BuzzKill Word for the Century: Levee

"Why does it always have to come down to a low tech rubberband repair like Sandbagging??" asks MooPig the Wiser for having been trapped in flood waters after Allison Hurricane.

"I'm not going back after this one," 83-year-old Lois Russell said as she watched water surround her house near Gulfport. It was the third time she had fled her home because of flooding since 1965.

"It was a good place to raise my seven kids," she said, crying. "I know I haven't lost anything that feels important because I have a big family."

Gulfport, IL.

Then on Tuesday, the worst happened: The levee burst and Gulfport was submerged in 10 feet of water. Only 28 property owners were insured against the damage.

"They all told us, `The levees are good. You can go ahead and build,"' said Parks, who did not buy flood coverage because her bank no longer required it. "We had so much confidence in those levees."

Around the country, thousands of residents who relied on risk maps from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, [FEMA], may unknowingly face similar dangers.

"People put all their hopes in those levees, and when they do fail, the damage is catastrophic," said Paul Osman, the National Flood Insurance Program coordinator for Illinois. "New Orleans is the epitome; a lot of those people didn't even realize they were in a floodplain until the water was up to their roofs."

Midwest Flood Victims Feel Misled
By TAMMY WEBBER and MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER, AP Posted: 2008-06-20 11:13:32

GULFPORT, Ill. (June 20) -- Juli Parks didn't worry when water began creeping up the levee that shields this town of about 750 from the Mississippi River - not even when volunteers began piling on sandbags.

After all, local officials had assured townspeople in 1999 that the levee was sturdy enough to withstand a historic flood, and FEMA had agreed. In fact, some relieved homeowners dropped their flood insurance, and others applied for permits to build new houses and businesses.

Moopig has Intellect. Does it have a Heart?

CARLA-A-A! ! ! ! I could'a been your contender!Moopig, one of your own has a screaming hole in the heart and needs a place to vent it. IS THIS THE PLACE?! We are manly, yes. And intelligent to beat the band, goes without saying. Politically astute !? What a perfect world if they would listen to what we have to say.
But here today I blog-challenge us to tread carefully but courageously into the "heart-land". Love requited but forbidden is my beef. I can not see Carla, but I can Moopig her to the universe and let go of the angst. You space aliens listening in! and I know you are studying Moopig in preparation for your imminent invasion (boy are you in for a surprise...) You aliens, please capture my scream and project it to the outer reaches of the dada-sphere so that every star knows about the black hole of lost love on planet 3 of star system 138, sector 9 of the Uppity Realm of the Andromeda Riviera.

"Oh-h-h, I rememba' sail cloth.
Masted, trimmed, taut:
To gather gusting winds for friends, their fantasies to impart.
For lives lived and loves lost.........*

Composteholestoy

* misquoted but serving the purpose, from PHD circa 1982.
Changes justified by: Mario Ruopplo (Il Postino)" the poesia is not for those who wrote it, but for those for whom it serves a purpose."
PS - I know this is not MY SPACE and will not make this a habit, but I think Moopig can handle - could use - a glimpse of the humanity behind the blogger keyboard.
_______________________________________________________________
Addendum FAQ Feb 11, 2008 by MPW Editors

Subject: CARLA-A-A! ! ! ! I could'a been your contender!...Composteholestoy ___^^____

[Brother Composted; MooPig editors have met to confer on your composite questions. They decided to answer here below, heartfully hoping your confidence is not adversely affected.]

We frequently receive questions about the Siberian Shockwave, but today we have a new set of queries to consider. The following group is sent in by one of our own contributing authors, Michigan's finest, Composteholestoy.

Composteholestoy: "I fear I have mis-used the blog but I'm not really up on Blog etiquette or the ensuing retribution for such infractions. I have made it very personal, because I am very personal.... but it's YOUR web log not mine - so what happens now?"
MPW: We are sure we do not know what happens next.

Composteholestoy: How do bloggers discipline their own?
MPW: Usually bloggers insult the genetic lineage of the perpetrator.

Composteholestoy: Will the blog break down into a mire of personal entries and want-ads?
MPW: Generally all blogs headed for the waste pile are broken down into 0 's and 1 's.

Composteholestoy: Will sentiment ruin the great man-cave escape experience we all love about Moopig?
MPW: As you may or may not know, MooPig is bi-polar. We monitor the duality of cosmic chaos for all our faithful readers, all three of them.

Composteholestoy: What have I done ?? I know what you'll say.
MPW: I bet you didn't know that we would say this: "Flooded by Katrina: Screwed by FEMA!"

Composteholestoy: I let you know when it's up and running...
MPW: We surmise you have something else to say?

Rc / MPW