Living on a hill → never being flooded out

After a weekend of record rainfall on Saturday and Sunday (gasp—almost two inches!), it is a bit wet here in Bellevue. That same two inches on the other side of the Cascades in Ellensburg and Yakima resulted in more than a few flooded roads, apartments and homes.

In the Mississippi river from Minnesota to Louisiana, there has been a slow moving wave of massive flooding. The all-time record flood level in Natchez, MS was 58 feet in 1937. It is expected to reach 64 feet in the next five days.

There is an easy way to avoid floods. DO NOT LIVE IN THE FLOOD PLAIN! I have always lived on at least a small rise and have never been concerned about getting flooded out of my home. It boggles my mind how people have rebuilt New Orleans after Katrina and are upset that once again a city on the coast below sea level is having problems with flooding.

In college, I studied chemical engineering. While the professors never stated it so crudely, the basic rule of thumb is that shit runs downhill → don't stand at the bottom of the hill.

I am grateful for never having been even threatened by flooding.