It's been an exciting few days. Or not. It's actually been rather boring.
The week before last, I planted taro in the back corner of our yard. And that's a good thing, since it's been submerged since Saturday. But the rain is finally done. I put the new chairs and sun umbrella out on the deck in celebration, only the humidity was nasty so I didn't sit out there.
Luckily, we never lost power or cable although there were channels missing for awhile. My only fatality was my 8-port USB hub. A lightning-caused power surge zapped it dead. A small price to pay, since the rest of my/our computer equipment seems to have survived.
Areas near rivers and around the National Mall seem to be hardest hit. In fact, on Monday, the Metro was closed in sections due to the tunnels being flooded. I-495 was closed as well, as Cameron Run overflowed its banks and left behind feet of mud on the beltway. Hundreds of cars and people were stuck on the beltway from 10 pm Sunday to 10 am Monday.
Monday morning, when I turned on the tv and saw the flooding near work, I decided not to attempt to get to work. This was after I'd prepared everything to go to work, gotten dressed and eaten breakfast, of course. I'm glad I didn't go in because it would have been an exercise in failure. We've been out of work all week.
It was an apparent mess down in the area (at American History, Natural History, National Archives, National Gallery of Art, Arts & Industries, the Castle, IRS building, Commerce, etc.). Constitution Avenue was closed from 6th to 17th Streets and everything in between was flooded - the tunnels under the Mall, the buldings, everything. On Wednesday, there was still water in the buildings and full power had not been restored. The Metro was still having problems running through those areas, too. Even the National Zoo was closed for a few days because the parking lot flooded. Where the parking garages and houses flooded, it looks like hurricane Katrina all over again. Cars piled on top of cars, condemned houses with Xs on the doors, etc. On a much smaller scale, obviously.
At work, it'll be a long long weekend for essential folks. The rest of us have been told to stay away - no network, no phone service, no air, no restroom facilities - so I won't be going in to work until next Wednesday. I am a tad worried about our office since we're right next to an emergency exit and water came into the building under all lower doors (as well as flood the basement). In our office, four of my six computers sit on the floor. Last night, I spoke with my boss and she reminded me that we both left yogurt in the refrigerator. I guess I know what I'll be doing when I get to work next Wednesday. Yuck.
Meanwhile, S came back from her brother's wedding in Los Angeles only to find that her neighbor's house was gutted in a fire and her house has a lot of heat and water damage to windows and a broken fence. The fire also melted her air conditioning unit (houses in her area - NW DC - are so close together, they're like rowhouses with 10-20 feet in between). The man who lived next door died in the fire. What's even scarier is that the police told her that their block is now a lot safer because the house was apparently a drug house or something. The fire was also arson, not accidental. At this point, I think I should mention that she's hosting a DC reception for her brother's wedding at her house this coming Sunday - for only 125 people.
Since we have been lucky and the flood didn't hurt us, I should be enjoying this. The last time we were closed this long, I believe, was the blizzard of 1996 (which happened just after the furlough of 1995 - 1996). I haven't really relaxed into this forced vacation, though, thinking I'd be going back to work any day now. So I haven't gotten much done. Perhaps I should run more errands...
( 09:04 FH | urban living. )