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I've been watching all the weather reports of serious rain in various places in Texas. Captain Pat, you doin' ok?

Yeah, Dug, everything is pretty much OK here. Back and side yard is a marsh and the driveway is getting rutted out in a couple of areas, but nothing major around here.

Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin and surrounding areas have gotten clobbered. Lot of flash flooding, some strong enough to sweep houses off their foundations.

We had some of this, not as bad though, back in 2007, which the last strong El Niño year. This El Niño is forecast to last at least through till fall, but maybe through out the whole year. Good news for the Atlantic hurricane season though... El Niño usually shears the top off of the hurricanes.

I am glad you are not in need of an ark. That being said I presume your cistern is getting filled! And that is good!

Dug

Completely full, all 10,000 gallons...

Got our quota this morning.. been coming down for several hours, yard was already saturated and now 50% under. Worst part down here is the crawfish mounds will be popping up EVERYWERE, little turds can really screw up a yard. But we have it easy compared to the rest of the state. I'm a bit nervous about the Sabine & Trinity rivers. The water shed from those rivers is going to do a bunch of damage in SE Texas (my area). As long as Toledo Bend damn holds I'm fine. If it goes my 25 is going to get an early launch with me, the wife and half a dozen of the neighbors in it :-0 CNN would love seeing that.

Scot! Yikes! At least you have a boat then, right? Maybe put the hull plug in just in case?

Patrick, good to hear.

Good luck to all of you on this. It looks pretty crazy in some places.

Now, after the record breaking winter snowfall we all enjoyed up here in NE, we have had less than an inch all May, and nothing significant in April either. Its pretty wild. High 80's yesterday, today and for the week I think, and the lawns are all burning out. And its May still!!!!

Dug

Glad to hear your doing ok Capt Pat, that story of the family washed away in the river home was horrible. Big water is a powerful force we all know that about the ocean but those rains sure can pack a punch. I heard it rose 25 feet or better in an hour? Stay safe Scot.BH

I'm not sweating Toledo Bend damn busting lol, it's been there for 45 years and holds back a 70 mile long reservoir. But it's always been one of the local "what if" discussions! If that damn broke it would make Katrina look like a spring shower hahaha. No worries, it wasn't built by state politicians on the take... Feds build it :-0 (maybe worse!)

Maybe put the hull plug in just in case?

currently, the hull plug would be a big fat wooden plug and a 5 lb maul.

With lots of bad comes a bunch of good. The drought has been terrible for much of the state. These events have gone a long way to replenishing the devastated lake levels and aquifers. A friend had his house under a bunch of water down the street from me. It got up to our door but just put bayou water in the pool. I'm hoping there a snapper in there for some turtle meat. Going to be a few days before it clears to tell. White people problems.