Here in California, in March, 2023 we’re experiencing another “Hundred Year Flood.” President Biden is flying in to inspect the damage and consult with Governor Newsom. We’ve heard that people in the mountains have been stranded in heavy snow and have lost their lives. There have been floods and landslides, collapsed roads and bridges. People have lost their homes, lost everything. Friends from hither and yon have messaged us with concern, wanting to know if we’re okay, did we have to evacuate. We are fortunate to be weathering this severe storm — an atmospheric river event — warm, dry, and cozy. But this seems like a good time to offer a short story, an excerpt from Fruit of the Devil, about another hundred year flood — the “hundred year flood” of 1995. Not all that much has changed. Here’s the link: https://tinyurl.com/4ms95psx (About a 40 minute read. Snuggle up, get cozy, and enjoy the rain.) Here’s some music to go with https://tinyurl.com/y4bf8sm3
The “True Story” of the Pajaro River’s 100-Year Flood of ‘95
by an eyewitness
(Names have been changed to protect the innocent and the guilty.)
A tidal wave, a rising wall of black water raced down the thirty-mile-long Byrd River, carving away banks, grabbing whole trees out by the roots, lifting shopping carts, tumbling truck tires, old shoes, bits of plastic, a nest of drowned rats. Four large metal storage barrels marked with red skull and crossbones slid down an eroded bank and fell into the river, bouncing and rolling downstream. The water tossed giant boulders like they were made of cardboard, bumping them against the metal barrels and dragging rocks and barrels along the river bottom. Hundreds of gallons per minute of swirling water scoured thick sediments laden with pesticides, detergents, motor oil, and estrogens out of the river rocks. Salamander eggs, frog eggs, salmon and trout eggs in the gravel redds washed away. The churning black caldron, rising and boiling in Earth’s belly, pushed toward Valle Verde. read more: https://tinyurl.com/4ms95psx