[AT] Merry Christmas - Now mud removal video

[Richard Walker]

I only have one Cat left now, Brad, the 22 that I shopbuilt a 3-point 
hitch for many years ago.  Haven't used it on the mud yet because the 
engine clutch is currently frozen up.

The little Dingo loader definitely fills the gap between a shovel and 
bigger equipment, but with only a 1/4 yard bucket, it does take awhile.

I hear you loud and clear Bo, about government ineptness. Following the 
first rain after the fire, causing mud slides in late February, city 
officials and also the county Flood Control District were both equally 
unresponsive to the point of total uselessless.  Now after subsequent 
rains have caused similar mud flows, assistance has fortunately improved 
somewhat, thanks to the new "git 'er dun" city manager and increasing 
comprehension at higher city official levels about the ongoing 
seriousness of over 24 acres of steep, burned wilderness hillsides all 
draining down into a single canyon whose mouth is adjacent to a densely 
populated residential street.   At least now the city is providing their 
dump trucks to haul dirt away, but digging out still remains the job of 
each affected property owner.  And the city is having discussions about 
short and long term solutions to the problem, like trying to get 
equipment back up the canyon floor to clean out as much of the deposited 
mud as possible; or maybe constructing a catch/debris basin at the 
canyon mouth.

If you're curious, here's a TV news clip from the first mud flow 
February 28th  That's my neighbor Ken & Bonnie's driveway where the 
torrents of mud and water are rushing out onto the street.  (Ignore the 
initial 15 second commercial):

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/video/#!/on-air/as-seen-on/Monrovia-Evacuations-Amid-Mudslides/247962981


- Richard

Richard and Judy Walker
Monrovia, California


> Richard , I know how you feel . After hurricane Rita , the folks in Sulphur
> ,La. , got with the program and cleaned up and repaired without the help
> from the FEDS , not like in New Orleans a month before where almost
> everyone waited around for someone else to do the dirty work .I sure have a
> lot of respect for folks like you .
>
> Bo Hinch    in Sulphur , Louisiana
>
> On Mon, Dec 29, 2014 at 9:55 AM, Gunnells, Bradley R <
> brad-gunnells at uiowa.edu> wrote:
>
>> Richard that is quite a mess to have to clean up. I feel for those folks.
>>
>> I watched that video. Didn’t you have some Cat equipment? I was hoping to
>> see something with tracks in that video aside from that little Toro unit.
>> That thing looks like it would wear you out operating it after a while. But
>> it is far less tiring than a shovel.  ;-)
>>
>> Thanks for sharing that.
>>
>> Brad
>>