It’s raining in New Hampshire.
Granted, we need the rain; as far as I can remember, I don’t think we’ve had any significant rain since the end of July. However, this rain isn’t going to do much good for the water table. There’s just too much of it coming down too fast: it doesn’t have time to soak into the ground and just runs off into the streams and rivers. This leads to the streams and rivers getting bank-full and overflowing, ponds and lakes rising — roads and bridges washing out, and at least one dam breach. Sump pumps are going to be working overtime for sure.
Does the name “Noah” mean anything to you? Even the ducks are grounded.
The local TV station is trying to cover this as if it were a Katrina-sized emergency. They’re rather pathetic, really. They can’t get their live trucks out to cover the floods because of all the roads that are impassible, so the talking heads are relying on photos taken by folks with camera phones and emailed to them. Apparently, the lights are still on and the phones still work in spite of all the water. It would be funny if so many people weren’t going to be stuck for the bills for cleaning up the mess after the “tide” goes out.
On the other hand, our (Democratic) governor was on his way to Germany when he heard the news. He walked off one plane upon landing straight onto another headed home without waiting for his luggage. Gov. Lynch always has that deer-in-the-headlights look about him, but I think that’s just because of the placement of his eyebrows, or maybe because his contacts are uncomfortable. Yes, he was a hands-on CEO, but he does seem to know what he’s doing, and knows how to delegate. Furthermore, NH has a small cash surplus and rainy-day fund. I think this qualifies as a rainy day.
As for me, I’m high and dry. If the water ever got up here, there would be more things to worry about than a wet basement. Like, most of the East Coast would be under water and the Atlantic Ocean would be lapping at the front steps. And, landslides are unlikely, too. The hill upon which my building sits is bisected by a granite dike which holds the whole business up like a dune fence. They don’t call New Hampshire the Granite State for nothing — and Milford’s nickname is “Granite Town” for all the stone quarries dug into it. About the only thing we have to worry about is the swamp at the bottom of the hill overflowing and creating a large puddle in the street.
