Missouri in NY Times

We hit the Times yesterday: In Missouri, as Levee Is Rebuilt, Signs of Rebirth Begin to Sprout

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/12/us/along-mississippi-river-rebuilding-levee-after-springs-flood.html?ref=us

A prescient, observant brother and citizen

My brother emailed me today and informed of the following letter he wrote to the US Army Corps of Engineers last December--see the date--cautioning them on the record snows up North and what might be expected:

                                                        December 23, 2010

Dear General Van Antwerp;

Record snowfall in the Dakotas and Minnesota and this is only December.  Please, please consider increasing the release of water from upstream dams on the Missouri river now to lessen the chances for flooding in downstream states this spring.  Your early action now can make all the difference for farmers and residents in many states.

Sincerely and respectfully,

And sure, it can be argued that they have to be cautious and careful but here's the case of an aware citizen, lacking all the information they have at their disposal and already, back in December, noticing a record amount of snowfall up North, thinking it might be prudent to increase the flow of these upstream dams on the Missouri, as a precaution, far in advance of possible heavier flooding.  

They didn't start doing it until many, many months later.

It's a little bit of "armchair quarterbacking" now, in June, but it surely wasn't back then, in December.

Just saying.

Good call, bro.

Flooding coming down the Missouri

That flooding that was formerly way up North in Montana and the Dakotas is now coming down already to Southern Iowa and Northwest Missouri:

Army expects floods to fully breach the Missouri River levee

By GRANT SCHULTE, Associated Press 

HAMBURG, Iowa – Massive sandbags dropped on a faltering Missouri River levee have temporarily fortified the floodwall and given Army engineers more time to construct a secondary barrier to protect a threatened Iowa community, authorities said Monday.

The earthen levee, which guards an area of farmland and small towns between Omaha, Neb., and Kansas City, has been partially breached in at least two places south of Iowa's border with Missouri, and emergency management officials said they expect new breaches in the coming days as the river rises.

"We anticipate these compromises rearing their ugly heads all up and down the levee system throughout this event," Rhonda Wiley, the emergency management director for Atchison County, Mo., said Sunday. "It's not a pretty picture."

The Army Corps of Engineers began building a secondary flood wall to protect low-lying areas of Hamburg, Iowa, because it expects the northernmost breach of the floodwall, which is 5 miles southwest of town, to fully give way at some point.

That breach constituted a 10- to 15-foot-wide section of the levee collapsing in on itself on Sunday, Kim Thomas, the head of the corps' emergency management office in Omaha, said in a statement. The corps evacuated its personnel from the area and the Iowa National Guard used a helicopter to drop 22 half-ton sandbags on the weakened section, stabilizing it temporarily.

Although Hamburg is upriver, a full breach of that section of levee would cause floodwater to flow northward over the flat terrain and threaten the town's low-lying southern neighborhoods.

About half of Hamburg's roughly 1,100 residents were ordered Sunday to leave their homes within 24 hours, and that process should be completed by Monday evening, said John Benson, a spokesman for Iowa's department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Several residents of Atchison County were also ordered to leave.

And the heck of it is that the dams much farther North were only recently opened so it's only going to get far worse over the next few weeks, unfortunately.  If you drive along the Missouri River as I do so frequently, you know the river is nearly over its banks already.

Also, so you know where Hamburg, Iowa is, it's only about 20 miles as the crow flies, Northwest of Rockport, Missouri, which had it's own temporary breach:

An earlier breach of the levee near Rock Port, 15 miles south of Hamburg, caused a leak that shot water like a "like a small geyser," said Gen. Derek Hill, head of the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Crews stabilized that partial breach, the corps said.


The Missouri River was expected to rise about 8 feet to 1,098 feet above sea level by June 14 in the city of about 2,500 people, some of whom have evacuated ahead of the planned crest. Officials said construction of the primary levee is still under way to protect the city 2 feet beyond the projected high level.

It's just going to get significantly worse before this goes away.

Japan earthquake and tsunami: How--and where--to help

From Yahoo! News today

By Lili Ladaga – Fri Mar 11, 11:48 am ET

Japan was hit by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded on Friday. The magnitude-8.9 quake spawned a deadly tsunami that slammed into the nation's east coast, leaving a huge swath of devastation in its wake. Thousands of people are dead and many more are still missing or injured.

Japan has often donated when other countries have experienced disasters, such as when Hurricane Katrina impacted the United States. Below are organizations that are working on relief and recovery in the region.

AMERICAN RED CROSS: Emergency Operation Centers are opened in the affected areas and staffed by the chapters. This disaster is on a scale larger than the Japanese Red Cross can typically manage. Donations to the American Red Cross can be allocated for the International Disaster Relief Fund, which then deploys to the region to help. Donate here.

GLOBALGIVING: Established a fund to disburse donations to organizations providing relief and emergency services to victims of the earthquake and tsunami. Donate here.

SAVE THE CHILDREN: Mobilizing to provide immediate humanitarian relief in the shape of emergency health care and provision of non-food items and shelter. Donate here.

SALVATION ARMY: The Salvation Army has been in Japan since 1895 and is currently providing emergency assistance to those in need. Donate here.

AMERICARES: Emergency team is on full alert, mobilizing resources and dispatching an emergency response manager to the region. Donate here.

CONVOY OF HOPE: Disaster Response team established connection with in-country partners who have been impacted by the damage and are identifying the needs and areas where Convoy of Hope may be of the greatest assistance. Donate here.

INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS: Putting together relief teams, as well as supplies, and are in contact with partners in Japan and other affected countries to assess needs and coordinate our activities. Donate here.

SHELTER BOX: The first team is mobilizing to head to Japan and begin the response effort. Donate here.

Bin Laden chutzpah

In a second tape of, by and from one Osama bin Laden this week, he went on urging his Muslim brothers--and countries--to donate, contribute and help Pakistan, what with their flooding and all.  Hmmm.  So here he is, going "hat in hand" to fellow Muslims, chiding them, too, to help victims of Pakistan's horrific flooding.  He pleads with them, apparently, and exhorts them to help, at the same time.  One thing that was great was that he pointed out how "the U.N. chief did more than them to help Pakistan.

'The (U.N.'s) secretary-general came to witness the catastrophe for himself, and yet no Arab leaders came to witness the disaster despite the short distances and claims of brotherhood,' he said."
Chalk one up for the West, huh?  Good for us.  Say, Osama, you know who one of the biggest contributors to the UN is, don't you?  That would be the United States, your professed enemy.  Suck on that for a while.  And while you're at it, don't ask us for any help, okay, palzy?  We'll help the Pakistani people all we can but don't ask us for any assistance, thanks very much.  Not that even you would, I'd hope.  Surely you're that bright.  And not that big a hypocrite.

In the tape, he also accused the media of failing to cover the flooding tragedy effectively or provide "the real picture" of natural disasters in the Muslim world.

Then, get this--he wants to get people to believe in--well, check this out:  He said Journalists should also increase coverage of climate change, he said.  That's rich.  The Republicans, Conservatives, lots of business people and deniers will love that little jewel, eh? 

Speaking of "rich", as in ironic:  International donors have pledged more than $800 million for flood relief in Pakistan, the bulk of it coming from the United States which has donated nearly $350 million.  To repeat--"the bulk of it coming from the United States..."  So how's that whole "the US is our enemy" thing going, Osama, you hypocrite, if not idiot.



Finally this also apparently proves that OBL is still alive, dang it, if we can believe what was released:  The recording was aired along with a still photograph of a smiling bin Laden superimposed over pictures of flood victims.  So darn.  We, again, apparently haven't gotten him yet.  There's always hope.  Have a great weekend, y'all.

Link to original story:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101002/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_bin_laden_tape