The big rain storm that slammed California on October 13th was the largest and most powerful October storm since 1962. NPR estimated that it dumped more than 8 billion gallons of water onto Lake Tahoe. If each gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs that means the combined weight of all that water was an astounding 66,720,000,000 lbs. Yes, you read that right…that’s billion with a B, folks. That’s just an incredible amount of water! The level of the lake actually rose over a foot in just one 24 hour period.
It was enough rain to send water rushing down the Truckee River and towards my new digs in Reno. This rather impressive storm knocked over trees and fences, sent cars sliding into ditches and all manner of small animals were tossed around. There is a big crop of corn I drive by on my way home that was just about to be harvested. It now looks like it could be a backdrop scene for one of those crop circle movies, Mulder.
No, the three-year-old California drought isn’t over but a few more storms like this last one just might do the trick. But, water can also be deceptive and destructive so before the next big one sends you running indoors and out of the driving rain there are a few things I would like you to consider doing. Doing these preventative measures now can save you time and money and might just actually keep you safe.
Let’s start with the gas-guzzler. Don’t do what I did and try to squeeze just one more season out of those of old windshield wipers. The first rains loosen up a summer’s worth of oil on the road. That oil gets splashed around, lands on your windshield, and now you have two problems: bad blades and an oily windshield. Just think of Joliet Jake trying to clean off an extremely dirty windshield while Elwood navigates downtown Chicago.
Leave a little more room between you and the car in front of you as a slick road surface makes stopping a little tougher. Always carry at least a half a tank of gas. If you’ve ever run out of gas in a rainstorm you will never forget it. Store an extra slicker or sweater in the car along with a small flashlight with new batteries. Make sure your tires are properly inflated. And for goodness sake, please leave the giant puddle alone. I know it’s tempting. Water can splash out and soak your buddy (Ha Ha…very funny!) as you drive through a puddle, but it just as easily can splash in and under the hood. Your older car’s cap and rotor won’t like that and your car will stall. In a puddle.
Now about the house. Before the next big storm carefully clean out the gutters of leaves and other debris. And remember, there are the gutters up by your roof line, and down in the street. Storm sewers can back up quickly and water rolling over flooded roof gutters can tear them right off the house. Once again, one gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs.
Protect your garden furniture by covering it snugly or by putting it in the shed and don’t forget about the garden gnomes! Your bike can easily rust so be kind and put it in a dry place in the garage. Seals around windows and doors can crack and let water and cold air into your house, and can also let warm air out. Make sure Fido has a warm dry area in the garage to sleep while you are at work, and keep bags of dog food tightly wrapped and off the cold damp floor. Clean out the fireplace flue before you fire that guy up, and last but not least, before you pull on those old rain boots make sure there are no critters living down in the toes. Been there and done that.
And you should be all set! Have a happy Fall and Winter!
All that rain actually only raised Lake Tahoe by a foot. It had just dropped down below the rim for the first time in years and the rain pushed it back up.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/oct/14/lake-tahoe-water-level-back-above-rim-level/