Wednesday, June 11

Flood News

• In a demonstration of How Far We've Come in the Times-led Newfound Respect for Middle American Values, at least so far as We're Given To Understand Them, on CBS yesterday the fact that several Midwestern states have been underwater for a week actually rated a sentence at the end of the tragic story about how it was hot in Manhattan.

• This, of course, is not merely the attitude of the Big City Fellers; local news hairdos who remained relatively stoic last week as a tornado ripped apart an apartment complex in a poor section of town were deeply touched Saturday at the four-hour heliocopter shot of an SUV trying to negotiate flooded streets in the suburbs. Meanwhile, like most renters, most of the displaced apartment residents had no renters' insurance, and can't return for their belongings because the place is structurally unsound, and has to be reinspected every time it rains, which is once every six hours or so for the last ten days. Compare flood insurance, whose absence from the average homeowner policy is perpetually treated as something the average homeowner couldn't possibly have anticipated.

• To his credit, Indiana Governor Mitch "Low Ground" Daniels toured the site on Day Two. Day One was reserved for his visit to Camp Atterbury, which sustained heavy damage, but which, being a federal facility, isn't going to want for a penny and doesn't need the Guv's help getting aid, though does have lots of guys in cammo standing around as decoration.

• I came in in the middle of the story, but I suspect it was in Johnson County (where government buildings were swamped) where the Prosecutor was trapped in his office by rising waters, discovered by rescuers who were unable to break the window necessary to effect his release until a baseball bat used as evidence at trial floated by.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I find that any geographical entity that bears the name 'Johnson' carries an almost insupportable weight of innuendo, don't you? I once lived in a 'Johnson County' and I simply couldn't get anything done.

Clerk: "Take this form down to the Johnson County Courthouse and have it approved."

Me: "I've got your 'johnson,' right here."

I had to move to another state.

heydave said...

That bat: a Johnsonville?

(If you're not on my wavelength, I apologize for the layers of subtlety woven into my thoughts)

D. Sidhe said...

I understand from deep thinker Jonah Goldberg that it's okay because the poor have less to lose, and renters especially don't lose much since all they have to do is find a new apartment.

ahab said...

Terrible to hear of all these troubles in your region, Doghouse. Especially at this time of year that should be so pleasant. I hope things get back to normal soon.