My thanks to out to firefighters this Spring

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

---I went through Cross Plains last week-end and it was nightmare and the destruction was unbelievable with so many people losing their homes. Fighting fires can be extremely dangerous especially with severe winds. When I arrived to check on my ranch land, a couple of fire depts were fighting a large fire just across from my land about 1/2 mile away. (including some of my relatives). I know we have some firefighters who post here but often don't get the credit due. This an unusually bad year with lots of summer rain and vegetation now but no rain lately so the " abundant grass" is a fire waiting to happen.

---A friend of mine had a house in Cross Plains and it burned up to the walls but not down... a neighbor had watered at the roof before fleeing. The Fire Dept. could do little but try to save the downtown with the unusually high winds.

---Please be careful when traveling outside of towns...unfortunately we have a few idiots that actually set some of these things or burn trash when they shouldn't. One fire burned a small part of my land because of a careless smoker (it is believed).

Edited January 19, 2006 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

[PlummMeanGreen]

---I went through Cross Plains last week-end and it was nightmare and the destruction was unbelievable with so many people losing their homes.  Fighting fires can be extremely dangerous especially with severe winds.  When I arrived to check on my ranch land, a couple of fire depts were fighting a large fire just across from my land  about 1/2 mile away. (including some of my relatives).   I know we have some firefighters who post here but often don't get the credit due.  This an unusually bad year with lots of summer rain and vegetation now but no rain lately so the " abundant grass" is a fire waiting to happen.

---A friend of mine had a house in Cross Plains and it burned up to the walls but not down... a neighbor had watered at the roof before fleeing.  The Fire Dept. could do little but try to save the downtown with the unusually high winds.

---Please be careful when traveling outside of towns...unfortunately we have a few idiots that actually set some of these things or burn trash when they shouldn't. One fire burned a small part of my land because of a careless smoker (it is believed).

←

Ditto, SE-66...

With great haste, the state of Texas needs to proceed with what my late father's employer of 37 years (Dow Chemical Company, Freeport) first built in the early 1960's (a salt water conversion plant) and start getting ready to spend a helluva' lot of money to pipe Gulf of Mexico waters (converted into fresh water) to the norther part of Texas (and to the eastern and western parts of Texas as well).

This will undoubtedly be the future for water in Texas; that is, for Texans to keep their reservoirs/lakes full in order to handle the continued population explosion in the future and what will enable all our new future fellow Texans (and ourselves) to have water.

I cannot remember in my 50 plus years in this state of seeing such a drought as we're in now and it doesn't look good for Spring rains, either, according to the weather experts; and of course, we can forget any significant Summer rains here in this part of the Lone Star state.

Edited January 20, 2006 by PlummMeanGreen

[EagleD]

Looks like rain this weekend. Finally. They need all the help they can get.

GO MEAN GREEN !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gksmith]

Seeing some of the reports last week and showing how low some of the area lakes are is just sad.

Collin County is about to be in trouble because the drought and the fact they pull water from Lake Lavon. That lake is about 3 FEET low and draining fast.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

Ditto, SE-66...

I cannot remember in my 50 plus years in this state of seeing such a drought as we're in now and it doesn't look good for Spring rains, either, according to the weather experts; and of course, we can forget any significant Summer rains here in this part of the Lone Star state.

←

I have seen a lot worse... from 1950 -1956 [i am old] when most of the Oaks on our land died. There was a lot of rain this year in Central/West Texas during th Spring and Summer but that is the problem ....there is high grass and weeds and it is now all dry and it is easy to burn...especially on windy days.. Water supplies in that area is very good still.

[FirefightnRick]

I have seen a lot worse... from 1950 -1956 [i am old] when most of the Oaks on our land died.  There was a lot of rain this year in Central/West Texas during th Spring and Summer but that is the problem  ....there is high grass and weeds and it is now all dry and it is easy to burn...especially on windy days..  Water supplies in that area is very good still.

←

Funny you mentioned that, my father-in-law(Retired FWFD) was telling me last weekend about the 5 year drought of the 50's. Crazy!

Rick

[Coffee and TV]

Just a reminder, whenever it rains this next week (and they're giving us almost 100% assurance it will) DO NOT burn anything. Remember that a dought has a continual time span and one good drenching will not do enough to rid us of it this time around. I can guarantee you 2-3 days after our first good downpour we'll quite a few fires pop up around the metroplex from people thinking its ok to burn now.

[SilverEagle]

Seeing some of the reports last week and showing how low some of the area lakes are is just sad.

Collin County is about to be in trouble because the drought and the fact they pull water from Lake Lavon. That lake is about 3 FEET low and draining fast.

←

During the last big drought in late 70's-early 80's Lake Bridgeport was down over 20 feet. At one point you could see the old railroad track/road bed that ran parallel to the bridge leading over to Runaway Bay. No one thought that the Lake would ever come back.....but it did.

[FirefightnRick]

Just a reminder, whenever it rains this next week (and they're giving us almost 100% assurance it will) DO NOT burn anything. Remember that a dought has a continual time span and one good drenching will not do enough to rid us of it this time around. I can guarantee you 2-3 days after our first good downpour we'll quite a few fires pop up around the metroplex from people thinking its ok to burn now.

←

Good point. And since someone has added some good advice, allow me to also remind you to slow down on the road as it will be slicker than owl you know what the first couple of hours. Although it represents job security for me I'll never understand why people forget this fact when it rains for the first time in a long while?

Rick

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

Funny you mentioned that, my father-in-law(Retired FWFD) was telling me last weekend about the 5 year drought of the 50's.  Crazy!

Rick

←

In central and West Texas.. range fires were not a problem..... nothing to burn... lots of dirt....... and dust storms.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

In central and West Texas.. range fires were not much of a problem..... nothing to burn... lots of bare ground....... and dust storms.  When it was over a lot of the animal population especially deer had disappeared... Now deer are too plentiful.

←

[gksmith]

Don't know about everyone, but from about 12:30 AM 1/22 till sometime before the football games started, we had about 1.5 inches of rain.

Every little bit helps. Prayers partly answered.

Need another 5 or so inches spread out over time like this one.