Friday, October 28, 2005
"Hurricane Katrina" Affects Riverton, Manitoba!
Hurricane Katrina rampaged across "The Gulf", and Louisiana took the hardest hit. After it was all over, places in Louisiana looked similar to the aftermath of the Third Punic War, when the Romans "sacked" the Phoenician city of Carthage. Anyways, any populated area that is below sea level and diked, well, it is a roll of the dice when dealing with Mother Nature.
Here in Manitoba, we have an abundance of water, and many communities adjoin Lake Winnipeg, Lake Manitoba, and Lake Winnipegosis, or adjoin drainage systems leading to these great "Inland Seas". Experiencing heavy rains, and swollen water levels for the last 3 years, Emergency Services Manitoba finally has decided to act, and is restoring the dikes around the communities to pre-1974 levels, which should protect most communities forever (touch wood). Obviously, everyone saw the destruction Hurricane Katrina caused, and it was immediately after this event that Emergency Services really mobilized. Hurricane Katrina, in my eyes, was a decided factor in what is happening today in Manitoba. Check out the activity down-river from my property.
The "picturesque" Icelandic River........
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"Diking" under way.........
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Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of cubic yards of material are being dumped by trucks such as this one from Glenko Enterprises of Arborg.
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Most of the work is being accomplished with small loaders, such as this Kubota-powered 50 HP Thomas 153 Skid-Steer Loader.
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Or this Deutz-powered 80 HP Gehl 6635 Skid-Steer Loader.
--------------------- --------------- ---------------------
The boys are hard at work, shaking the shit out of their bladders and kidneys......
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In the spring, Emergency Services will contract out the application of topsoil and grass seed.
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Most of the dike "trimming and finishing" is being performed by my friend Stefan Ostertag, owner of Keystone Kerbs Inc..
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Stefan in his John Deere-powered, turbocharged diesel-engined, 66 HP Deere 320 Skid Steer Loader.
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So, you see, Hurricane Katrina even affected the "hamlet" of Riverton, as well as affecting millions of others. I think it really made some bureaucrats uneasy about "who would share the blame" if a major flood happened here, so they got busy. Anyways, they should be at my property soon, so I will post some before and after pics.
"Adios"!
(Oh yeah, one more thing. I renewed my Category 1 MOT Medical on Wednesday, and I was going by St. Andrews Airport on the way home, and I thought I would take a quick drive through the airport area to see if there were any "real" airplanes around. Well, in front of Custom Helicopters, my heart skipped a beat! There was a real airplane at St. Andrews, although she was old, frail, and years of hard-work and facing the elements had worn her down. Her days are numbered, as oxidation and moisture are claiming her, and some of her "appendages" are missing. I salute the old girl, she deserves better than what she is getting in her twilight years! If only she could talk, her stories would hold you spell-bound!)
For shit's sake, an old Noorduyn Norseman!
-------------- ----------------- ---------------------
Time has worn her down.
----------------------- ------------- --------------------
As I approached her, I felt remorse and sadness at what she had become.
----------------- ---------------------- ----------------------
A disgraceful way to treat an "Elder"....Hopefully, old "Bush Rats" don't end up in this shape........ ...... ... ..
Here in Manitoba, we have an abundance of water, and many communities adjoin Lake Winnipeg, Lake Manitoba, and Lake Winnipegosis, or adjoin drainage systems leading to these great "Inland Seas". Experiencing heavy rains, and swollen water levels for the last 3 years, Emergency Services Manitoba finally has decided to act, and is restoring the dikes around the communities to pre-1974 levels, which should protect most communities forever (touch wood). Obviously, everyone saw the destruction Hurricane Katrina caused, and it was immediately after this event that Emergency Services really mobilized. Hurricane Katrina, in my eyes, was a decided factor in what is happening today in Manitoba. Check out the activity down-river from my property.
The "picturesque" Icelandic River........
------------------ ------------------ ------------
"Diking" under way.........
----------------- ------------------ ----------------
Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of cubic yards of material are being dumped by trucks such as this one from Glenko Enterprises of Arborg.
--------------- --------------------- -----------------
Most of the work is being accomplished with small loaders, such as this Kubota-powered 50 HP Thomas 153 Skid-Steer Loader.
------------ ---------------------- ------------------------
Or this Deutz-powered 80 HP Gehl 6635 Skid-Steer Loader.
--------------------- --------------- ---------------------
The boys are hard at work, shaking the shit out of their bladders and kidneys......
--------------- --------------------- -------------------
In the spring, Emergency Services will contract out the application of topsoil and grass seed.
------------------ ----------------------- ----------------
Most of the dike "trimming and finishing" is being performed by my friend Stefan Ostertag, owner of Keystone Kerbs Inc..
---------------------------- ------------------ -----------------
Stefan in his John Deere-powered, turbocharged diesel-engined, 66 HP Deere 320 Skid Steer Loader.
------------- ---------------------- --------------------------
So, you see, Hurricane Katrina even affected the "hamlet" of Riverton, as well as affecting millions of others. I think it really made some bureaucrats uneasy about "who would share the blame" if a major flood happened here, so they got busy. Anyways, they should be at my property soon, so I will post some before and after pics.
"Adios"!
(Oh yeah, one more thing. I renewed my Category 1 MOT Medical on Wednesday, and I was going by St. Andrews Airport on the way home, and I thought I would take a quick drive through the airport area to see if there were any "real" airplanes around. Well, in front of Custom Helicopters, my heart skipped a beat! There was a real airplane at St. Andrews, although she was old, frail, and years of hard-work and facing the elements had worn her down. Her days are numbered, as oxidation and moisture are claiming her, and some of her "appendages" are missing. I salute the old girl, she deserves better than what she is getting in her twilight years! If only she could talk, her stories would hold you spell-bound!)
For shit's sake, an old Noorduyn Norseman!
-------------- ----------------- ---------------------
Time has worn her down.
----------------------- ------------- --------------------
As I approached her, I felt remorse and sadness at what she had become.
----------------- ---------------------- ----------------------
A disgraceful way to treat an "Elder"....Hopefully, old "Bush Rats" don't end up in this shape........ ...... ... ..
