Flood, famine and plague are the classic horrors for very good reasons. So we are reminded just how bad they are.
The current places with famines are more due to local issues and not as well reported.
I recommend that if you donate money to help, you do it anonymously. That saves you from the multiple daily solicitations for more money.
The current places with famines are more due to local issues and not as well reported.
I recommend that if you donate money to help, you do it anonymously. That saves you from the multiple daily solicitations for more money.
Six years ago Michael Pye wrote "The Edge of the Earth" -- a history of Northern Europe in the Middle Ages. The territories were described as "marshy and unpredictable".
It's an interesting book discussing the reclaiming of the lands...my ancestor's little part of Poland was an impenetrable marsh until they started laying down log roads...
Perhaps the "weather" which is taking place now wasn't that uncommon 1500 - 1000 years ago.
It's an interesting book discussing the reclaiming of the lands...my ancestor's little part of Poland was an impenetrable marsh until they started laying down log roads...
Perhaps the "weather" which is taking place now wasn't that uncommon 1500 - 1000 years ago.
Well, a big part of Belgium was like that (the north-western part) and was what we calll "gepolderd" which means made dry with drainage technics like small creeks and so.
But the region affected in the south east of Belgium and the Rhein valley in Germany is not like that, it's an old eroded moutain range called the Condroz and Les Ardennes in Belgium and the Eifel in Germany, with mainly hard rock (limestone, siltstone and sandstone) grounds and steep hills and narrow valleys with fast running rivers. It's like a mountain range, but with flattened tops at 250 to 650m high due to millenia of erosion. The soil covering the rocks is hardly one meter deep,in most places far less.
Did watch the news yesterday and the images were simply terrible. Many places looked like warzones.
Here in S Sweden after a few days of 30+ C we will be granted a cooler weater, around 22C.
We get all the water from Belgian and German rivers (mainly the Rhine and the Meuse, but many other tributaries) and it all converges in The Netherlands and ultimately ends up in the North Sea. We had similar situations in the southern part of The Netherlands in '93 and '95.
So we had 20+ years to fix it. Almost done, only a few spots that still had to be done. So the damage in Netherlands Limburg, bad as it is for those affected, is much much less than across the borders. Zero deaths so far (fingers crossed).
Jan
So we had 20+ years to fix it. Almost done, only a few spots that still had to be done. So the damage in Netherlands Limburg, bad as it is for those affected, is much much less than across the borders. Zero deaths so far (fingers crossed).
Jan
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I saw a remarkable BBC broadcast an hour ago. A care worker for old people In Schule ( ? ) Germany. Broadcast quality from her phone. In her car, in a wood. She about 50 years old. Her English better than most in the EU, I can just about speak French if I go back so really take my hat off to her. She said they had no electricity. Some clients were very frightened as words not heard since 1945 were heard. She cried which was perfect and showed empathy. Her co-worker brought her little dog to show the clients. It worked. I don't know who the lady is. Well done.
Flooding by itself is only the start of the problem. Buildings left standing after all the mud is out, need to have walls that were wet opened up. Water inside will leave the wood wet and mold will grow. Installed carpeting also has to go. No matter how much you clean it, nasty stuff will be underneath it.
Then comes the problem with natural gas heaters and furnaces, if they got wet most folks replace them. Then heating season comes and there is still water in the gas lines. Enough and the furnaces stop working as the moisture condenses and clogs the sensors. Also the moisture corrodes the new furnace internal parts.
I used to send news organizations a bit about cleaning up after a flood, they ignored me. A few say refer to the Red Cross or a contractor.
The Red Cross did set up a donation center on the highway just out of the flood zone. The Salvation Army did stop by and inquire if assistance was needed. They also provided food.
As to contractors, I am a licensed California home improvement contractor. Nothing about disaster recovery in those tests. The contractors I watched would repair everything as quickly as possible, no time to waste to let things dry out first. They also used carpet shampoo machines to clean carpet, just doesn’t really work.
Floods are even more miserable than they seem at first.
Last biggie if I recall correctly, two women caught by the flow got sucked down the sewer line and found much later. Worse was the mother and her two daughters found in the back seat of her SUV. With the electrical system wet she couldn’t unlock the doors or lower the windows and had to watch the water rise.
Sold a lot of window hammers for glove compartments after that.
Opening a door against water is extremely hard. A 32” door against three feet of water requires about 500 pounds of force!
Then comes the problem with natural gas heaters and furnaces, if they got wet most folks replace them. Then heating season comes and there is still water in the gas lines. Enough and the furnaces stop working as the moisture condenses and clogs the sensors. Also the moisture corrodes the new furnace internal parts.
I used to send news organizations a bit about cleaning up after a flood, they ignored me. A few say refer to the Red Cross or a contractor.
The Red Cross did set up a donation center on the highway just out of the flood zone. The Salvation Army did stop by and inquire if assistance was needed. They also provided food.
As to contractors, I am a licensed California home improvement contractor. Nothing about disaster recovery in those tests. The contractors I watched would repair everything as quickly as possible, no time to waste to let things dry out first. They also used carpet shampoo machines to clean carpet, just doesn’t really work.
Floods are even more miserable than they seem at first.
Last biggie if I recall correctly, two women caught by the flow got sucked down the sewer line and found much later. Worse was the mother and her two daughters found in the back seat of her SUV. With the electrical system wet she couldn’t unlock the doors or lower the windows and had to watch the water rise.
Sold a lot of window hammers for glove compartments after that.
Opening a door against water is extremely hard. A 32” door against three feet of water requires about 500 pounds of force!
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EMT's in New Jersey carry these in the pouch -- a Starret spring loaded counterpunch --
One flood in NJ I was scampering to get kids out of the streets -- there was a manhole cover dislodged by the force of water.
Attachments
Jack,
That is a $50 tool! What is your life worth? What are the odds you will be caught in a rising flood?
I can see how keeping the weight down in a tool kit is important.
A purpose made stinger hammer is $15. Seems to me they will make great Christmas gifts from a weird uncle! Of course if anyone ever uses it!!!!
That is a $50 tool! What is your life worth? What are the odds you will be caught in a rising flood?
I can see how keeping the weight down in a tool kit is important.
A purpose made stinger hammer is $15. Seems to me they will make great Christmas gifts from a weird uncle! Of course if anyone ever uses it!!!!
Only the gold plated ones Ed. Regular ones around here are $5 to $20. The $5 one is good enough if you're only going to use it once.
True, that's why gas and power are still out for about 50000 people in the region after the floods are gone and will only be switched on again after the inspection of the systems are done. And the gouverment will inspect all houses that were heavy affected before they are allowed to repair them. The army is also demolishing the most damaged ones because of the danger of collaps and the gouverment will do the assurance thing for the people. towns like Pepinster and Chaudfontaine that were flooded totally will probally be demolished for 60-80% and rebuild said the minister of interior affairs in the news today. The big cleanup started today by the Belgian army, civil protection, red cross and tenthousands of volunteers from all over the country. Dead bodies are still found (now at 35 dead i heared) and 160 ppl are still missing. damage is estimated to a few dozens of billion €.
Railroad damage will block most of the railroads of Wallonia (the southern french speaking part of Belgium) till the end of the summer, even if the company i work for who manage them will hire extra subcontractors to repair them asap and the whole region affected (240 towns and cities, that is like 90% of Wallonia) will take years to recover from this. This is also one of the major tourist regions, but this summer season will be cancelled largely (also my holiday btw, as the chalet i would stay in is washed away by the floods).
In Limburg and Vlaams Brabant (south eastern part of the dutch speaking northern part of Belgium) the damage is far less, but still some parts are flooded and the damage is also big. No victims were reported there, only damaged houses and vehicles and breached dams.
How it's going in Germany i don't know, but it will be similar... in the south west the floods are largely gone, the south east (Bavaria) is still suffering, just like Austria is afther the storm hit there also (but less severe). We luckely have a gouverment that is very involved in such things and don't let private companies run things like this. All is managed by the central gouverment and the local gouverments now and all private companies need to deal with the gouverment to do work there.
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Only the gold plated ones Ed. Regular ones around here are $5 to $20. The $5 one is good enough if you're only going to use it once.
Cal,
I don’t think you can get almost anything Starret for $5! A quick look shows even a prick punch is about twice that. I will leave it to the curious to look up that there is a tool called a “prick punch” and what it is used for!
A regular center punch yes. A spring loaded one that worked would be a steal!
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