Another levee breaks (so now it’s levee, bridge, levee)

I have been checking on that western storm all weekend. I’m heading to Utah tomorrow for some mountain air and watching the snow report has been fun as hell. A few moments ago, a new West Coast storm report caught my eye. AP writer, Martin Griffith writes:

FERNLEY, Nev. – A ruptured levee sent a frigid “wall of water” from a rain-swollen canal into this high desert town early Saturday, flooding hundreds of homes and forcing the rescue of dozens of people by helicopter and boat.

To the west, a dangerous layer of heavy snow covered the Northern California mountains as rain and wind from the third storm in as many days hit the West Coast. The storms have been blamed for at least three deaths, and hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in California, Oregon and Washington were without power Saturday.

No injuries were reported in the flood in Fernley, about 30 miles east of Reno, after a section of the Truckee Canal levee up to 150 feet long broke soon after 4 a.m.

The article immediately brought to mind memories of my worry during NOLA’s levee failures in the aftermath of Katrina. My family found their way out of that devastation with little damage but I’ve friends who lost everything. The libertarian in me is quick to judge excessive government planning in these situations and my knowledge of Louisiana History and witnessing the horrific FEMA response seemed to prop my reasoning with fairly decent evidence. Tonight’s news of the Truckee Canal breach and a quick history check on the project seem to do so as well. They can cry foul against little burrowing rodents all they wish, but the bottom line is that you can’t fuck with nature and not expect a rough ride. (You can ask anyone who’s ever gardened or raised livestock and I’m sure you’ll find me correct.)

My thoughts are with those displaced in Fernley, Nevada. I feel a little like the asses in Mark Twain’s War Prayer; my desire for storm and snow means something very ugly for you. The powder will seem like champagne stored incorrectly and I’ll be lucky to get any of its bubbly effect.

~ by Miche on January 6, 2008.