I am Aquarius, yes, but too much is too much

[Skybird]

I just experienced the most rainy day ever in my life. Parts of my hometown are without electric power, 10% of the streets and roads are flooded 20-40 cm, in my house the water has flooded the cellar 50 cm high. The cellar looks like a scene from Stalker.

Many books I stored there - ruined. A good amount of my library. I should say that for 14 years I live here, it has been a warm and dry place, nothing wrong to locate parts of your library down there. Some electric stuff and computer stuff as well.

Can all be replaced and repaired. Just the books -my heart is crying. Some no longer available titles are lost. Two hundred books maybe in all, some of them really costly and precious. I just had collected a number of books of American philosophers of the founding era over the past months - ruined. The half of my remaining library on Islamic history and scripture - ruined. And several dozen of German editions of SF novels from the 60-80 era, no longer available in German, for the most: ruined. Several thousand bucks gone for the books alone. And my thick and voluminous wonderful astronomy almanach. Bump.

Strangely, my second refrigerator - sat in the water 50 cm deep, happily humming on as if nothing was wrong.

Swimming festival out there on the street.

It has been the worst flooding and thunderstorm in the history of written weather records for this town. Blackouts still occassionally strike one fifth of households.

My books, especially the novels which have been for longer time with me than the others. I am so sad.

http://cdn1.spiegel.de/images/image-730324-galleryV9-cjwu.jpg

http://static2.wn.de/var/storage/images/wn/startseite/fotos/lokales/muenster/unwetter-im-muensterland-verkehrschaos-durch-starkregen/foto71/52195634-1-ger-DE/Foto_image_1024_width.jpg

http://static.wn.de/var/storage/images/wn/startseite/fotos/lokales/muenster/unwetter-im-muensterland-verkehrschaos-durch-starkregen/foto67/52195594-1-ger-DE/Foto_image_1024_width.jpg

http://static.wn.de/var/storage/images/wn/startseite/fotos/lokales/muenster/unwetter-im-muensterland-verkehrschaos-durch-starkregen/foto60/52195524-1-ger-DE/Foto_image_1024_width.jpg

http://static2.wn.de/var/storage/images/wn/startseite/fotos/lokales/muenster/unwetter-im-muensterland-verkehrschaos-durch-starkregen/foto53/52195454-1-ger-DE/Foto_image_1024_width.jpg

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http://static.wn.de/var/storage/images/wn/startseite/fotos/lokales/muenster/unwetter-im-muensterland-verkehrschaos-durch-starkregen/foto26/52193321-1-ger-DE/Foto1_image_1024_width.jpg

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[Skybird]

It just started raining again. With watercannons.

[Aktungbby]

I am sorry for your trouble (Dresden?) especially with the books! The Napa river rises and I've sandbagged in Minnesota (Mississippi) and California! Of some use perhaps (and a large freezer!) http://www.heritagepreservation.org/savewetbooks/ (http://www.heritagepreservation.org/savewetbooks/) don't toss anything yet! :salute:

[Betonov]

Interesting.

Feel sorry for your books, but judging by the last talk we had about relics from history and how they're nothing but raw material to be melted down and sold, I'd think that books are nothing but firestarters for you.

[Platapus]

As a book collector myself, I am so sorry about your book loss.

[Stealhead]

Based on the plate codes it is in Westphalia MS is Munster other end of Germany from Dresden that would be DD.

[Nippelspanner]

MS is Münster, yes.
As a former Osnabrücker, I know that city well. :)

Poor books... but could have been worse.
Imagine all the pr0n would be gone too.

[Oberon]

The south copped a similar treatment here, some impressive convective build-up over the other side of the channel. Been a fairly decent season for storms so far, unfortunately for me but fortunately for the dog (who hates storms) most of them have missed us.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-28520520

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/multimedia/archive/00740/159444681_740970b.jpg

[fireftr18]

I have some prayers for all of you. I hope every one is okay. Sorry to hear about your books. I know we say things can be replaced, but not all things can.

[Oberon]

Aye, I remember being under a flood alert last year, having to move everything upstairs and just hoping that we stayed dry. The trouble with flash flooding is quite literally the suddenness of it, there is no warning until it's too late.

[em2nought]

Perhaps it's time to learn of the idea of retention ponds. Just build your soccer fields low and let them collect the water. :D

Sorry about your books.

[Skybird]

MS is Münster, yes.
As a former Osnabrücker, I know that city well. :)

I studied in Osnabrück.

[Skybird]

MS is Münster, yes.
As a former Osnabrücker, I know that city well. :)

I studied in Osnabrück.

The whole city took a heavy beating. And it stinks. I worked all night and morning, now am tired like a dog, but cannot sleep. But we got the water out, I could organise a pump at midnight that took the battle to the enemy, so to speak, and from 3 am on the water levels started to slowly go back. Status in our house therefore is much better again than in most others who were effected - and that were several thousands. Worst weather in Münster remembered in historic recordings. Cellar has been emptied, stockpiles of garbage everywhere. Now the rooms must dry.

[Jimbuna]

Sorry to learn of the damage to your book collection Sky but the main thing is your safe and who knows, you may be able to salvage or replace some over time.

[Onkel Neal]

Wow, sorry to hear about your books that's pretty bad.

[kranz]

gee...
our forum 'know-it-all' has lost his books kept in the cellar.:nope:
:har:
in the cellar, you say?
you see, during floods or torrential rain, water USUALLY flows down rather than up. Keeping valuable stuff 'in the cellar' sounds like a pretty bad idea.
But hey, there are some advantages. Your precious collection must have sucked so much water that the firefighters won't need pumps to get rid of it.:yeah:
I studied in Osnabrück.
You did and learned nothing.

As they say, you can buy a rose, but you can't buy love.
You can buy a book, but you can't buy knowledge. (this one applies to you)

[Skybird]

Latest detailed weather statistics for Münster, yesterday:

in the worst hour, there were 240 liters rain per sqm, per hour.

Usually in July we have 40 litres per month.

Thanks for the cheers.

I got some sleep.

[kranz]

Latest detailed weather statistics for Münster, yesterday:

in the worst hour, there were 240 liters rain per sqm, per hour.

Usually in July we have 40 litres per month.

Thanks for the cheers.

I got some sleep.
40 / 31 / 24 = 0,0537 litres per hour
240 - 0,0537 = 239,9463 litres of surplus water which soaked into your volumes. :rotfl2:

cheers.

oh, in case it rains some more:
http://supernrmal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/modern-rubber-ducky2P.jpg

[Dmitry Markov]

Sorry for your books, Skybird! Every time I am thinking of moving somewhere from Moscow 'cause I'm getting a bit tired of living in a big city, I remind myself that we never have floods and tornados and many other things. And when I see such photos it nearly makes me kneel and kiss our ground. I've got some 19th century books (Pushkin and Dostoevsky mostly) even printed in pre-revolutionary grammar - a bit hard to read now in 21st century :) but I try to keep them as high and constantly dark/dry as I can because these volumes are kind of our family treasure that passes from grandparents to grandchildren. So I fully understand your feelings towards your lost library.
And I happen to be an Aquarius too :)
Keep it up! Best thing is that you safe !

[Skybird]

Thanks to the supernatural being floating in cosmos somewhere :D, generally lives were not in danger, although there were two or three people killed. But for the huge crowd, it all was terribly wet, and means a lot of work, but risk for life never was existent, realistically. But institutions, hospitals, the university (third biggest in Germany), shopping mall magazines, the huge libraries here, Max Planck institutes - they are all drowned. Parts of the hospitals' stations are off duty, patients being distributed across Northwest Germany.

Its the biggest damage-event and disaster since the destruction of Münster during the bombing in WWII, they say. Even some bakeries were low on bread yesterday and today.

Watching at it form that perspective, the way we got away with it in our house - was a bargain. Two houses further down the street, cars still swim under the roof of the deep garage - the firebrigade still has a full list of calls.