The forces of Nature

[BeardofPants]

*duck and cover Khamul* and wotever you do, don't leave yer pants out on the line... Might end up being blown to New Zealand or something.

[Khamûl]

Don't worry, the hatches will be battened. But there is a very good possibility that we'll be without power for several days. We're just going to have to sit this one through.

P.S. -- I find it interesting that 12 days ago, I mentioned the last direct hit we got from a hurricane. Now, here we are on the verge of another one. I guess Ivan is going to go down in the books right next to Opal.

[trolls' bane]

Well, luckily in California we don't get anything but earthquakes. We do have those other two hurricanes headed for us, but I think that all we'll get is some cloudy weather and maybe even a few raindrops .

[azalea]

I'm in the s*** right now, guys, but surprisingly I haven't lost power! I'm going to shut down soon in case of a surge, but I might lose power when the eye wall hits, and it could be a few days, so I would obviously not be able to come on until it does. So far, this is the same as Francis, but it's still a cat. 2. I hope it weakens by the time it gets over me! I'm hunkering down!

[Nurvingiel]

*imagines azalea posting at the Moot using the last gas in the generator...* I'd be really scared to be in a hurricane.

South Central British Columbia:

The real force of nature that acts on the whole area is forest fires. As the area is in a fire controlled ecosystem, it's important to the health of forests to have small, frequent fires. Our fire management techniques in the past have not been very foresighted. We simply put out every fire, allowing fuel to build up. Two years ago, we had a very hot, very dry summer - more than usual. A fire was started in the area, it is suspected, from sparks from a train braking. Another fire was started when someone accidentally dropped his cigarette (he tried to put it out, but it quickly grew beyond control). There was such a huge amount of tinder dry fuel that both fires rapidly grew, consuming a huge area. The fire crews were hard-pressed to keep them under control, half the time we weren't sure what was going to happen. A small town (near where one fire started and about 75km away from the city) was almost completely destroyed, and the lumber mill where everyone worked was also burned down. It wasn't worth it for the company to rebuild it, and suddenly people found themselves without a job or a home. This was the worst part of the fires. Luck, skill, manpower, and a huge amount of effort let the fire crews get a handle of the rest of the fires, and only a small amount of damage was done to the other nearby towns. (Boy was I sure glad our house was near the river.)
Last summer was also hot and dry, but we luckily escaped having even one fire. Though much of the fuel was consumed, there is still a huge amount left quite near people's homes. Though new fire fighting policies are in place that let some fires burn, we're still not managing the urban-forest interface. This is the boundary where the forest is next to people's homes. Since we would obviously never let a fire burn in this area, it's critical that people manage the fuel in this area. This is not being done, and that worries me.

Who else lives in a fire controlled ecosystem? Is all of California this type of ecosystem, or just part? A couple years ago, you guys had big fires as well right?

I really hope the hurricanes are over for everyone in Florida. Two! That's awful. What's the difference between a tornado and a hurricane?

[trolls' bane]

I guess just part. From LA down, it's mostly desert, but in the hills between the San Fernando Valley (where I am) and Santa Clarita. We're also by a river, but I think calling it the LA river is incorrect. Try the LA sewage halfpipe/wash.
Also, the area on the other side of the 405, where the sepulveda dam is, gets flooded to where you can only see the tops of the trees. I've never seen it, but I've been told about it.

[Elvengirl]

Originally Posted by Nurvingiel

I really hope the hurricanes are over for everyone in Florida. Two! That's awful. What's the difference between a tornado and a hurricane?

Actually this is the fourth, but thanks. yep the season is almost over. Yeesh this is the worst weather I've experienced yet. But I've had nothing devastating happen, the worst is loss of power and internet, which is actually pretty good. I've recently been thinking about the terrible force nature has, it can be so desturctive, so powerful. We had a HUGE tree blown over with a HUGE massive root system probably over ten feet in diameter just ripped out of the ground, wow.
I hope this helps Nurv. Imo torandos are worse than hurricanes. Torandos can also be formed in a hurricane so one can experience both and then have the worst of both.
Hurricane vs. tornado

I think there are worse natural disasters though, such as volcano or flood or others which can jsut come and destroy everything it is path. Nature truly is amazing.

Take care Azalea! I see you've hunkered down, we'll get though this season!

[azalea]

I'm okay, just loss of phone line (and thus Internet) for a couple of days. Plus a couple of broken tree branches. NO MORE HURRICANES, PLEASE!

[Elvengirl]

I'm glad to hear you are well!
I agree, NO MORE!

[Rían]

Hey, Mt. St. Helens is blowing her top again!

[Falagar]

It's not only America, Asia, Oceania, Southern Europe and Africa that's afflicted by hard weather. Just look at this shocking picture taken from somewhere in Norway:
http://home.no/zhayena/damage2.jpg

[Valandil]

Originally Posted by Falagar

It's not only America, Asia, Oceania, Southern Europe and Africa that's afflicted by hard weather. Just look at this shocking picture taken from somewhere in Norway:
http://home.no/zhayena/damage2.jpg

Wow! Unbelievable fury!!!

[trolls' bane]

Well, we have such devestating weather, too . We have wind blowing at mind boggling speeds of 2ft/sec. and according to my two-way that dangerous rift currents are always a possibility off the Southern California coast.

Well, in reality, we're near teh end of a ten year drought (well, I don't know much about it).

Originally Posted by RÃ*an

Hey, Mt. St. Helens is blowing her top again!

Where is that? Near Seattle, right? Or is it near the great lakes ?

[Elvengirl]

WHOA FAL! Are you sure you're ok?? I'd suggest running for it!! DUCK and COVER!!

TB, Mt. St. Helen is in Washington.

[Nerdanel]

Fal.. you--- bastard

[Nurvingiel]

Oh my goodness Falagar, your "damage" picture had me laughing out loud for about 5 minutes.

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

we have been getting an awful lot of hefty storms over here at the moment,
not quite the same as hurricanes, but of the same sort of magnitude,
and even as i write, the rain pours on and on and on,
and my college bus broke down this morning, because the engine was
waterlogged, my lane is frequently blocked by fallen trees, and the deer
and wild ponies often shelter on my front garden, because the weather is
too bad on the hills

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

Originally Posted by Falagar

It's not only America, Asia, Oceania, Southern Europe and Africa that's afflicted by hard weather. Just look at this shocking picture taken from somewhere in Norway:
http://home.no/zhayena/damage2.jpg

run from the fury of nature!!

but the weather is getting bad now,
we might see even more patio chairs being knocked over

[Elvengirl]

Wow Chrys, you have wild ponies in your garden?! Where is it that you live? (if you don't mind my asking, I have a love of wild horses/ponies)

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

Originally Posted by Elvengirl

Wow Chrys, you have wild ponies in your garden?! Where is it that you live? (if you don't mind my asking, I have a love of wild horses/ponies)

i live in a small vilage,
nestled amongst the Quantock Hills,
in Somerset, which is in south-west UK