Flood Mania!

It's weird how this new thing has swept our area. Due to our amazing media everyone in the Pacific Northwest knows that the Green River is going to flood--Never mind that it's actually only a possibility of flooding. Every newscast you tune into will have some mention of it, whether you're tuned into a radio news broadcast or a television news show. "Green River Flooding" has become the topic. All around us are signs of impending doom. There are sandbags galore everywhere you look. Signs offering sandbags delivered, large or small. Flood insurance--You name it.

For those that aren't hip to the goings-on in our area, let me do a quick synopsis: The Green River is a river that meanders lazily through the valley that contains portions of Auburn, Kent, and Renton. Quite a ways upriver (foothills of the Cascade Mountains pretty much) is a dam that regulates the waters of the Green River. During last year's rainy season they found some sinkhole activity in the earthen portion of the dam (an area off to the side of the dam itself). Because of this, they announced that they would not be "holding" as much water as they have in past years so as to not stress the dam before repairs can be made. This means water levels in the Green River will likely be higher than usual.

Okay, things like that can be worrisome--No doubt about it. I know a lot of people that live in the valley lowlands--Friends and family both--And I don't want anything to happen to them. Anyway, take the usual amount of worry and add the media blitz to it and you've got yourself a situation that I will can Flood Mania. Politicians, insurance companies, entrepreneurs--All are jumping on board. Because there are so many companies in the valley that are vital to the well-being of the aerospace industry, Boeing has required their suppliers to outline and perform the necessary steps that will insure that, should a flood occur, their company will not suffer any catastrophic losses that would impact the flow of products. Consequently, we are building door framing to plug big roll-up doors, and filling sandbags.

Everywhere you look you see sandbags around houses and buildings. There are constant lines of giant sandbags lining sides of the Green River in several areas, with more being added all the time. Funny thing is, they're not doing it evenly--There are places where one side of the river is several feet higher than the other side, and it's easily visible to the naked eye. Apparently they're not concerned about people on both sides of the river...

Here's one scenario I never expected though: Yesterday I stopped into my bank to deposit my paycheck like I do each Friday. In addition I opted to withdraw several thousand dollars cash to make a potential car deal this weekend (more on that later). Here's roughly what took place:

"Does it have to all be in cash?" the gal asked.
"Well, I'd like it in cash, yes. Nobody trusts cashier checks any more." I countered, "I'm trying to make a car deal."
"We'll have to check to see if we have that much on hand."
I stared at her.
She continued, "We've been told to not keep as much cash on hand in case of flooding."
Dumbfounded, I said, "You've got to be kidding."
She shrugged her shoulders.
Well, they did have the money, but I couldn't even get it all in 100-dollar bills. Apparently I practically cleaned em out.

See what I mean?

Flood Mania.