XML FeedsFloods and stricken Hummers.
By The Abudhabilist on Dec 29, 2009 | In Adventures | 7 feedbacks »
The rains came a couple of weeks ago, and flooded just about any area that could be defined as a street, or the areas next to the streets...and houses... and 2nd floor apartments apparently.
My friend, one of the folk with flooding issues in her 2nd floor abode, mentioned that it had nothing to do with some tsunami style tidal surge. Nor did rivers that had broken their banks send a crushing load of water along the streets turning them into some kind of Porsche and chicken strewn canal.
No, nothing as dramatic. (thankfully)
Follow up:
Even though we see rain here only a few days a year, and when we get a storm it's usually a big one, it appears that no-one gives any thought to precautionary measures that might need to be employed to... say... make sure if a balcony is utilised for an apartment block any water said balcony collects can drain somewhere outside.
As opposed to the current balcony drainage standard:
Seal all areas, so that the area in question has all the characteristics of a bath tub, wait for rain, let balcony turn quickly from nice and usable outdoor area to quaint fishpond. A fish pond, when filled above the height of the doorstep will happily empty itself into the living room.
Look, there was alot of rain, but surely it doesn't take a rocket scientist to recognise that a sealed, exposed balcony will fill up with water... and that water will always find a way out using the path of least resistance.
I have a solution though.
Leave a drain hole.
I know, innovative isn't it?
Of course I am aware of the affect on the job costing, and the ensuing budget blowout - but I am sure that the 50dhs (about $15 US) cost to add a drain hole per balcony could be recouped via an instalment plan as part of the rent agreement. I know this might cause the landlords to have to have a slightly less cash stuffed pillow to sleep on - but only temporarily.
It'd be interesting how many pillow cases of cash had to be thrown at repairing my friend's place... alot more than a few DHS I suspect.
The drainage woes continued in the streets...
cont.
7 comments
If I wasn't concerned about:
A: disrupting the bag of water on my lap
or
B: Filling phone or camera wit water as I fumbled wet fingered about in the cab of the mighty JEEP
I would have taken a photo...
Grinning now just thinking about it
:-)
I've noticed on my morning runs that the aroma emanating from "no-where drains" can be quite pungent regardless of water.
Perhaps it's the sluicing effect that gives the temporary lakes their particular "schtank".
:-)
Cheers
Michael
22 inches?
I don't know what would have happened here had we got that much.
Hang on... yes I do.
The boat sales yard would have been emptied of it's stock, BUT none of the boats would hit the street rivers here before the rains, and rivers subsided...
Why?
Well there would be boat windows to tint, designer seatbelts to fit, diamond covered petrol caps to be purchased....
Thinking about mounting a camera to the mighty JEEP as a permanent fixture, maybe I could fit the mounting plate over the sunroof, thus resolving the leaking issue at the same time.
:-)
Leave a comment
| « Pick a lane. I'll guess the rest. | Complaints - and the people who make them. » |
