Weather

The Copper Slough was as high as I've ever seen it yesterday, but Green Street was almost free of standing water at around noon yesterday.

Consider this a weather-related Open Thread.

We got a lot of rain yesterday.

Rainfall was recorded at 2.10 inches at WILL in Urbana and 2.68 inches in Sidell, said Heather Stanley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Lincoln.

Discuss.

So, we've had two levee breaks in Southeastern Illinois (near Lawrenceville and St. Francisville).

A portion of the Mississippi River is going to be closed for at least two weeks to boat traffic. 

ALL roads in Jasper County were closed because of flooding.

The county I grew up in was one of the six declared a disaster area.  All the creeks flooded out and traffic was compromised. 

My brother says portions of 121 and 130 were closed last weekend because of water covering the road.

My sister went to Chicago last weekend, and near Arcola I-57 was down to ONE lane of traffic; meaning, the State Police had barricaded ALL four lanes because of water on the roads and were only letting ONE vehicle through at a time.  You wanted to go north or south, you had to wait your turn.  And no, 45 wasn't an option; it was in even worse shape.

A friend who was going to Robinson had to stop at the grain elevator in Willow Hill because Rte. 33 was covered with water and only trucks could get through.  She called her dad and he came to get her (in his truck, of course!).

The fields are soaking wet or flooded and crop yields are taking a hit; possibly as much as 5% of corn and beans are lost.

The weatherman said something last night about how we're TEN inches over our normal rainfall for this time of year, and I haven't heard when this cycle of cold air from up north butting into a tropical high and generating storms is going to stop.

I read a story many years ago in either the Chicago Tribune or the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about how the Flood of 1993 started, and honestly, it feels like we're living that story all over again, just about 200 miles south and 100+ miles east of Iowa. 

Any one else out there who lived through the 1993 floods feeling the same way as me?

All anybody wants to talk about today is the weather.

Several communities in East Central Illinois were bailing out this morning as they geared up for the possibility of more flooding later today.

"It looks like another round of these cluster showers and thunderstorms," on tap for later today, said meteorologist Greg Soulje.

The latest round Tuesday night caused flooded roads, power outages and lightning strikes to homes.

"The atmosphere is still primed in much the same way it has been for the past 36 hours," Soulje said about 9 a.m. today. "There's a front nearby with deep tropical moisture, a strong jet stream pattern and an upper air disturbance. All that means additional severe weather, heavy downpours of rain and the likelihood of ongoing flooding issues."

We were very relieved to have a basement when the sirens went off last night, as our old house didn't have one.  We only spent about an hour down there, but the wireless internet was working so we could check radar (and election returns and blogs!). 

I also thought WDWS did a good job with the weather updates - striking a good balance between alarm and calm.

The reports about this just keep getting worse and worse.  Wasn't it just yesterday morning that the death toll estimates were in the hundreds?

It's horrifying, and good reminder to donate to the Red Cross if you'd like to help in some small way.

Once in a while I will get behind a car with a bumper sticker that says something like "Why is there always money for war and never money for education?"  I don't know if I keep getting behind the same car or if there is more than one person in this area stupid enough to believe that.  At any rate, it appears they may be right.  It comes to my attention that our newest casino, finished recently in East St. Louis, is claiming a 25% drop in revenue because of the smoking ban.  http://www.bnd.com/business/story/289872.html

This will be interesting, because education funds allegedly come from casino revenues.  Even if it doesn't work out to be a direct benefit to education as our political class maintains, it unequivically generates income for the State, and some of that finds its way to the schools.

So what will smoking ban fans do about this?  First of all, it is irrelevant for political purposes whether or not the claim is true.  We will see calls to ease the smoking ban in casinos because now taxes are threatened.  The only thing more precious than the air we breathe is the tax we collect. 

While the State is busy easing up on the smoking ban, I am hoping Champaign will ease up to the point that we can replace some of the garbage cans downtown.  They were taken out because God forbid a smoker might use one, though there was no evidence a smoker ever had. How many dogooders in this town would support a needle exchange for addicts and oppose an ashtray for smokers-an ashtray where incidentally I could put the beer bottles I collect on my way to the office.

John

It's cold.

Please take a moment to check on friends, family and neighbors to make sure they're OK.

Now to those who are freezing.......

Over the years as a Land Surveyor I have worked in some terrible weather, in fact I was out many times in the winters of 1977 and 1978 and found many tricks of the profession that really help temper the terrible temperatures:

1. Wear heavy Cotton or wool gloves with playtex gloves underneath them. Either can get wet and your hands will not get cold. But never wear the platex gloves alone as they act as heat sinks and really get cold quickly. Always wear long gloves that extend up your wrists and cover your wrist area. If your wrists or neck get cold...then you are always going to be cold. Never expose them because of the number of blood vessels close to the skin.

2. Wear two pair of socks, with a small garbage bag between them. The garbage bag stops any moisture from reaching your feet and your feet will remain warm even if your boots leak.

3. If you wear leather boots, always apply a leather treatment called mink oil. It keeps your boots supple in the Cold temperatures and is waterproof. I could wear leather boots for 3 or for years before they needed replacing.

4. No matter the modern materials, layers of wool and cotton and silk are the best protection against cold. I wear Carhart welders work jeans with the double layer of fabric on the front of the legs from the shin to the crotch. Underneath those I wear two pair of long underwear, one being silk to prevent the chapping.

5. Ski masks are effective, but must be used with other head and face protection. Cotton masks work best because they do not irritate the face. Wear an additional hat with fur lining and the pull down ear flaps. That in combination works the best to protect your face and ears and keeps your head heat from escaping. But if you are going to wear pull down flaps and work near traffic or need to hear, find the kind that have the ear hole with a covering flap. You can raise the flap, remain warm and still hear.

6. On your upper torso, wear the same multiple layers as you wear on the bottom, with soft cotton or silk next to your body. Then wear a cotton turtleneck so that you can raise the turtleneck and protect your neck and lower face area and overlap the ski mask if you use one. If your neck gets cold you are doomed to be cold.

7. Coveralls are effective, but sometimes cumbersome and usually provide little protection around the neck and face areas. If you use a longer top coat, get an Arcitic Army Surplus Coat with the long wolverine lined snorkel hood and draw string at the waist. They work great but are not good in traffic areas because of the limited visibility.

8. MIttens are warmer than gloves but hard to use. If you like mittens get snowmobile mittens with the single "trigger" finger. You can even write with them and in combination with the playtex gloves your hands will remain warm.

9. If you prefer rubber boots rather than leather (I use Red Wing leather boots if I wear leather) then go to any horse supply store and order "Muck" boots. They are wear alone boots that have the "waffle stomper" tread on the bottom and you don't slip them over anything but your feet. They are insulated, warm and very good snow and mud boots. NEVER wear any boot that doesn't have the very aggressive "waffle stomper" tread, or you will be inviting some frequent flyer miles with very hard landings.

10. Always wear sunglasses in the winter as they protect your eyes from cold and wind and are absolutely necessary to protect from glare of the snow and ice.

11. NEVER WALK WITH THE STANDARD HEEL FIRST STEP in the winter on icy conditions or snow. Pick up your feet and place them flat. When you take a fall, you have walked and placed your heel first and it has no tread on the trailing edge. Never walk on scooped walks they are almost always slick, walk on the snow or grass beside them and the traction is always better there.

12. Forget vanity (my favorite sin) and always turn up your collars and button the top button. The more you do to keep your body heat contained, the warmer even the coldest days will be. You get cold because your garb allows your body heat to escape and cold air to replace it. If you are properly dressed you can remain outside all day in very very cold weather. I was outside for 5-7 hour periods in -15°F temperatures in 77 & 78 and did not suffer. Also, if you are going to be outside, STAY outside. Don't get in and out of a warm car or building, your body is not going to keep up the heat and you will probably begin to sweat and nothing protects you from being wet against yourself. Always keep plenty of water in an thermos for drinking. The thermos prevents the water from freezing and load it up with lukewarm water. The water will not freeze and you will remain hydrated. If you become dehydrated, you will be cold.

13. ANYTIME you travel, have a complete set of winter gear in the trunk or back of your vehicle. Keep a package of Jerky or any other non perishable food with the clothes. Keep a good flashlight with plenty of batteries in your vehicle and some blankets in a vacuum or garbage bag.

14. No matter your vehicle, if you cannot see what is up ahead.........STOP. 4-wheel drive vehicles are like your hands, you can do so much with them, you overdo it and get in trouble. Remember 4-wheel drive vehicles have 4 wheel brakes just like very vehicle, so stopping is the issue. Change your tires in the Winter time to agressive treads and take them off in the Summer.

15. NEVER take off in a vehicle that does not have EVERY window cleaned. You will be traveling the same highways as others who do not clean every window and cannot see you. Never be the cause of an accident and your excuse is, I didn't clean my side windows and didn't see them. Have trouble scraping windows? Take the edge of your scraper and cut lines up and down and across your windows, the little squares will pop off and the window is easier to clean. Or use luke warm water and a bucket and just splash it on.

I hope these hints help some of you endure the tough weather.

From today's News-Gazette:

The mayor said she is proposing:

– That commercial properties, including apartment buildings and the downtown area, be required to remove snow from sidewalks. But the emphasis will be on obtaining voluntary compliance. Enforcement is likely to be patterned after the city's no-smoking ordinance in bars and restaurants, with violators first receiving education, then warnings and then "penalties as a last resort," Prussing said.

– A voluntary approach to clearing sidewalks in residential areas. Prussing said she will try to create a "good Samaritans corps" of residents who own snow blowers to clear sidewalks along major arterial streets and major walking routes to schools and grocery stores.

At least requiring everyone to shovel is logically consistent, even if it's ridiculous overkill.  But requiring businesses only is both illogical and unnecessary.  But I can't really blame Urbana, as Champaign passed this illogical and unnecessary requirement first.

I'm hopeful about the emphasis on voluntary compliance.  Perhaps there is a unit of government in our area that still has a little bit of faith in the fundamental goodness of the people it governs.  Hopefully a little education and urging will remind people to do the right thing.

I'm so relieved.

The city has put its sidewalk-shoveling rules into effect.

Public Works Director Dennis Schmidt declared this morning that sidewalks downtown and on campus need to be cleared by 8 a.m. Wednesday. Sidewalks not in compliance could be cleared by the city at the expense of the owner of the property.

The rules and a map of the affected areas are available on the city's Web site, www.ci.champaign.il.us.

They even have a map.  We can now rest assured that the City is truly safe.

The weather has been awful for a few days, and looks to be awful for a few more.  Be careful, and be prepared to lose power at some point - that's why we're paying Ameren, after all.

Several stores were forced to close their doors for a few hours on Sunday after freezing rain caused a power outage on Champaign's north side.

About 3,500 customers were without power beginning around 11 a.m., according to Ameren spokesman Neal Johnson.

As a result, Market Place Mall was closed for a couple of hours in the middle of the day. Several other big box retailers, such as Wal-Mart, on North Prospect Avenue were closed from about 11:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Sunday.

At least this time, it wasn't squirrels.

UPDATE:  Someone pointed out that it's unfair of me to blame Ameren for power outages related to freezing rain on power lines, and they're right.   I can still blame them for squirrels.

It is a breathtakingly beautiful day.

Just wanted to share.  :-)

It's incredibly hot this week, and looks like it will be this way for a while.

Please keep an eye on your family and neighbors who might need help coping with it.

This is the first time I can ever remember UIUC canceling classes.

Man, it's cold.  Please be sure to check on your neighbors.

And I swear, if we'd just get decent weather for a single weekend day, that I'd finally take down my Christmas lights.  I swear!  But the weather's just been awful every single weekend in January.

My brother-in-law is Al Adomite, an Alderman in our hometown of Troy, which is down in the Metro-East section of Illinois, about 20 miles from St. Louis.  The severe weather that hammered St. Louis earlier this week didn't impact Troy much, but they did have significant damage from a tornado yesterday morning.

You can see pictures of the devastation on his blog, here.

UPDATE: Welcome, Eric Zorn readers!  Please take a look around, and feel free to subscribe to our feed, or to register an anonymous username to comment on any story.

Here's the summary post from Eric Zorn. Thanks again, Mr. Zorn!

Eric Zorn, who blogs and writes for the Chicago Tribune, has graciously asked me to participate is this month's edition of his Month-In-Review.  Every month, he asks a handful of Illinois bloggers to submit responses to pre-selected categories of questions and post them on our own blogs.  Mr. Zorn then compiles our responses, links to them, and offers his own opinions as well.

Here are my responses:

MOST SIGNIFICANT STORY OF THE MONTH:

Governor Blagojevich is the “Official A” named in the federal plea deal by Chicago lawyer Joseph Cari, a former finance chairman for the Democratic National Committee. Cari and the Feds didn’t need to include the allegations about Blagojevich and his “fundraising strategy,” but they did – leading many to speculate about bigger targets in the investigation.

WINNER OF THE MONTH:

Pork lovers, both Federal and State. The level of spending and fiscal irresponsibility has passed beyond troubling and is now absolutely absurd. In Illinois, the Governor steals from state pensions to pay for a bit of good press, and the Feds – supposedly controlled by conservatives – wants to throw billions at a corrupt, incompetent state and local system that will have to dream up new ways to waste it and steal it.

LOSER OF THE MONTH:

Illinois Democrats, who are now forced to unite behind a candidate for Governor that over half of them don’t really like all that much. Currently, I think there are at least four potential GOP candidates who would beat Blagojevich: Edgar, Topinka, Rauschenberger and Brady. Right now, my forecast is that Edgar would cruise to victory, with the other three winning narrowly.

And, as a bonus, at this point, Blagojevich’s polling numbers are bad enough and durable enough that, as the Governor’s race is at the top of the ballot, he could do some severe collateral damage to the rest of the Democratic ticket. It will be interesting to watch the other Democratic candidates, especially those Downstate, work so hard to distance themselves from Blagojevich.

MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY:

The role that race played in the inaccurate media-fed hysteria immediately following Hurricane Katrina. Why is it OK to talk about race and racism when it makes Republicans look bad, but not when it makes the media look bad?

MOST OVER-REPORTED STORY:

Jim Edgar. I’m as guilty of this as anyone, but do we really need daily, breathless updates about whether he’s in or out? If he’s in, great, let’s deal with it then. If he’s out, great, let’s deal with it then. He’s not even running yet and I’m already bored with him.

Runner-Up: Cindy Sheehan. The way the media has been trumpeting her as if she’s not being funded, used, and promoting by the worst of the American left is just the latest example of how desperately the MSM will seize on any story, no matter how inconsequential or misleading, to attempt to embarrass President Bush.

Second Runner-Up: Gas prices. They’re still lower than they were in the seventies in real terms. And the problem isn’t with consumption; it’s with over-regulation and the lack of exploration and new refineries.

STORY TO WATCH IN THE UPCOMING MONTH:

Jim Edgar’s pending announcement (I know, I’m still tired of it, too) and US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s never-ending quest to jail our past Governor, our current Governor, and the Mayor of our largest city.

Honore: And Mr. Mayor, let's go back, because I can see right now, we're setting this up as he said, he said, we said. All right? We are not going to go, by order of the mayor and the governor, and open the convention center for people to come in. There are buses there. Is that clear to you? Buses parked. There are 4,000 troops there. People come, they get on a bus, they get on a truck, they move on. Is that clear? Is that clear to the public?

Female reporter: Where do they move on...

Honore: That's not your business.

Male reporter: But General, that didn't work the first time...

Honore: Wait a minute. It didn't work the first time. This ain't the first time. Okay? If...we don't control Rita, you understand? So there are a lot of pieces of it that's going to be worked out. You got good public servants working through it. Let's get a little trust here, because you're starting to act like this is your problem. You are carrying the message, okay? What we're going to do is have the buses staged. The initial place is at the convention center. We're not going to announce other places at this time, until we get a plan set, and we'll let people know where those locations are, through the government, and through public announcements. Right now, to handle the number of people that want to leave, we've got the capacity. You will come to the convention center. There are soldiers there from the 82nd Airborne, and from the Louisiana National Guard. People will be told to get on the bus, and we will take care of them. And where they go will be dependent on the capacity in this state. We've got our communications up. And we'll tell them where to go. And when they get there, they'll be able to get a chance, an opportunity to get registered, and so they can let their families know where they are. But don't start panic here. Okay? We've got a location. It is in the front of the convention center, and that's where we will use to migrate people from it, into the system.

Male reporter: General Honore, we were told that Berman Stadium on the west bank would be another staging area...

Honore: Not to my knowledge. Again, the current place, I just told you one time, is the convention center. Once we complete the plan with the mayor, and is approved by the governor, then we'll start that in the next 12-24 hours. And we understand that there's a problem in getting communications out. That's where we need your help. But let's not confuse the questions with the answers. Buses at the convention center will move our citizens, for whom we have sworn that we will support and defend...and we'll move them on. Let's not get stuck on the last storm. You're asking last storm questions for people who are concerned about the future storm. Don't get stuck on stupid, reporters. We are moving forward. And don't confuse the people please. You are part of the public message. So help us get the message straight. And if you don't understand, maybe you'll confuse it to the people. That's why we like follow-up questions. But right now, it's the convention center, and move on.

Male reporter: General, a little bit more about why that's happening this time, though, and did not have that last time...

Honore: You are stuck on stupid. I'm not going to answer that question. We are going to deal with Rita. This is public information that people are depending on the government to put out. This is the way we've got to do it. So please. I apologize to you, but let's talk about the future. Rita is happening. And right now, we need to get good, clean information out to the people that they can use. And we can have a conversation on the side about the past, in a couple of months.

Transcript and audio here. 

Rich Miller of Capitol Fax emailed his subscribers their regular fix of political news today, and featured a story that he and I have been talking about since late last week - The lack of qualifications of Illinois Emergency Management Agency Director Williams Burke, how he was chosen by the Blagojevich adminstration for the position, and whether, after what we've seen with FEMA and its leadership, we should feel confidence in his abilities and experience.

From Capitol Fax today (reprinted with permission - go subscribe now!):

Illini Pundit, who blogs anonymously, asked me last week what I knew about William Burke, the director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, or IEMA. I did a quick search and remembered that I had done some research on the guy a few months before the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Burke, I remembered, had no emergency management experience when he was appointed.

Miller followed up and was able to secure a copy of Burke's resume from the administration:

But immediately prior to his GSA assignment, Burke ran Bobby Rush's 2002 congressional campaign and served for a brief time as the congressman's executive assistant. Word is that Burke was recommended for the top IEMA post by Senate President Emil Jones, who has installed several political allies in the Blagojevich administration. Those political ties almost certainly helped Burke move up the ladder, and like Mike Brown, could call into question why, exactly, he was appointed in the first place. The governor's office did not elaborate.

I had already covered the tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions made by Burke's former employer.  Above, Miller fills in the political dimension - Burke was a crony of Bobby Rush and Emil Jones.

The most important part of the story, to me, was that Burke had some government management experience from the General Services Administration, but absolutely zero emergency management or terrorism experience.  In fact, he's been receiving on-the-job training (a phrase the Governor's office thinks doesn't apply) since being appointed - in some cases taken classes that are being taught by his own staff:

Since his appointment, Burke has taken several classes in emergency management that his own agency offers. A spokesperson for the agency claims the director will fulfill requirements for a special certificate in emergency management sometime in 2006. But a spokesman for the governor's office denied that Burke had to be given "on the job training," stressing that many members of the governor's team, including herself, have had to participate in emergency preparedness courses.

Many of the classes taken are listed on the IEMA website.  In fact, here are the qualifications to be an "Illinois Professional Emergency Manager:"

Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), in partnership with Illinois Emergency Services Management Association (IESMA), has developed a program of special training to provide emergency managers the skills and tools necessary to not only succeed, but to excel in the total process of emergency management. The training covers all four phases of the emergency management process - preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation.

The IPEM program, established in 2001, was updated in 2005. The updated program requirements are included for your convenience.

In addition to the core requirements, each candidate is required to complete sixteen (16) hours of IEMA/FEMA sponsored training. This elective course work enables emergency managers to build an individual program that meets goals specific to their career and the particular needs of the local jurisdiction they serve.

This is precisely the type of training and experience that Burke lacked when he was appointed to head the Agency, and which he is, even to this day, undertaking.  The IPEM designation is something that Burke, according to the IEMA site, still hasn't acheived (IPEM Recipients for 2002, 2003 & 2004).

I understand that much of the middle- and upper-level management of IEMA is superb.  The department seems to be well-respected around the country and there seems to be little cause for alarm.  But how many alarms were raised about FEMA and it's Director and his lack of experience prior to Hurricane Katrina and his resignation? 

Burke probably would not have been qualified to run a Regional IEMA or County-level Emergency Management office.  If there are excellent career Emergency Managers within IEMA who are doing excellent work (as there apparently are), why was a political crony like Burke appointed to oversee them given his complete lack of qualifications?  Should an agency like IEMA be run independently or should its senior management positions be patronage hires?  And how in the world was he confirmed unanimously by the State Senate?

In response to this challenge by Instapundit:

How are we going to mobilize the blogosphere in support of cuts in wasteful spending to support Katrina relief? Here's the plan.

Identify some wasteful spending in your state or (even better) Congressional District. Put up a blog post on it. Go to N.Z. Bear's new PorkBusters page and list the pork, and add a link to your post.

Then call your Senators and Representative and ask them if they're willing to support having that program cut or -- failing that -- what else they're willing to cut in order to fund Katrina relief. (Be polite, identify yourself as a local blogger and let them know you're going to post the response on your blog). Post the results. Then go back to NZ Bear's page and post a link to your followup blog post.

The result should be a pretty good resource of dubious spending, and Congressional comments thereon, for review by blogs, members of the media, etc. And maybe even members of Congress looking for wasteful spending . . . .

I'm picking on a project that was identified by our local Representative Tim Johnson in the Federal Transportation bill which would spend $1.25 million for the University of Illinois Research Park Daycare Facility.

Frankly, I'd much rather see much less government spending for both pork and for rebuilding after Katrina, but I'll take what I can get.  I'm emailing Johnson and Senators Dick Durbin and Barack Obama about this project, but given my anonymity, I doubt I'll get a response.  (But I'm not complaining - that's one the costs of doing this anonymously, and if I were them, I wouldn't respond, either.)

I encourage each of you to identify some pork of your own, and follow suit.

UPDATE:  Here's the project listing on Truth Laid Bear, which is cataloguing the unnecessary spending.