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By aphrael (Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 03:07:36 PM EST) (all tags)

J and I live in an apartment on the second floor of a three-story apartment building. The first floor is half a floor up from ground level. Our apartment faces over a hill on one side and an underpass under a train bridge on the other, making it feel like a 5th or 6th floor apartment.

You wouldn't expect that an apartment in such a location could flood.

So I was at work, in a building with only emergency generator power, and with multiple entrances closed due to wind-damaged glass doors (!!), when J gtalked me. "There's water coming in one of the windows. It's dripped water over dozens of your books." I figured I must have left a window open, notwithstanding the predicted rain with hurricane-force gusts.

I may have. But that wasn't the problem. Water was running in from a gap in the sealant around the window.

I drove home. Nothing seriously damaged, I think, although a lot of paper (my notebooks from last semester were under that window) is rumpled, and some books will be scarred. The reindeer fur, on the floor in front of that bookcase, is damp and smelly --- but it's fur, it will probably (i hope) be fine.

Apparently the gutter on the roof was blocked (nice maintanence there), and when they took the gutter down to resolve the problem, water began pouring off of the roof at a torrential rate. The leak into the room tailed off at that point, as well.

J went to work; i'm working from home, cleaning, drying, watching nervously for a recurrance.

Ugh.

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Surprise! | 18 comments (18 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback

unsurprisingly by MillMan (4.00 / 1) #1 Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 03:27:44 PM EST

The overall infrastructure here is less robust in resisting damage from the elements as compared to the other parts of the country I have lived that see far more extreme weather.

When I'm imprisoned as an enemy combatant, will you blog about it?

: we never get extreme weather. by aphrael (4.00 / 1) #2 Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 03:34:21 PM EST

we build extremely well for protection against earthquakes.
everything else ...

If television is a babysitter, the internet is a drunk librarian who won't shut up.
[ Parent ]
: Right on, can I be smug yet by georgeha (4.00 / 1) #3 Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 03:34:48 PM EST

and ask the west coast folks why they want to live in such an inhospitable climate?

[ Parent ]
: Liz and I were surprized by garlic (2.00 / 0) #8 Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 06:47:43 PM EST

how many places left their doors open for al fresco style dining when it was 50 degrees out.

[ Parent ]

Sucks by R343L (4.00 / 1) #4 Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 03:51:25 PM EST

But, glad it's not too serious. Also, bonus! Got you out of an office building running on generator with doors that don't open! :)

Rachael

"it's been a long time since i let self doubt keep me from doing anything. much to the chagrin of those who have to observe the consequences." -- 256

My boss just drove up I-5 from SoCal to Oregon by chuckles (2.00 / 0) #5 Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 05:51:39 PM EST

He said his windshield wipers were on the maximum setting for the past 11 hours.

Skateboarding is a crime.

Oh, and another thing... by chuckles (2.00 / 0) #6 Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 05:54:39 PM EST

He heard that the Sierras are supposed to get 10 feet of snow between now and Monday, and in some places it is coming down at a rate of 3-6 inches per hour.

Skateboarding is a crime.

[ Parent ]

no real surprise there. by aphrael (2.00 / 0) #7 Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 05:59:19 PM EST

If television is a babysitter, the internet is a drunk librarian who won't shut up.
[ Parent ]

sweet, nourishing water... by MillMan (2.00 / 0) #9 Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 07:54:47 PM EST

When I'm imprisoned as an enemy combatant, will you blog about it?
[ Parent ]

indeed! by R343L (2.00 / 0) #10 Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 08:05:37 PM EST

That's what I said at work today.

"it's been a long time since i let self doubt keep me from doing anything. much to the chagrin of those who have to observe the consequences." -- 256
[ Parent ]

in other words by MillMan (2.00 / 0) #11 Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 08:11:08 PM EST

this desert ain't gunna water itself.

When I'm imprisoned as an enemy combatant, will you blog about it?
[ Parent ]

unlike LA by R343L (2.00 / 0) #12 Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 08:48:19 PM EST

Strictly speaking we aren't in a desert. We just have too big a population for actually somewhat good water sources. Marin County uses nothing but aquifers and "mountain" runoff IIRC and much of East Bay gets a lot of ground water and "mountain" runoff as well. Though I don't know how stable or over-consumed those sources are.

In other words, LA will hurt first (as global warming fucks with rainfall patterns) as they are almost entirely dependent on their Colorado share and Sierra runoff (they have nearly the entire back side, plus stuff shipped down from up here out of San Joaquin / Sacramento River water).

/me notes that she is telling this to MillMan who obsesses about this.

"it's been a long time since i let self doubt keep me from doing anything. much to the chagrin of those who have to observe the consequences." -- 256
[ Parent ]

Marin county by MillMan (2.00 / 0) #13 Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 10:36:34 PM EST

is studying desal plants, which implies there is nothing left to tap. But yeah, LA is in much far deeper trouble than we are.

When I'm imprisoned as an enemy combatant, will you blog about it?
[ Parent ]

well they are rich do-gooders by R343L (2.00 / 0) #14 Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 10:42:28 PM EST

Perhaps they are studying it so they can export water to the rest of us schmoes? ;)

My mom is considering moving out of LA, one reason being the water / ecology situation.

"it's been a long time since i let self doubt keep me from doing anything. much to the chagrin of those who have to observe the consequences." -- 256
[ Parent ]

"much far more" by MillMan (2.00 / 0) #15 Sat Jan 05, 2008 at 01:28:04 AM EST

somebody spank me.

When I'm imprisoned as an enemy combatant, will you blog about it?
[ Parent ]

: If you insist by R343L (2.00 / 0) #16 Sat Jan 05, 2008 at 01:50:30 AM EST

But I have really weak arms.

"it's been a long time since i let self doubt keep me from doing anything. much to the chagrin of those who have to observe the consequences." -- 256
[ Parent ]

So's London, by ambrosen (2.00 / 0) #17 Sat Jan 05, 2008 at 10:34:52 AM EST

But that said, only of brackish water from towards the mouth of the Thames. I guess that one motivator might be to make people happier about drinking water abstracted from rivers, which do of course provide the majority of British water, despite the perception that it all comes from upland reservoirs and aquifers.

Also, London has less rainwater per head than Istanbul and Madrid. I imagine that's due to the size of urban boundaries almost as much as actual rainfall. Also the fact that those cities are far from the driest in their countries.

[ Parent ]

: Abstraction rates by Vulch (2.00 / 0) #18 Sat Jan 05, 2008 at 12:02:25 PM EST

It's supposed to be a bad idea to look too closely at the ratio between the volume of water that flows into the Thames naturally and the amount that is abstracted by the towns and cities upstream of where London takes its share if you're planning to drink any of it...

[ Parent ]

Surprise! | 18 comments (18 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback