Documenting Arborgeddon
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.17.06
Those who've recently checked out our post on the Buffalo NY USA 'climate disaster' will have seen the powerful testimony offered by our commentors. This reminded us of Buffalo's refound status as a clean-green place to live. So, we contacted a few local readers for some photos and were alerted to Buffalo Rising On-line, where you'll find a 30+ slideshow of post-storm conditions. As the above photograph from BuffaloRising evidences, "Arbor-Geddon" is not hyperbole. Now hear this Buffalo: you wear safety shoes and a shielded helmet when you chain saw; and no climbing or repositioning with the engine running. We TreeHuggers have to look out for one another.
To properly frame Arborgeddon, we'd like to remind you of an important incidental. Buffalo in part owes its location and industrial history to the vast resources of hydroelectric power generation on the Niagara River, outlet of the Great Lakes. Every kilowatt of that water power is green and renewable, and will remain so, thanks to the people of the Great Lakes basin, in both the USA and Canada, who are bound and determined to protect it from diversion by the water pirates. (You know who you are.) Three cheers for Buffalo.
Top photo credit: Buffalo Rising: owner, Owner/Editor Newell (Queenseyes) Nussbaumer.
All extended entry photo credits: Edward Bujanowski, Buffalo, NY.
Post storm slideshow link is here.
Oh my, that's just... wow!
Our Buffalo Flickr Group has documented this as well. Here's some links:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/buffalo/pool/
(try tag search - octoberstorm2006)
Mike Calanan: http://www.flickr.com/photos/calanan/sets/72157594325720659/
Jim Lindley: http://www.flickr.com/photos/strangecontext/sets/72157594331634500/
All Things Jennifer: http://www.flickr.com/photos/allthingsjennifer/sets/72157594330946281/
More to see if you view individual users photosets.
Thanks for the Buffalo mention.
It's a great big mess, but we get by with a little help from our friends.
dave