The CBC reports Flood-threatened communities plead for volunteers and food

Usually, most properties in Winnipeg and the rural municipalities are protected from rising river levels by the floodway, which redirects the water through a 48-kilometre channel between St. Norbert and Lockport.

It can’t do anything, though, when ice is causing sections of river inside those protected areas to rise so quickly.

I don’t understand why they don’t just put a grid, say half meter squares, in front of the flood gates and open them? The ice floats on top, but the water underneath will flow into the channel and reduce the pressure and the rising level. I understand that they don’t want to just open the gates and have an ice jam form in channel, so filter out the ice. There has to be something I’m missing.

Update via Fallenmonk, the FDA’s Pistachio Product Recalls: Salmonella page.

CBS is reporting: Salmonella Worries Prompt Pistachio Recall

The recalls began last Friday when the Georgia Nut Company recalled its Kraft Back to Nature Nantucket Blend trail mix after some samples tested positive for salmonella. Setton Farms has started a separate recall of roasted pistachios, and grocery operator Kroger also has recalled some pistachio products.

The problem is that the pistachios haven’t definitely been identified as the problem in the trail mix, but Setton Farms is being proactive with the recall. So, don’t eat them, but don’t throw them out, because California officials have just started checking the facility.

Georgia agriculture isn’t over the peanut problem and now they have been hit with this. Maybe people will finally understand why not inspecting is bad for business as well as public health.

According to the Local Puppy Trainer, the warm and wonderful Bay County Commission, bless their hearts, has sent a letter to the Air Force saying that it’ll take the F-35 training center, if they get tired of dealing with the city of Valparaiso.

These are the same people who told anyone who would listen that the Air Force was going to shut down our airport, when justifying earmarks to finance their new facility. Bay County is to the East on the “bump in the Panhandle”, and includes Panama City and Tyndall AFB.

Lovely people.

It look like our drought of three days will end tomorrow with three more days of thunderstorms.

The local rivers are all above flood stage, but were slowly receding, so this will prevent people from removing the mullet from the front lawn and ‘gators from the swimming pool.

The average annual rain for this area is just under 70 inches. We usually get the bulk of that rain during hurricane season from tropical events.

We are getting mildew on the toadstools.

I guess a flood wasn’t enough to worry about, so a blizzard may be added to the scenario – from CNN, Red River receding; North Dakota braces for snowstorm:

FARGO, North Dakota (CNN) — Residents braced for an early spring snowstorm Monday, even as they held their breath while record floodwaters receded.

Officials cautioned residents not to let their guard down, especially in the face of the approaching winter storm, which forecasters said could bring as much as 10 inches of snow and wind gusts of 35 mph to the Red River Valley area.

“We are very confident now that [the] river is in a slow decline,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Greg Gust. “Hopefully, it will be at about 38 feet by next Sunday.”

Officials said winds from the storm will cause waves in the floodwaters that will put more pressure on the sandbag dikes along the Red River, but the river levels were expected to continue their gradual decline.

So you know, the Red River runs between North Dakota and Minnesota, and the people in Moorhead, Minnesota are having the same problems. Oh, Michelle Bachman is not their Congresscritter.