"Water always wins..."

"Will we learn something once this is all said and done? Probably not enough. The government may not learn, but we can."

A few years ago, we had a new kitchen faucet installed by a professional plumber. The one we had before this job was installed by a not as professional plumber. The result?  We had been plagued with leaks in the cabinet beneath the sink for years.

When I was watching the professional plumber "sealing up" his job, I complemented him on his "belt and suspenders" approach of ensuring a leak proof job. He looked up at me and said, "You always need to be smarter than the water. Do you know why?" I confessed I did not. "Because in the end, water always wins."

I have been thinking about that as I have been watching Hurricane Harvey bring havoc to the gulf coast of Texas. Right now in particular, the very large city of Houston. This city is a mess, drowning in unrelenting rainfall. Currently, they are under a flash flood warning.

Here is the problem with Houston. A hydrologist was on the news last night explaining the makeup of the soil around the Houston area. The ground can handle about an inch or so of water without becoming over-saturated. After that - all bets are off. So far, some areas around Houston have received around 20 inches of rain. And - water always wins.

I guess if I lived in a coastal city subject to tropical storms ranging from depressions up to major hurricanes, I would have a plan. Like a "bug out" plan. After being in Hurricane Camille and a couple of typhoons, I know this much. Unlike a tornado, hurricanes and tropical storms are slow motion disasters. To make the decision to "ride it out" when you have the means to leave, is nothing more than a fools errand. Why? Water always wins. 

Department of Homeland Security has been preaching this for years. Preppers - much longer. Have an "E-Plan" for you family. Have one plan should there be an emergency and you need to "hunker down and bunker up" in your house. By the same token, have a "bug out" plan if you need to "get out of Dodge" in a big hurry. And in your "bug out" plan, keep a list of things you will absolutely need. Like meds, water, food and money. 

The folks in New Orleans had a real wake up call when Hurricane Katrina hit. Not only was there total entropy in how the federal, state and local agencies worked together, the pumping system in town, which was kept together with spit and chewing gum, failed. And that set in motion a mess which looked more like a scene out of a Hollywood produced disaster movie than a major city in the United States. 

The aftermath of this storm is going to be gruesome to watch. Yes, more people will probably die. In past big rain events, some folks crawled into their attic spaces to escape the rising waters. And that is where they drowned. In their own homes, as high up as they could go. The repair of Houston and other areas on the gulf coast will be in the tens of billions. Gasoline could spike up in price for the first time in a long time. 

Will we learn something once this is all said and done? Probably not enough. The government may not learn, but we can. We can learn two lessons. The first is at the end of the day, help might not be coming. You need to be prepared. From as many bad things that could be imagined. And the second lesson is (once again) - in the end, water always wins.