Saturday, March 12, 2011

Flood Saturday, Part 1

I got several decent flood-related photos on a trip up the Ohio River from Huntington, W.Va., to Gallipolis, Ohio, and back. I knew where water would be over the road, as I have driven that route in floods many times before.

Adam stayed home this time. He needed his sleep.

First, this is Ohio Route 7 right below Athalia. You can see the road is banked, so part is in deep water but the rest is shallow enough to drive through if you're careful.


The water was not as deep as I've had to drive through in city streets, but it was different. You could see something like a current in it. The low area to the right of the road was out of the water until shortly before I got there. When you looked closely, you could see the water pouring off the roadway and into that low area.

Here in Athalia is that photo of a "High Water" sign partly in the water. My duty is done for the day.


Above Crown City, you can see the river lapping the edges of the road.


And here at the mouth of Swan Creek the water covers half of the road.


When I got up near the Robert C. Byrd Locks and Dam, I saw three boats waiting to lock through. But the angle was so weird. With the water so high, you could stand beside the road and it was almost like you were on the river bank. I guess for a few days, when you stand beside the road, you are on the river bank.


For the record, the boat on the right is the Marge McFarlin. Beside it is the Martha Mac. In the distance is the Midland. More on the Robert C. Byrd Locks and Dam tomorrow.

One more thing: Someone Adam and I knows might be stuck on a towboat for a few days. He was scheduled to get off a couple of days ago, but apparently the company either had no place to put him off or it couldn't get his replacement to the boat.

Another thing: As I drove up the river, I noticed that several large objects on the banks are submerged. I guess that means pilots have to be careful that they don't get too close to shore.

If anyone who works on the river wants to write a short note about what it's like out there right now, I'd be glad to consider posting it.

(To be continued).

1 comment:

Angela said...

Great pictures of all of the flooding. We seen a lot of ducks and geese enjoying all of that high water when we were in the Barboursville area today.