As always, thoughtful and relevant. I once heard a pastor talking about Disasters, evil, and God. He made the point that God never promised that bad things wouldn't happen, just that He would be beside us in the storms and travails of life. And as Christ was incarnate as both Man and God, he I am sure saw and experienced plenty of both and felt them as we feel them. This of course flies in the face of those who would wish to blame God or who would ridicule those of us who trust in God's faithfulness. It is not we who are shortsighted, we see not only this earthly trouble filled life before, but also God's promise of a future life.
While the timing and extent of the flood last week in the Hill Country was unusual, it was not unprecedented and warning of potential flash flooding was broadcast, the NWS didn't fail. In 1987, a similar though not as intense storm killed 10. What set this most recent disaster apart were two factors. First, the amount of rain that fell exceeded the NWS's predictions both in terms of the amount of rain and the speed with which it fell. The second is the amount of development with new recreational camps and activity in an area known for flash flooding.
Despite the technological advances in weather forecasting, the actual weather is unpredictable. They knew in advance there would be significant rainfall, but the extent and speed of that rainfall was unknowable. Perhaps, the second factor is a case of human hubris, it's happened before but 'we're so much smarter now,' just as with continued development in areas prone to wildfire (especially with environmental practices that actually encourage wildfires by removing underbrush and controlled burning combined with deteriorated electrical infrastructure), we continue to build in areas with significant known natural disaster potential, the hills of Southern California, the beaches of Florida, and to a lesser extent, the Hill Country of Texas.
As always, thoughtful and relevant. I once heard a pastor talking about Disasters, evil, and God. He made the point that God never promised that bad things wouldn't happen, just that He would be beside us in the storms and travails of life. And as Christ was incarnate as both Man and God, he I am sure saw and experienced plenty of both and felt them as we feel them. This of course flies in the face of those who would wish to blame God or who would ridicule those of us who trust in God's faithfulness. It is not we who are shortsighted, we see not only this earthly trouble filled life before, but also God's promise of a future life.
While the timing and extent of the flood last week in the Hill Country was unusual, it was not unprecedented and warning of potential flash flooding was broadcast, the NWS didn't fail. In 1987, a similar though not as intense storm killed 10. What set this most recent disaster apart were two factors. First, the amount of rain that fell exceeded the NWS's predictions both in terms of the amount of rain and the speed with which it fell. The second is the amount of development with new recreational camps and activity in an area known for flash flooding.
Despite the technological advances in weather forecasting, the actual weather is unpredictable. They knew in advance there would be significant rainfall, but the extent and speed of that rainfall was unknowable. Perhaps, the second factor is a case of human hubris, it's happened before but 'we're so much smarter now,' just as with continued development in areas prone to wildfire (especially with environmental practices that actually encourage wildfires by removing underbrush and controlled burning combined with deteriorated electrical infrastructure), we continue to build in areas with significant known natural disaster potential, the hills of Southern California, the beaches of Florida, and to a lesser extent, the Hill Country of Texas.