Category: Fire and Flood


Xeri Scape landscaping…

Xeroscaping, Merritt BC home, File photo KDG

The Nicola Valley Aquatic Center and the local A and W have redone their lots in a Zeriscape style here in Merritt.

Smart Landscaping

n some areas, terms as water-conserving landscapes, drought-tolerant landscaping, and smart scaping are used instead. Plants whose natural requirements are appropriate to the local climate are emphasized, and care is taken to avoid losing water to evaporation and run-off. The specific plants used in xeriscaping depend upon the climate. Xeriscaping is different from natural landscaping, because the emphasis in xeriscaping is on selection of plants for water conservation, not necessarily selecting native plants.

Wikipedia

Grey Water

Using greywater ( free of pathogens) is an option for the thrifty and those driven by restrictions.

Greywater (also spelled graywater, grey water and gray water) or sullage is all wastewater generated in households or office buildings from streams without fecal contamination, i.e. all streams except for the wastewater from toilets. Sources of greywater include, sinks, showers, baths, clothes washing machines or dish washers. As greywater contains fewer pathogens than domestic wastewater, it is generally safer to handle and easier to treat and reuse onsite for toilet flushing, landscape or crop irrigation, and other non-potable uses.

Wikipedia

Good luck this summer with you planting.

On this Day: June 13th 1886

A fire destroys much of Vancouver BC.

Happy World Red Cross Day..

The Red cross has a history of service including disaster relief. The organization is also a delivery conduit as governments rely on its ability. Most recent is the flooding in eastern Canada. The Federal government has funded them in recent weeks in the order of 2 and a half million dollars to deliver services to those effected by flooding.

Fire crew returning from slave lake, another emergency situation the Red Cross was involved in, File Photo KDG

Developing on going plans..

Alberta

Projects were chosen to build capacity within fire-affected communities and to support key community gathering points. The selected projects range from replacing destroyed sports equipment to helping to repair the roof of a local community organization. For a complete list of selected projects:

On this Day: May 8th 1982

The Thames River Barrier is opened.

Thames River Barrier

Nicola river, bank stabilation,

Rip Rap installed at Central park File Photo KDG

On October 25th the NWCRT will host a free presentation on Floods , Beetles., fires. Hot topic considering two years in a row of  high run spring run off.

Logging is going here and someone will be supplying lumber for the billions of dollars of hurricane destruction in the US. It almost makes it worth it to cancel Saudi arms sales.

Is there a spiraling curve to 5 degrees to pre-industrial  age temperatures, should we dust our caves. This bunch makes no representations on these things however they are offering an educational forum on water hydrology and how it works.

October 25th Merritt Civic center free event M. Free parking.

Guest presenter Rita Winkler, PhD  Registered Forester Hydrologist.

Rita is the Research Hydrologist with over 30 years of experience in forestry, applied hydrology, and water-related research. Rita coordinates the Upper Penticton Creek Watershed Experiment and the Mayson Lake Hydrologic Processes Study. Her research focuses on forest-snow interactions and the effects of forestry practices on water supplies. In addition to research, she also provides technical and professional advice on hydrologic and watershed management issues and is actively involved in operational and academic extension. Rita is an Adjunct Professor at Thompson Rivers University and the University of British Columbia.

Consulting areas: Forest hydrology, forest-snow interactions, forest management effects on streamflow and water quality, watershed management, hydrologic process research design, extension and education.

 

On this Day: October 16th 1841

Queens university is founded in Canada.

National Fire prevention week, be thankful!

Hey, make sure your batteries are good in your detectors as we don’t like hearing of Holiday tragic events taking people from our communities and souring experiences.

Diamond Vale fire destroys Four Plex and single family dwelling in Merritt

Foam retardant used in fighting late summer fire, Merritt BC, Canada ,  File Photo KDG

Don’t be a turkey this long weekend…

On this Day: October 5th 1990

The Melbourne Herald goes out of printing after 150 years.

Smoke in the hills…

 

Life above 600 meters +

The smoke is visibly less today then the weekend.  Rain up to 3 mm coming on Thursday.

There is good advice on air quality here. Air Quality

On this Day: August 20th 1938

Lou Gehrig  hits his 23rd grand slam in baseball with the New York Yankees.

TGIF- sunsets

SUN SET

The sun is our source for life. Photo: KDG

Smoke across North America is making for interesting sunsets. Air quality is a concern however consider the context the Asian developing market has for years had terrible air quality in their bid for economic prosperity we often see masked walkers and people coping. Forest fires are a bit out of our control and a few interesting sunsets is not worth the unpleasantness  as well as effect on the old.

particles of smoke that come from the fires can stay in the air and move through the Earth’s atmosphere – all the way [from western North America] to the East Coast. The smoke sits more than a mile above the Earth’s surface, but can move down through strong winds called jet streams and have an impact on air quality Source earth sky news..

Watch for air quality advisements . BC air

 

 

On this Day: August 17th 1907

Pikes Place market opens in Seattle Washington.

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Clean gas clean gas pump, and some of the tax comes back to your local government File Photo KDG

There is a transfer payment from the gas tax collected by the federal government the Feds just made another instalment of 53 million to be divided amongst the municipal governments in BC.

Merritt BC  has been getting something over 300 thousand dollars per year for the last 3 years and is projected to get the same this year. Money is used for local projects including disaster relief. The  fund is touted as being predictable and is set to run from 2014- 2024.

Like the saying just because red wine is good for you that’s no reason to start drinking so the gas transfer tax is no reason to start burning more gas …

On this Day: July 26th 1891
France annex’s Tahiti.

TGIF- high hazard in bush…

Merritt BC experienced a quick run off beginning in the 1st week of May. High water and dry conditions see a high forest fire hazard in the local woods at this writing.
The holiday weekend saw a break in the river levels giving some relief to sand bagging efforts.

On this Day: May 25th 1977
Star wars is released in theaters.

TGIF- Evacuation

This helicopter dropped abucket of something on a field near the nicola river, we asume it to be bug spray

Helicopters doing work can be an overhead hazard
File photo KDG

Sewer backups are causing some evacuations in Merritt. high waters are visibly on the retreat. Helicopters are seen in the air carrying water barrels.

On this Day: May 18th Mount St Helen erupts and effects the Pacific Northwest of North America.

High water, Vogt street bridge reopened

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Friday March 12th 2017, saw road closure on Garcia St File Photo KDG

Run off caused high levels of water in the valley with sandbagging on 2nd avenue and Garcia Street. Work still in progress for some. However the Voght street bridge was reopened after midnight on the 16th.

 

On this Day: May 17th 1977
Chuck E Cheese opens for the first time.

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Moon at three quarter. August ,Merritt BC FilePhoto KDG

 

The space administration in the US is asking for public help to create a global landslide data base.

Collar is the Cooperative  Open Online Landslide Repository is a project that will use algorithms to predict posiible landslides.

Nasa plans to use a landslide reporter to work this project you can help by reporting:

report landslides

The Landslide Reporter is on Facebook as well.  Face book landslide reporter

On this Day May 8th 1980

Smallpox is declared eradicated by the WTO.

 

Shortly after 2AM this morning an emergency alert was broadcast on Global BC telling people of a Tsunami and to go inland, this was all down the BC coast including Vancouver. Over time and expecting waves to reach lower BC by about 5 AM the alert was lifted before the expected time arrived.
The recently restored, agency NOAA National, Oceanic and Atmospheric  administration US (after the US Government shut down)  reported that there was no longer a danger.

Wave warnings on the coast are still in effect from tidal and wind actions.

On this Day: January 23rd 1846

Tunisia outlaws slavery.