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Web Reports from the Bridge

17 July 2008

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    Mike Dunn
    Commodore

    Photo of Commodore

    Greetings to all from the devastated flood zone in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The 30 days spent here have been long, hot, and humid, with huge thunderstorms rolling through from time to time. Having worked massive fire storms in California, and hurricane leveled areas of Florida, I thought I thought I had seen the worse that Mother Nature could inflict upon mankind. Now I know better. If your home is totally destroyed by wind or fire, it is very tragic to return and find everything gone. You are left to bulldoze the remains off the lot, wait for insurance money, and rebuild. However, if your basement and ground floor are covered by water that is muddy, smelly, and dangerously polluted, you have much more than just a tragic loss and the need to move on.

    Once the water has receded, the owner of a business or home has to deal with an on-going problem that continues for days, weeks, or even months. All the contents, personal possessions, furniture, cabinetry, floor coverings, wet wallboard, insulation, floor boards, stairways, trim, furnace, water heater, electric appliance, etc, must be disconnected, pried up, ripped out, and carried out for disposal. Then the building must be vacated, ventilated, dried out, and tested for moisture. All remaining surfaces must be scrubbed and disinfected to prevent mold. Most structures do not have flood insurance, so savings accounts or loans must be used to supplement FEMA benefits. Only then, months later, can the owner begin to get on with his life. One can only hope that such a tragedy will never be endured. Enjoy that great Northwest summer. May you always have fair winds and calm seas. I look forward to returning to BYC, and all its wonderful members, near the end of July. Words alone are not adequate to describe how much I look forward to returning. As always, I remain your humble Servant.

    Mike Dunn
    Commodore

    
----- Original Message ----- 
From: mbdunn@wavecable.com 
Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2008 1:49 PM
Subject: Fw: Pictures of Iowa floods & toronado.


    "No Fishing
    on Bridge"

    These photos... were sent to me by a classmate of one of my cousins. I had not seen any of these photos of the Iowa floods before, nor the picture of the tornado hitting that farm.... Man, what a mess.

    Mike

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Posted: 17 July 2008 (gk)
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