Re: bad news

[OorQue@aol.com]

> > That's really scary, Dan.  People sometimes get swept away by the power of
>  > the water when flooding like this occurs and they don't realize how 
strong
>  > a pull the current has. Glad to hear YOU'RE OK, and hopefully the car 
will
>  > be all right too.

In Arizona, a dry stream bed full of rocks is called a river and a river with 
water flowing it is called a flood ... although it doesn't rain very often 
here, when it does rain, there are very few places for the water to go.  
Hence, we often get flash floods -- the kind where you don't even hear the 
water coming and a minute later, it's two or three feet deep -- and as I 
understand it, the rule is that you should try to avoid getting caught in a 
flood if at all possible but if you do, then stay with your vehicle.  The 
currents can be much stronger than people realize and it's much easier for 
rescuers to find the car than a person(s) by themselves, especially at night.

As for whether the car will survive, I'm afraid it's unlikely ... flood 
damage to a car is like soft-tissue damage to a body.  It's not immediately 
obvious, is difficult to verify and often doesn't make itself known until 
much later.  I know if the car was mine, I'd insist upon the insurance 
company totalling it then if I felt really, really lucky, I'd consider buying 
it back from them as the basis for a race- or playcar project.

Still, it's good to hear that Dan S. survived his bought with Floyd ... btw, 
am I only the only one who thinks this was a funny name for a hurricane?  
Every time I hear it, I keep thinking about the barber on the old Andy 
Griffith TV show...   

JG