I find myself in Marietta, Ohio today. I rolled into town last night and, as I was checking into the hotel, I asked the desk clerk where I could buy some Chinese carryout food (an addiction that I have to deal with). I was told that the only Chinese restaurant that was in the immediate area had been flooded out when Hurricane Ivan blew through here a few weeks ago.
Ohio. Hurricane. Flood.
When Ivan blew through Florida and Louisiana, the news cameras were focused on the damage inflicted on those states. When it came through Bland, Virginia, Paula and I worried that the torrential rain was going to sweep us right off the mountain. We were lucky.
But way up here in Ohio, one can see, along the banks and in the lowlands around the Ohio River, the evidence of major flooding, and considerable damage. I remember remarking at the time, in looking at the weather radar, that this area up to Pittsburgh was really getting hammered with rain. I was right. It must have been devastating to the people that live near the river(s).
I encountered a bit of animosity here also. I was talking to a local woman who said the flooding here in the Marietta area was caused – in part – by the Corps of Engineers releasing water upstream around Pittsburgh to relieve the lock and dam system north of here, but at the same time, adding to the damage downstream. The anguish is understandable. The damage was, by government fiat, shared amongst the many river communities. Understandable and unavoidable.
I hope the government now lends its support and that they recover.
