Took a look at those photos. Flooding must have been of the flash type and very unexpected. Please be safe. Never try to walk/ride/drive through even the shallowest water where you cannot see to the bottom, you never know what is down there (holes/rocks/etc) or the stability of it.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, June 10, 2023 - 04:59 am: Edit

No, it was not a flash flood. It was a gradual buildup of water over several days or even weeks. The water isn't flowing anywhere, just sitting in one spot. The key is that the land here is basically flat, with these very shallow basins all over the place. The entire region is like that, a checkerboard of very shallow basins separated by ridges that are barely high enough for you to notice when you walk up them.

I am struggling to find an analogy. My mother had a bird bath in her garden that was 18 inches across and was a shallow bowl that went from two inches deep at the center to zero on the edges. Get a little rain and you had a saucer of water in the center six inches across and a half inch deep at the center. Get some more rain and the water was a foot wide and an inch deep at the center.

So imagine the Amarillo region as a series of bird baths that are two miles (10,000 feet) across and ten feet deep at the center (zero depth at the edges). Get a good rain and you have a pond a hundred feet wide and a couple of inches deep at the center. Get a lot of rain and it is a thousand feet wide and a foot deep. Get six weeks of rain and you have a puddle that is a mile wide and five feet deep at the center and one molecule deep at the edges. It gradually fills up, but there is nowhere for the water to go.

It gets worse. Development builds from the almost imperceptible ridges down, and people don't realize that their house or business is at the point that once every ten years the edge of the pond will be at their sill of their front door. Eventually somebody buys the spot at the bottom of the birdbath and his house floods every few years.

Well, developers know this and so do the city fathers. They have a solution! You go to the center of each bird bath and dig a big hole twenty feet deep and covering the area of four city blocks. You put a sidewalk around it with some benches and trees and voila, you have a scenic "lake" which anyone from anywhere else would call a pond. Now, people WANT to live next to the beautiful water feature. (There are seven of these inside the city limits.) You take the dirt from the hole and use it to make the business districts near the hole/pond a few feet higher. Now and then, someone buys property near the hole/pond and digs more dirt out of the hole to pile on top of his building site and make it a foot higher and less flood prone.

Remember that the seven birdbaths have nowhere to drain, i.e., no natural outlet. Some of the time they have zero water; some of the time they have a nice pond thing others would call a puddle. If you get six weeks of rain they "overflow". Knowing this, the city fathers connect the lakes with storm sewers and pumps and if one lake gets big enough to threaten the real estate owned by big donors to the city council election campaigns, they plug in the pumps and send some of the water from one lake into another one, from that one into the next one, generally headed north. When it hits the north edge of the city the water is pumped into Amarillo Creek (ten feet wide, a foot deep, most of the time bone dry) which flows north 50 miles into the Canadian River. (Which is nowhere near Canada.)

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Saturday, June 10, 2023 - 10:52 am: Edit

I'm surprised that they haven't dug an ENORMOUS catchment to store rain somewhere in the boonies.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Saturday, June 10, 2023 - 12:17 pm: Edit

There you go again.

You know, If you keep talking good common sense, level headed rational suggestions that address real life issues, some wacked out loonie tunes anarchist is going to complain about you!

Don’t you listen to the naysayers!

Way to go Mike!

By Mike Erickson (Mike_Erickson) on Saturday, June 10, 2023 - 12:48 pm: Edit

> they plug in the pumps and send some of the water from one lake into another one, from that one into the next one, generally headed north

This reminds me of filling an ice cube tray.

--Mike

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, June 10, 2023 - 01:41 pm: Edit

Mike G: Such a big project would cost a lot of money and would only be needed once a decade. The city would rather just let it happen and deal with it. If somebody built a business in a flood zone it was not the city's fault. It's not like nobody knew it could happen.

By Joseph Jackson (Bonneville) on Saturday, June 10, 2023 - 05:43 pm: Edit

We did the same thing in Salt Lake City in the Eighties. Lots of flooding. We spent 60 million on a pumping project to divert the water from the Great Salt Lake out into the open desert. Haven't used the pumps since 1987. But there is talk of trying to pump sea water from California back into the lake. Go figure.

By Lawrence Bergen (Lar) on Sunday, June 11, 2023 - 01:53 am: Edit

I assumed it was flash because of the photos of cars up to the waist in water. Since those are mobile you’d think folks who knew it was coming would move them to the high ground. Not much you can do about stationary objects.

I spent a few years doing construction and house waterproofing (much more localized). You’d definitely need some engineer folks to save areas of the city.

Joseph the GSL will get its refill eventually. However it might have to go dry first. Much more likely to get the environs-folks behind a plan if only there were life in it not just on/around it.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, June 11, 2023 - 02:57 am: Edit

As Leanna and I drove to lunch today we noted that there were 12-inch diameter flexible pipes running for miles down the side of I-40 taking water out of what is variously known as Duniven Lake, Lake Lawrence, Lawrence Ocean (all the same body of water). That thing has flooded out my three favorite lunch places, the best pizza place in town, and the place I get my hair cut. Half a mile away from the center of the flood, the city took over half of the parking lot of a major grocery store for a working area to organize equipment to rescue people who were trapped in apartments or who foolishly tried to get to their businesses in cars. They had the National Guard there with huge Hemmett trucks that could go into very deep water. Fire trucks were there, at least the ones that could go into deep water. There are some roads right by the lake which are reportedly five feet under water.

By Jean Sexton Beddow (Jsexton) on Monday, June 19, 2023 - 02:48 pm: Edit

Folks, Al has his hip surgery scheduled for July 20. (This is the only date available this year that wouldn't impact Thanksgiving/Christmas.) Usually, he has promised his big table and chairs. He won't be up to moving those or driving. Please contact me so we can work out how to get you those things.

Of necessity, I will be at home for the next week with short, pre-arranged times at the office. I can run brownies down there, but I cannot visit for an extended time unless you come to the house.

By Lawrence Bergen (Lar) on Thursday, June 22, 2023 - 06:47 pm: Edit

We are one month away...

I am going to send an email about logistics to all who have confirmed so far.
This will include a request to begin compiling a list of wants/needs for groceries.
I need a house Captain to be there in my stead to open the house around 11:00 AM since my plane arrives at 4:10 PM.

Here are a few things we need to confirm here on the BBS:

Counters (who is bringing them, which ones - See below)
Fleet Charts (who is bringing them)
Map (who will bring it)
Table (how are we going to get this since Al will be incapacitated)
Game logistical items: (Blue Tape, extension cords & power strips, trash bins, markers)...printer (+ink & paper)?

What am I forgetting?

Counters: Please, and since we have a month, have starting forces already pulled and separated by fleet for ease of set up.

Alliance (Turtle, Chuck, Lar)
Feds - Lar is bringing; starting forces are already pulled and separated by fleet...check

Western Coalition (Jason, John, Dan)
Klingon - ???
Hydran - John W. or Warren??
Lyran - John W. or Warren??
Kzinti - ???
LDR (but not sure we need them) - Warren

Eastern Colaition (Roger, Joe)
Roms - Joe
ISC - Roger R
Gorn - Roger R
Tholian - John W. (though anyone should be able to fit them in their front pocket)


Jean I/we will make it a point to schedule a visit

By Joe Stevenson (Ikv_Sabre) on Thursday, June 22, 2023 - 07:50 pm: Edit

ISC and Gorn for one player seems a bit big. Maybe John take one of them, and any of us can run the Tholians.

By Lawrence Bergen (Lar) on Thursday, June 22, 2023 - 09:29 pm: Edit

Joe keep in mind this is who is bringing the counters...not necessarily who is playing the empire. You will have 5 folks on the Coalition side for 7 (potentially 8 though I would not really add the LDR) empires. You guys can divvy the map based upon need as we get going.

If you need help the Fed players would love to volunteer a defense strategy to ease y'all's burden

By Roger S. Ritchie (Rogerrit) on Friday, June 23, 2023 - 10:43 am: Edit

Confirming that I will bring the Gorn and ISC counters. I have two sets of the base game and two sets of each expansion. Also confirming that I am comfortable running both the Gorn and ISC. In the standard campaign game that I and others not attending Stratcon 2023 that ended a few months ago, I played the Lyrans and Klingons. I will have the Gorn and ISC production planned out and sorted for the first several turns before Lar and I arrive together.

By Jean Sexton Beddow (Jsexton) on Friday, June 23, 2023 - 03:23 pm: Edit

Al has said that his surgery is being postponed. We'll handle the table with a bit of external muscle power. We may be able to hep with some of the electrical stuff.

By Warren Mathews (Turtle) on Friday, June 23, 2023 - 03:35 pm: Edit

Jean, will Al be available for transportation to and from the Amarillo airport?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, June 24, 2023 - 12:33 am: Edit

I will be available for airport pickup if needed and to help Albert with the tables.

By Daniel Glenn Knipfer (Dgknipfer) on Sunday, June 25, 2023 - 11:47 am: Edit

Lar,

I had previously volunteered to run the Lyran & Hydran. Turtle is bringing counters for me (last I checked).

By John Wong (Thefeds) on Sunday, June 25, 2023 - 07:50 pm: Edit

Dan we have chosen our races earlier.

STRONG - F10
Opel - F7 FED 1
Lar - F10 FED 2
Schaff -F10 Kzinit > Gorn > Lyran
Turtle - F9 Lyrans, Hydrans, Feds
Pete - F10 Kling/Rom
Joe - F10 Kling/Rom
Roger R - F9 ISC, Lyran, Kzinti
John W - F8 Hydran-Lyran-Gorn
Jeff - F7/P9
Dan K - F9
Dave H - P7 leaving Wed FED 3
Ken K - P7 leaving Wed

With Pete not coming we need a Klingon player. For counters I can bring 2 races. Not sure about 3 races. I can do a prepack and see how much space I have. I was planning to bring Hydran and Lyran. I cannot bring a map.

By Warren Mathews (Turtle) on Sunday, June 25, 2023 - 08:44 pm: Edit

John, if you got the Hydrans and Lyrans, I'll bring the Klingons, Kzintis, and LDR.

By Jean Sexton Beddow (Jsexton) on Monday, June 26, 2023 - 02:56 pm: Edit

We can do pickup at the airport, no problem.

By Lawrence Bergen (Lar) on Monday, June 26, 2023 - 08:16 pm: Edit

Attendee Status:

NOTE: Pete & Ryan are not attending this year.

STRONG - F10 FED 2
Opel - F0 FED 1
Lar - F10 FED 1
Turtle - F9 FED 3
Schaff -F10 Kzinti > Gorn > Lyran
Pete - F0 Kling/Rom
Joe - F10 Rom, Kling
Roger R - F9 ISC, Lyran, Kzinti
John W - F8 Hydran, Lyran, Gorn
Jeff Guthridge - F8/P10 ?? (still need a room? I think the main house is full) Coalition (what empire?)
Dan K - F9 Lyran, Klingon, Hydran
Dave H - P7 leaving Wed - FED 4
Ken K - P7 leaving Wed
Brian - P? (Someone make sure SVC is notified of Brian's visit.)
Garth - P? Drive-by

Who is bringing what COUNTERS:
Lar: Federation / Combat / Generics
John: Hydrans / Lyrans
Turtle: Klingons / Kzintis / LDR.
Roger: ISC / Gorn
Joe: Romulan / Tholian(?)

WHO CAN BRING A MAP?

Who is bringing the Fleet Charts?
Jason bringing laminated charts.

By Lawrence Bergen (Lar) on Monday, June 26, 2023 - 09:31 pm: Edit

I spoke to the owner today and there is apparently flooding damage in the basement he is trying to rectify. His comment was...

"Unfortunately there are damages in the house... I'm trying to fix everything and I still didn't want to communicate with you, hoping to be sure to have the solution in time... but I think that this week we will know if we will be in a position... the house had a flood in the basement….I'll let you know next week."

I am concerned. Especially if he does a crap job only to gather our dollars. Reviewing the house I see 3 of the beds are (were?) in the basement. He gave no indication how bad the flood damage is or was but if it were an easy clean up he would not have hesitated to respond (is my feeling).

I looked and there currently are not many options big enough with that many days. We would have to split locations for sleeping if it turns out he cannot accommodate us.

By Joe Stevenson (Ikv_Sabre) on Tuesday, June 27, 2023 - 01:39 am: Edit

BTW Patrick Connaughton will be attending Thursday-Saturday, he's interested in playing anything, but prefers ISC.

By Jean Sexton Beddow (Jsexton) on Tuesday, June 27, 2023 - 02:11 pm: Edit

I have talked to a friend who is tapped into the construction business. She thinks you should cancel that house because all the reputable contractors are working on the houses and businesses that got flooded off Paramount.

Since there is that issue, Al and I talked it over. We can offer the big room where you gamed the first year. We obviously have a big table and plenty of chairs. We can provide a cooler for your drinks and the fridge in the garage for any food you might buy or leftovers you might bring home. We have a lovely area to grill in. Al and I can help provide transportation.

That should free you up to consider places that will have bedrooms but may not have a good area for you to game.