I guess everyone is thirsty.....or something

On my Monday evening visit to the grocery store, this was the sight that greeted me as I walked down the beverage aisle. I know it's summertime, but isn't this a little ridiculous? Just kidding! In case you haven't been paying attention - the Olympics are on after all - there is a tropical storm or something heading our way. I think they are calling it Fay? Brian and I keep yelling every time they interrupt the Olympics for a weather update. We have our priorities straight. The Olympics only happens every four years; we'll probably get another storm next week.

Seriously, we have been paying attention, and we are mildly prepared - it's only a tropical storm after all, and we do live in the middle of town less than a mile from numerous restaurants, grocery stores, schools, churches - our gym is going to be open as a shelter if necessary We always have plenty of food, candles, batteries for the flashlights, etc. Worst case scenario, I probably have enough energy bars and gels, protein bars, clif bars, luna bars, etc. for us to live off for at least a week. I knew that Ironman training would come in handy. The car is fueled up, the cell phones are charged - and can always be charged via the car. One thing I didn't do was buy extra water. Now for those of you that are concerned that I am tempting fate, I'm really not. I don't usually buy extra water, we fill up the 2 gallon Brita and that's about it. Recently, I found out that not having water is probably the least thing people in Gainesville need to worry about. Let me explain.

The last week of summer camp, we took the campers on a tour of the drinking water treatment plant. Of course, one of the things the plant manager talked about was all the back-ups, etc. the plant has in the event of power failure. They have diesel engines that can run as long as there is fuel, and enough fuel on site to run for several days. I'm sure many of you are thinking "If there is flooding, won't the water be too contaminated?" That was always an issue in North Carolina where the drinking water comes from a river, and if we lived there still, I'd be stocking up on water; but Gainesville water comes out of the Floridan Aquifer. The city is essentially on a giant well. As long as there is power to pump water out of the Aquifer, we are golden. I asked why we are told to have enough water on hand for 72 hours, and the manager responded that we really don't need to, but he did say that there is always the possibility of a water main break. Maybe I'll fill up one of the bathtubs, just in case.

At any rate, I'm not too concerned about getting around. I rode my bike to the Duke campus during Isabel, and that was a way worse storm. Yes, I was very wet - imagine riding while someone is pouring buckets of water over your head, and the wind is blowing superhard, and that will be pretty close. It was warm out so I rode in a pair of shorts and a rain pullover, and wrapped dry clothes in a plastic bag. No, I'm not stupid - they hadn't closed campus yet and I had class. If I had driven, I would have been soaked from the walk from the car anyway, it would have taken me longer to get there, and I would have had to pay for parking. The point is, if I need to get around, I know what to do.

Just in case you were wondering, the bread and toiletpaper sections were nearly as decimated as the water.

On a separate note for you educators, taking a tour of the wastewater treatment plant is way more interesting to children than the drinking water plant. There is nothing like seeing nasty raw sewage transformed into water so clean you could drink it. The kids are always disgusted and amazed, and completely fascinated.