Saturday, June 29, 2013

150 miles is a long way for a flood to travel

Charter Cable has decided that I need to know when the National Weather Service announces a flood alert anywhere in the country.

Three weeks ago, I was watching television and they popped up an "Emergency Alert" for a flood alert in Saratoga Springs, NY. I was caught a little off guard by that emergency alert because Sartoga Springs is about 120 miles away from me. And there is no river connecting them to me.

Today, they popped off another "Emergency Alert" for a flood alert in Chittendon, VT. Once again, I was a little dismayed because Chittendon is about 150 miles away from me and there is no river connecting them to me.

And these alerts aren't just a scrolling message. No sir, they are the full deal. Beeping horns, flashing text, no sound from the tv, recorded NOAA voice over alerts, etc... They get your attention.

It's like when they used to test that "The Ruskies Are Attacking!" system when I was a kid only instead of hearing, "This has been a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. Had this been a real emergency, you would have been instructed to tune to a broadcaster in your area." I get to hear, "There is a flood. Don't drive in it. Don't try to walk in it. As a matter of fact, run for the hills."

I'm pretty sure that any flood waters in Chittendon, VT are not going to have any effect on me.

No effect at all.

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