I am current posting from my iPhone. I swear, life gets more and more like Star Trek each day, does it not? Fascinating.
For those of you who live in the Baltimore/DC metro area, the last ten days have brought enough rain to last a lifetime.
Thank god my neighbors--the kind people that they are--and my wonderful wife helped me complete my backyard drainage system before Hurricane Irene rolled through two weekends ago. Without their help, my basement would have flooded. The basement is dry and, apparently, I am an engineer.
This week, the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee are dumping rain, rain and more rain on an already water-logged area. Last night we were under a severe thunderstorm warning, a flash flood warning and were cautioned to be on the lookout for animals traveling two by two. Heavy rain will continue Thursday and Friday, some roads have closed, power may be lost. Soon, cats and dogs will be living together...MASS HYSTERIA! (Bill Murray in "Ghostbusters", 1984).
Irene left the ground extremely saturated with her heavy rains. Lee's remnants certainly won't help; with the water unable to percolate into the ground, streams and creeks will overflow, roads will flood and yards will pool with water. The water has no where to go but downhill, so low lying areas are at risk for flash flooding. With the ground so wet, it can become unstable, causing trees to topple over even after the rain and wind subside. Please be careful.
Check out the video below of Severn Run in Millersville. I shot this with my iPhone so it isn't the best quality. But it's good enough for you to see an example what these storms have done to the area. I will be heading out there again today to get some better shots with my video camera.
Click the links below to read about some news in the environmental world that I found in my surfing.
1. The Washington Post reports on how President Obama's Eco-friendly stimulus program has not produced the desired results:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/energy-department-stimulus-funds-not-being-spent-as-fast-as-promised-report-says/2011/09/07/gIQAZnoJAK_story.html
2. The New York Times reports on the growing solar industry in New Jersey and whether or not it is having the desired results or causing problems no one anticipated.
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/08/25/25greenwire-solar-industrys-boom-in-nj-casts-shadow-over-p-52495.html?pagewanted=all
3. Read the article about the award winning Masonville Cove Restoration Project in Baltimore:
http://www.mdot.maryland.gov/News/2011/January2011/MasonvilleCoveAward.htm
