Water

The weekend came and is (almost) gone, the cold rain keeps falling, but the flooding that was widely expected seems to have spared us.

The record-breaking snowfall from the last few weeks has finally melted and the landscape is no longer a monochromatic white.
The cleanup is ongoing. In my yard today I was trudging through the cold mud, collecting the large branches that had been splintered-off the trees by the massive weight of the snow we received. I cut them into meter-long pieces and bundled them together at the curb, so the trash collectors will pick them up (if you don't make it easy for them, they may just leave them there).

Pittsburgh is, among other things, called the city of three rivers, since the Allegheny and the Monongahela meet right by downtown Pittsburgh to form the Ohio river. Well, the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers are each fed by all the snowmelt from the region and each is at - or near - flood stage. Add to this the fact that we have been experiencing a steady rainfall since Friday night, which of course adds to the water load on the rivers, and you can understand why our mayor declared a state of emergency for the city on Friday. He may, at 30 years old, be one of the youngest mayors of a major American city, however he seems to have a team of wise advisers to give him guidance.

It appears then, that the region managed to avoid any major flooding.
Many people who live in flood-prone areas will breathe a sigh of relief.
Those who spent hours preparing for a potential invasion of angry water can now stand-down.
The state of emergency should be lifted soon.
Better to have been safe than sorry they will say.