoCal may only get an inch of rain in a day, the terrain doesn't react well nor is the infrastructure in place to handle that amount of rain sustained over a prolonged period.

Sucks.

[RacinM3]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume the hillside was there before the houses were.

I agree, and the same hill slid 10 years ago, destroying 6 homes. The hill was so unstable afterward that they never even romoved the destroyed houses, for fear it would further de-stabilise the area. So the people lived there with a constant reminder of what could happen. I'm trying to understand the parents that put 3 kids in jeopardy like that, knowing the history of where they lived.


While SoCal may only get an inch of rain in a day

Yeah, and these storms dropped 6 to 15 inches in a day, depending on the area.

[RichK]

I heard on the news that a retaining wall was built between the hill and the houses, but it didn't do the job.

The father/husband of the 3 girls/woman was prevented from helping dig because of the instability of the hill. I would've completely freaked if they held me back from helping!

[RacinM3]

That retaining wall was there to help stop smaller debris from hammering the houses, not to prevent a massive landslide like that. A retaining wall hasn't been invented that would prevent this. County officials have been telling the residents this for years. (File under: things the news doesn't bother to tell). :thumdown:

[RichK]

That makes sense, thanks for clearing that up.

That is such a beautiful area, I can see the desire to live there despite the danger. For those that haven't driven on 101 between Ventura and Santa Barbara, it's pretty much the beach on one side of you with mountains on the other side.

[indyfan31]

Actually the retaining wall did it's job, as well as could be expected. The majority of the slide went around it. It shocked me when I saw the pictures.

Before:
http://us.f3.yahoofs.com/users/41b40acdz550ec494/2ba8/__sr_/43f7.jpg?phjWb5BBjte6aZ9U

After:
http://us.f3.yahoofs.com/users/41b40acdz550ec494/2ba8/__sr_/1c57.jpg?phjWb5BBOun_Movz

[oddlycalm]

We have plenty of evidence to conclude that people are very good at denial when it comes to safety issues when it comes to themselves and their families. The folks there knew the risks, and the evidence from the last time was still there to see.

The worst case I've seen personally are the subdivisions on the western slopes of Mt. Ranier. Those valleys have literally hundreds of boulders the size of the one that was in the news this week in Laurel Canyon, mostly half to completely buried in 30ft. of rubble. Back in the mid 1800's an earthquake of moderate magnitude triggered huge mud and rubble slides off the steep slopes of the mountain filling the valleys within minutes due to proximity and slope. Now there are thousands of houses. How long until they get a quake large enough to bury those neighborhoods under 30ft. of mud and boulders? It's not a matter of if, it's simply a matter of when. The residents will have maybe 2-5 minutes warning... :shakehead Allowing developers in there was criminal.

In our backyard it's more tame, but the people that live in the flood plane end up rebuilding on a fairly regular basis. Never say die...

oc

[G.]

That sounds like quite the hair-raising experience!

It reminds me a bit of my teenage years when we summered in Austria. Salzburg was, on occasion, home to some of the most torrential downpours I’ve ever seen! I especially remember the year I turned 16. Daddy insisted on hosting a big birthday soiree, as that was the fashionable thing among all the diplomats' families. I, being somewhat of a wallflower, was aghast at the prospect. I’d been pestering daddy for some time about buying me a roadster as it seemed that all the other boys at the academy were so blessed. Much to my surprise, daddy led me downstairs one morning and out behind the stables. There I found Hans, our stable boy, waxing the most gorgeous deep blue XK120 I’d ever laid eyes on! What a magnificent specimen, a dream for a young man like myself! It seemed to just glow in the morning sun, with bits of chrome glinting like the facets of a fine diamond. (Not the trash they try to pass off here in the states). Daddy insisted that I eat breakfast before taking it for a drive. Never in my life have I finished off a plate of buttered scones so quickly. I don't know that I tasted my tea!

Mother bought me a pair of the finest calfskin driving gloves and a new tam, which was in vogue at the time. After thanking Hans for the use of his goggles, I set off on my magical adventure! Through the twists and turns, the Jag performed as expected, the gearbox whirring with every downshift and the engine note splitting the humid morning air like a buzzsaw. The dew still sparkled fresh on the pasture grass as I explored the country outside of town. The idyllic villages whizzed by one after another until I felt I must have crossed the whole of Europe. It wasn’t even lunchtime yet! Oh, how my daydreams turned to the likes of Rosemeyer and Ascari as I hurtled through the emerald green spaces, fresh mountain air in my face.

Then it rained.I'm sorry, but I am still laughing about this, chop. It's been causing me some problems at work ("We're behind schedule, G! What's so damn funny?")

(not to be hatin' on JohnHKart, or anything)

[rabbit]

I'm sorry, but I am still laughing about this, chop. It's been causing me some problems at work ("We're behind schedule, G! What's so damn funny?")
Yup. Funniest. Post. Ever. :rofl: