Doing a family BBQ tomorrow and giving the lady a break.
Happy Mother,s Day to you all.
I’m going to a birthday party! It’s my daughter’s 25th birthday. We are going to dinner at a restaurant of her choice. I asked Mrs JT if it’s alright to multitask the meal, and she agreed. The oldest daughter is going to brunch with her husband and in laws, another is out of town with her beau and his family. Mrs JT already got a beautiful mixed bouquet of yellow flowers. She was right there when I walked in the door with them this afternoon, and I gave them to here then and there. Happy Mother’s Day!
@Docnick, I guess you live a long way south of Ft McMurray? If you have a cookout planned, you can’t be too close.
The province of Alberta has a province-wide ban on open fires such as fire pits, charcoal BBQs, etc. Gas grills are excluded, except at campsites.
The smoke plume is drifting South East and is now over Montana and Nebraska and heading for Florida. It is clearly visible from outer space on the satellite images.
Currently 500,000 acres are burning, but the fire is expanding eastward where there are no towns.
Oil installations are not damaged, but most are shut down due to smoke, and personnel having been evacuated. Skeleton crews keep an eye on things. Oil companies are using Force Majeure in curtailing deliveries to downstream refineries. Force majeure applies to Acts of God or major wars. It keeps eager lawyers from suing you for non performance.
So far 1 million barrels per day has been shut in, representing 1.1% of World production. Total damages so far are estimated at $9 Billion, excluding the value of timber lost.
The only casualties so far are two teenagers fleeing the fire at high speed and crashing on the highway well away from any fire. Ironically their car burst into flames after colliding with a truck.
The CNN coverage of the disaster is about 1.5 days out of date and relies on outside sources mostly.
I didn’t realize you were in Alberta. We are getting the smoke in Minnesota now. I can’t imagine what it is like to evacuate 80,000 people and then lose so many homes too. Best of luck to ya all up there.
I make sure my ex wife (Mother of my Sons) and both ex daughter in laws (Mothers of my Grandkids) get nice cards.
@Bing Thank! Charities, the Red Cross and various government agencies have supplied shelter, food and other necessities, so no one is suffering. Kids have been put in local schools so they don’t fall behind. The city itself is empty except for security and essential personnel. Electric power is now being restored. It will take a long time for everyone to get back home. Over 1600 dwellings and a number of commercial establishments have been destroyed.
The energy companies will build up their production and staff gradually and operate out of camps until the city is back to normal.
At this time there are over 50,000 Americans living in Alberta, mostly in the energy industry. It’s sort of a cold Texas.