General Discussion Thread

[dmeck7755]

Here is a No Shit here I am story..the gas people need to move my gas service from in the house to outside.  (For ease of service , and avoid any more incidents)
They were supposed to do this today.  My husband went to speak with them about things like turning off the gas/heat etc.
 The city people came by and said you can't do it because we are going to tar the road.
The gas people are not yet done with everything, So right now they are paving our road.  (I think so the plows can plow it.  The way it was, they would never be able to plow the street.  It really looked bombed out.)
 So after they pave.  Dig safe will remark the street, and the gas people will dig it up to do our gas and who ever is left, as well as finishing replacing the main.  My tax dollars at work..

[Keep Looking]

Oh no... that's awfully badly organised.

[wavewright62]

Don't look now folks, but the long-anticipated volcanic eruption has begun near Grindavik in Iceland. 


She has HUUUUGE cracks of land

[dmeck7755]

Wow.  It is good that Iceland had evacuated the people prior.

[Jitter]

Wow what a picture! It has slowed down somewhat now, but is by no means stopped. No one knows if it’s going to be days or months. Interesting times for people of the Reykjanes peninsula.

The Blue Lagoon was closed for a month, and opened just last Sunday! And there were tentative plans to reopen the town too. Well, never mind that now. 3800 people doesn’t sound that many, but considering the size of the entire country, it is a lot to arrange housing for!

[thorny]

It's got to be tricky, figuring out when to evacuate. Don't when you should have, and people die. Do when nothing much happens, people get their lives disrupted for nothing. Evacuate too early, and people get impatient and complaining and try to go back. Decide nothing's happening and let them go back, and then things blow up --

Best of luck to all!

[Róisín]

Rough times here in Australia. So far 10 deaths confirmed from the storms, likely to be more found as the news gets out. Star and I are safe so far, only minor flooding and a few trees and power lines down, plus lots of lightning-strike grass fires. And several lengthy power outages. We have had worse.

I am more worried about friends and relatives in Far North Queensland and East Gippsland, both of which areas have had deaths. Hopefully my sister’s farm is high enough into the mountains to avoid flooding, but my nephew’s farm is down in the low part of the Latrobe Valley, where there is already bad flooding and lots of damage. It’s a worry!

[Jitter]

Róisín, we are once again rooting for you and yours. The new normal isn’t normal at all.

[Keep Looking]

Róisín, I'm glad you and Star are safe. I'd heard that there were really bad storms in the eastern states right now, but I didn't know that anyone had died.

Here in Western Australia we've been having bushfires sprouting up everywhere whenever the weather gets above 35 C, or so it feels. A couple days ago there were a few hot days with strong easterly winds that resulted in several fires across the state, including one that destroyed some homes. Thankfully we've been spared from the storms though.

Hoping you and Star continue to stay safe. And I agree with Jitter - this "new normal" is not right or normal.

[thorny]

Róisín, glad you are OK so far, and very much hope that you stay that way; and that the weather will be kinder to everyone, despite our having given it no reason to be. But the victims are all too often not the ones causing the worst of the problems, but those fighting instead to improve.

[dmeck7755]

 Róisín,

I am hoping that you and yours will continue to be safe.  I hope everyone from that part of the world will be. 

[JoB]

Well, it seems that we've finally found out why Iceland is so ... Icelandic.

[dmeck7755]

Well, it seems that we've finally found out why Iceland is so ... Icelandic.

Job,
Oh yes!! wonderful find!!

[Lenny]

Holding thumbs for you, Róisín!

I've only had news from people in south Australia, so somehow missed everything from Queensland and Western Australia. Really hope the new year brings in good things, not worsening.

[midwestmutt]

Digging out from a blizzard here in my Midwest USA patch of paradise. 10 inches of drifty snow and now -25C this morning with wind. This is usually as bad as it gets.