Rude Awakening

(bck blp)

Boom!  Boom!
That's what I woke to this day.  I couldn't believe the strength of the wind.  Some parts of Tucson received over three inches of rain in two hours.  Washes overflowed, there was flash flooding everywhere.  A couple of streets in the city (where there are few sewer drains) were torn to shreds...asphalt cracked and broken into pieces. 

One of our County Supervisors tried an ill-advised maneuver - trying to drive through rushing water.  Her car got washed away,floating a quarter mile before it got held up on a bridge abutment. She had to be pulled from the car through a broken window. The bad news was that it was a government issued car.  The taxpayers will be on the hook for that one.

There's what's called a "Stupid Motorist Law" in Arizona.  You can be charged for the costs of a rescue if you drive around barriers into water.  According to the TPD, however, they have never charged anyone for being a stupid motorist. It's all in a day's work for the fire and rescue squads during the monsoon season.