<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Thanks for telling me something I already knew. Did you miss the part in my post that clearly stated that my father's childhood home was flooded?</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You said your father's home was "less than a mile away." I'm telling you it flooded about a block away from your house.Originally posted by gae:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by The Big Sexy:
The West Fork flooded all the way up to Chase and inundated Colerain up to the base of Florida and Jerome. FEMA has maps online.
<font color="#CC6600"><font size="1">[ June 23, 2008 11:10 AM: Message edited by: The Big Sexy ]</font></font>
There's a difference between the two descriptions, but I see you'd rather be a jackass than take good information under advisement.
Around here people speak of the 1937 flood. But along the Great Miami valley, they speak of 1913 (which Cincinnati flooded, too, but cities like Troy and Dayton really got pounded). The Mississippi has had several infamous floods, 1927 was bad but 1993 was pretty bad, too. And then I see that Cedar Rapids had their worst ever this time around.
Something else to consider. While we have taken proactive measures in flood control, keep in mind that we've also done things to make flooding worse. Take our beloved Mill Creek, for example. In recent years, hard rains have caused flooding of various businesses in the Sharonville/Evendale area. You take area that was once a swamp, you drain it and pave over it with Wal-Marts and Krogers and what have you....I mean, again, this isn't rocket science here. Water has to go somewhere. If it can't drain the way it naturally wants to, it will drain some other way.
I have some friends who own a business in the Evendale area that in recent years has been flooded. And they don't carry flood insurance because "it's too expensive." Yet they do carry fire and casualty insurance, which is also expensive. Well why do that? I mean, if we're going to play that game, what are the odds of their building being hit by a tornado? Or catching fire?
I pay extra for earthquake insurance (it's not too pricey, I think it's another $50/year or so). Odds are, that's money I'm wasting. You know what? I hope it is money wasted. In my opinion, it's worth the risk. If I have this coverage for 20 years and I never need it, ok, so I wasted $1,000. As opposed to if I don't have it and my house is destroyed in an earthquake.
Now, for those who decline that coverage, hey I hope it works out for you. But if there is an earthquake, and if your house is destroyed, and if you were offered the coverage but declined it....well, I mean, I hate it, but don't go whining to the government to bail you out.
And again, part of me feels bad that I even started this thread because it sounds like I'm piling on people who lost everything in the flood. And I'm not. I really do feel bad about what happened. But whenever I see lawsuit ground-laying....I can't help it, I start to cringe...
Just phoned about flood insurance.
$800 a year.
We don't live on a flood plain, and there has been no water here since 1937. Why do I need it?
Well, you don't NEED it, Gae. It is a lot of money that, in all probability, will go to waste.
My only point it, it's your decision to make (as it should be). But at least you're not basing your decision on what the government told you. You're not saying "well, we were going to buy it, but then the government told us we had nothing to worry about."
As I said, the 1937 flood was the worse on record here (by far, actually), and if we had the same amount of water now as we did then, the river wouldn't get as high due to flood control measures that didn't exist then. But, also like I said, there's nothing the government or anyone else can do or so that prevents the possibility (albeit slim) that there could be more water than in 1937.
Based on what you told me, no, I probably wouldn't get it. But, keep in mind a big part of my saying that is because, if you are displaced, you know you can always stay at Big Daddy LewMan's house (unfortunately we don't have any room for Trav, but we can hook him up with a room at the Lamb)
But didn't the post-1937 flood measures make some neighborhoods more vulnerable? Don't they divert water into the Mill Creek, Miami, Little Miami, the Canal? I remember that being an issue in the 97 floods. As I recall a lot of homes along West Fork next to the canal were torn down in the late 90s beacuse of that and Gae you are just a hop/skip away from that area.
Thanks to LewBaby for the information. I probably won't spring for the $800 a year and just take my chances, because if the rains come I can go live in the lap of luxury with LewBaby. (Oh hey! What are we doing to do with MRS. Lew? I get queasy at the sight of a lot of blood, so you're going to have to take care of the dirty work.) [Sorry, Mrs. Lew! This is just a joke. He's promised me he won't hurt you.]
Beach, you are exactly right. I think you know West Fork quite well. There is a permanent sign about flash flooding. Guess where I don't drive, whether it's wet or dry?
I don't really worry about these things all that much. I checked the maps, and it would have to be 40 days and 40 nights of rain for it to affect this house. I firmly believe that if we had the rain that Cincinnati had in '37 (and it wasn't so much the rain HERE, but all the water that came down river) we would already be in deep shit.
Hence, the thousands of rounds of ammo.
Well I live in Pinellas Park which is actually below sea level. If a hurricane ever makes direct landfall in Tampa Bay I'll be finished. They say if one ever does hit us directly, Pinellas County will basically become 2 islands: Clearwater and St Petersburg. Everything else in between will be the Gulf of Mexico. North of Clearwater will be ok too as it rises in Dunedin to actually include some nice sized, rolling hills. But kiss Largo, Pinellas Park and everything else mid county good bye...
You're absolutely correct, GL. Flood "control" measures don't really prevent anything, they just spread it around. Theoretically, you let the water out of Winton Lake and Sharon Lake in the winter, so when the spring floods come you can back them up and release them slowly into the Mill Creek (same with East Fork and Caesar Creek on the Little Miami). The overall plan was to keep the Ohio River level lowered, but yes, in so doing, you're increasing the levels of the Little Miami, Mill Creek, Licking, etc.
And like I mentioned before, there is a lot more pavement in Hamilton County now than there was in 1937. So all that water that was absorbed in 1937 would be surface run-off today.
You people make me sick with your wining. I had 3 trailers float away on me one time with all of us in it. My current house has got flooded 4 times and it aint no big deal. Most shit you just put out in they yard and let it dry. Scrape the mud off and you're are good. LOL Lewis Clark learned when it was flooded all he had to do was go in the water and not have to go to the bathroom to go potties. I hope he has got out of that habit in his new place.
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