What to Smoke during a Mandatory Evacuation
SERENTIL
Newcomer
Greetings fellow TPLers,
Recently I went through a very stressful, tense ordeal here in NorCal. As some of you may know, both of the Oroville Dam's spillways failed due to the excessive amounts of water and overflow from Lake Oroville. The main spillway suffered some damage that caused Department of Water Resources (DWR) to decide to shut it down. This caused the water level to increase to the point that it began to flow over the auxiliary spillway which hadn't been used for 48 years since it was built. It was poorly constructed and the soil at its 30 foot base began to quickly erode creating a situation where the auxiliary spillway's structural integrity became threatened. If it failed, a 30 foot wall of water would wash down Feather River flooding most everything in it's path. A decision was made to enforce a Mandatory Evacuation to several communities including the one I live in, Plumas Lake. There is a rather lengthy backstory here about the gross mismanagement of the Oroville Dam (not to mention the thousands of other dams in California). Deferred maintenance is not a smart thing to do when public safety is concerned.
Funny thing is (or foolish depending on your point-of-view), I sent the Mrs to safer ground at my stepson's house and I stayed behind. I was packed and ready to go if the spillway fell and I knew that I had 8-12 hours before the floodwaters reached the Feather River which is exactly 1 mile from our house. Hunkered down at home listening to the local law enforcement's broadcasts and watching the countless helicopters and drones flying overhead, I took solace in my pipe. I can honestly say that I think I smoked 2oz of Lane BS-005. For whatever reason, that was the most relaxing tobacco I had at the time. Thank you Lane Limited!!! Needless to say, the last 72 hours have been quite stressful. Thankfully, they lifted the Mandatory Evacuation yesterday and allowed everyone back home.
-Regards, Matthew
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