In fact there was a lot of flooding on the roads both yest-*BZZZZZZZT* *BZZZZZZZZT* *BZZZZZZZZZT*
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP*
FLASH FLOOD WARNING(That seriously was issued while I was writing this. And our radio stations really did an EAS bulletin for it. We now return you to our regularly scheduled blog entry already in progress)
ASZ001-002-150800-
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PAGO PAGO AS
600 PM SST TUE SEP 14 2010
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PAGO PAGO HAS ISSUED A
* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR
TUTUILA AUNUU AND MANUA...
* UNTIL 900 PM SST
* AT 550 PM SST...AN UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH HAS GENERATED
HEAVY RAINFALL OVER TUTUILA AUNUU AND MANU`A. THE
WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN TAFUNA RECEIVED OVER 1 INCH
OF RAINFALL DURING THE LAST HOUR. HEAVY RAINFALL
OF 2 TO 4 INCHES WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF SMALL
STREAMS IN LOW LYING AREA AND ROADS. LAND AND MUD SLIDES
WILL OCCUR DUE TO HEAVY RAIN AND RUNOFFS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS FLASH FLOODING IS IMMINENT
OR OCCURRING IN STREAMS...ROADS AND LOW LYING AREAS. MOVE
TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY IF YOUR HOME IS IN A FLOOD
PRONE AREA.
DO NOT CROSS FAST FLOWING OR RISING WATER IN YOUR
VEHICLE OR ON FOOT. REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE LOCAL
POLICE OFFICIALS OR THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER (EOC)
...THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE OFFICE.
&&
$$
LAPATAIGA MO LOLOGA MA TAFEGA TETELE
OFISA O LE TAU
600 AFIAFI ASO LUA SETEMA 14 2010
...UA I AI NEI LAPATAIGA MO LOLOGA MA TAFEGA TETELE MO TUTUILA AUNUU MA
MANU`A E OO ATU I LE 9 I LE PO NANEI...
O TIMUGA MAMAFA MA FAITITILI UA MAFUA MAI I TULAGA LOULOUA O LE TAU O LE
A MAFUA AI LOLOGA MA TAFEGA MO NOFOAGA MAUALALALO...FAAPEA FO`I SOLOGA
MAI MAUGA MA NOFOAGA MAUALULUGA.
E LAPATA`I ATU LE MAMALU LAUTELE INA IA AUA NE`I FAAFOEINA TAAVALE
I NOFOAGA MA ALATELE UA MATUA LOLO VAIA. IA TAGA`I ANE FO`I I NOFOAGA
TU LATA I MAUGA MO NI SOLOGA.
FAAMOLEMOLE VALAAU VAVE LE OFISA O SAOGALEMU LAUTELE MA LE EOC...E RIPOTI
ANE AI NI LOLOGA MA TAFEGA.
IA FAAUTAGIA MAI LENEI LAPATAIGA MA PUIPUIA LOA LOU SOIFUA MA AU MEA
TOTINO.
$$
BAQUI
-and that's how they got rid of all the dead dogs they had lying all over the place. With a mail sack.²
But yeah, it's kinda weird how so many people just keep going about their normal everyday lives as if it wasn't flooding outside. From what I've seen, this kind of thing happens once or twice a year here, and I guess if you've been living on the Rock your entire life, you really don't think that much of it. Maybe that's why the news isn't covering it very much.
Anyhow, the big way that it affects me, other than basically not being able to do anything outside, including things like take out the trash, is driving. On the NWS website, underneath the bulletin that I posted above, there was a second one that said to avoid driving until the flood alert has been lifted. I discovered this right after driving home.
As I and just about any other person who's driven on this island will tell you, driving on this island is a) more difficult and b) more dangerous. There's a lot of different "rules." Not real rules, mind you, but just a totally different driving style. People merge onto the road from driveways by cutting everyone off. People stop in the middle of the highway with 10 cars following them to let a single car merge onto the road, thinking that they're being courteous. People will go into the lane made for oncoming traffic to dodge a pothole in their lane, a rough spot that looks like it may become a pothole sometime soon, or even a metal plate covering up a pothole. Or sometimes just because it gets them around a curve faster. Somewhere around a third of drivers don't turn on their headlights until it's 100% pitch black.³ People drive 10 miles under the speed limit. (OK, I know that that last one happens in the States all the time, but here the speed limit is 25 MPH and there's almost no passing zones.) And aiga bus drivers are the worst about all of these. But eventually you learn to expect all of these things and adapt to them as best you can.
But it gets much worse when there's a trough overhead. The roads flood in seemingly random places, occasionally deeply enough to stall a car, as I know all too well. There's at least one spot on my daily commute where I can hear the water sloshing against the underside of my car. People veer into oncoming traffic to drive through the shallow end. The potholes all become hidden. That same third of drivers still leave their lights off, even if it's 30 minutes to sundown and severe thunderstorms are cutting visibility to next to nothing. And of course, everyone is driving slower than usual.
So, uh, I hope it clears up soon. Especially because I have outdoor plans for this weekend.
And this song seems appropriate. Partly because of it's lyrics, and partly because it will not leave my head until it clears up outside.
¹It's best that I don't get started on the other two news outlets, one of which is known to mostly just copy our radio newscast word-for-word without giving our newsteam any credit whatsoever. Plus, neither one has an active news website anyhow.
²This is from a true story, but it's totally, totally unbloggable. Ask Jason Thomas if you know him. If I'm very, very lucky and everything goes according to plan, I'll get to record him telling it and make it into a Flash cartoon. But first I have to get Flash, learn how to use it, and record Jason's story.
³When I first started driving here, people were flashing their lights at me to let me know that I left mine on accidentally, because surely no one would be using theirs just because it's overcast out.
