Stop! Flood Speak

It's happened every year since 2008 and it's happening again. Every single year about this time the “Chicken Littles” of eastern Iowa start their chant “the river is rising and we're gonna see a flood like we did in 2008!” Now, don't get me wrong, the flood of 2008 was devastating and people lost everything. But the fear mongers who start panicking every time the snow begins to melt and then post their thoughts and ideas as to why “this Spring is going to be just like 2008” gets old fast (for example - it was old in 2009.)

What happens after everyone starts to read the “Chicken Littles” posts on Facebook and other social media sites, then they start spewing forth nonsense they believe to be factual and it becomes a panic-stricken swirl of misinformation. Just a few things to consider before you jump on the “we're gonna flood this year like we did in 2008” bandwagon. #1 – The flood of 2008 was caused in large part by Spring storms. It's not Spring yet. #2 – The current amount of snow that is in both Cedar Rapids and Waterloo is below where we were at this time in 2008. #3 – The permafrost that is below the surface and is frozen now – is most likely always frozen now. It may take a little longer this year because of the extreme cold temps. But the thing is WE DON'T KNOW.

Basically what I am saying is, keep your “Chicken Little” in check.