Saturday, September 15, 2018

A MATTER OF COMPARISON

    I've been watching the progress and madness  of hurricane Florence. There is a tremendous amount of fear and uncertainty. They're not sure where the storm is going and what it might do next.

    It must be terrifying to go through this ordeal knowing that you are completely out of control. 

    36 inches of rain in three days? Unimaginable! 3 inches of rain per hour? Where would it go? 

     If I make some comparisons of where I live you will understand why it's difficult for me to understand about that much rain.

     Here we have annual precipitation of 12 - 14 inches per year. With the type of crops we grow and the method of farming we use we are a very productive agricultural area. 

    Our subsoil is clay and it goes down a long way before we hit rock. You know that water doesn't go through clay. Very little of our precipitation goes into the subsoil. This area is flat. Water comes down and it can't really go anyplace. Very little drainage takes place and what does take place is very slow. 

     We have had years with more than 20 inches of rain. It gets incredibly wet and in some areas very little crop can be planted.

     So I realize that the people under Florence's grip are suffering and will suffer much hardship. We can only wish that the ordeal comes to an end and that people can then put their lives back together.






Behind the sign you see a lush crop of grain.

32 comments:

  1. It truly is unimaginable to me that rainfall must be measured in feet rather than inches! It's terrible what's happening right now in the Carolinas. So many dreams lost. :-(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, that amount of rain is unimaginable for us but also to the people in the Carolinas.

      Delete
  2. Hurricane Florence is indeed frightening to watch as it progresses with more and more rain, wind and flooding. We have been watching it on the news and keep praying for the safety of all the people.

    If your subsoil is clay I can understand how you would really have a problem with too much rain. Do you ever have flooding when the snow melts in the Spring?

    I love your photos - especially the last one! Is that at the site of the original Hiawatha school house? Didn't you take the name of your blog from that?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We can get local flooding in the spring depending on the weather. We do get the occasional downpour that causes a little local flooding. It is the site of the original school house. I did take my blog name from the school. I went to the school for nine years. It closes the year after I left.

      Delete
  3. Water is a terrible force, I feel so sorry for everyone in the Carolinas and all who are suffering from the rains:(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hoe people make an effort to help the people in the Carolinas.

      Delete
  4. It is mind boggling the amount of rain they were predicting.
    We are about 16" rainfall, flat like you, but with soils ranging from sandy loam to clay.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 16 in will provide enough moisture for good crops although I see evidence of irrigation in your photos.

      Delete
  5. It is frightening, the storms. You have an interesting climate. My kids, in Vancouver, have such a different one, as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are a very large country. We can take our pick when it comes to climate.

      Delete
  6. The wind strength is much slower than expected but as you suggest it is the vast amount of rainwater that is the problem.
    P.S. Is that "Hiawatha House" on the sign?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's not quite Hiawatha House. It's a marker for the long gone school that I attended for 9 years. I've posted about the school before.

      Delete
  7. Hello, Hurricane Florence is dumping a lot of rain on the Carolina states. My sister lives nearby in Ocean Isle Beach and left early for her vacation to FLorida. She said up till now they had little rain. The people close to the rivers will be hurt the most when the rivers flood. My prayers go out to the storm victims. Happy Sunday, enjoy your day and new ahead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One would be concerned if you had relatives in that area.

      Delete
  8. Like YP, I'm wondering about the sign in the photo. Is your blog named for it?

    People always think wind is the main danger in hurricanes, but actually water is a greater threat, particularly in coastal areas. Both rainfall and storm surge create huge volumes of flood water.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, my blog is named after the one room country school I attended for 9 years. I have posted about the old school a few times.

      Delete
  9. It is an unimaginable amount of rain in such a short time. We don't even get that much in a year here. To get so much in a few days would be utterly catastrophic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unimaginable is about the only way to describe things.

      Delete
  10. It's truly unimaginable if you live somewhere like I live where there is very little flat land at all and plenty of places for water to drain. Having said that out land is made up of peat which soaks up moisture anyway.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our land has natural ways of handling water but this much water is impossible.

      Delete
  11. Having spent over 15 years in Louisiana, I know the power of the wind and water. And, yes, it does seem to be getting worse. Like it or not, the climate is changing. I think it is the rainfall that had made this storm so powerful. Storm serge from the ocean mixed with rivers flooding with 15-35 inches of rain has made a super storm, to be sure.

    My heart cries for those affected this week. Stay strong and may you find relief soon.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Florence is definitely a monster of a storm.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you would love a snowstorm of such proportions!!!

      Delete
  13. Water frightens me anyway so I would be very anxious if I lived in the Carolinas. We have very little flooding in Nova Scotia although there are some places built on flood plains that predictably flood in the spring due to snow and ice melt and ice jams in the rivers. There was a video on the news online last night with a scene inside a house - the water was about 18 inches from a ceiling and moving choppily in waves - it was scary and reminded me of the Katrina flooding. And even after the storm is over, there is just so much work to be done everywhere; it will take years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Water is extremely powerful . Rebuilding structures and lives will take a long time.

      Delete
  14. I can't even imagine all that rain in just a few days. I hope people will be safe and out of harms way.
    I like that town sign, it's unique.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The sign is a marker for the location of my old school. I attended for nine years and it was closed in 1955.

      Delete
  15. I can only imagine what a frightening experience that is.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Right now, it's really the flooding that won't stop, especially since it's expected to keep raining until Tuesday. At least that's what I heard tonight. That was the problem on the Big Island.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Having just been through Florence, I think the hardest thing is all the worry and wondering for days beforehand where it's going to hit and how hard, then only hours to get ready when a decision is finally made. It was looking as if it would go north of us and we would not have to evacuate so we were concentrating on readying things to stay at home. Then suddenly there was a mandatory evacuation and we had only hours to find a place to stay, pack all we would need for who knows how long, and get out. I hope this is the only one for the season!

    ReplyDelete