Come heck or high water

It's been almost six years since Carson Valley experienced its last real river flood.

A wet fall sets the stage, saturating the ground.

Then comes some sort of snowfall where the snowpack drops low enough on the mountains to melt when the first warm rain storm sends meltoff swelling the river and creeks.

The National Weather Service is predicting the possibility that a combination of a wet storm and high snow levels will send the snow we've received over the past three weeks down the mountain.

It doesn't always happen that way, but when it does, it's good not to have to go anywhere for a little bit.

In 2005, bridges on Highway 395, Genoa, Muller, Mottsville and Centerville lanes were closed, forcing residents of Minden and Gardnerville to follow the old Pony Express route down Jacks Valley Road and then come across the Valley at Fairview. In the 1997 New Years Flood, that wasn't even possible, since bridges were out all over the Valley.

Simple preparations now, such as visiting a website like www.ready.gov for a list of items to make an emergency kit, can go a long way to ensuring your safety and that of your family.

We believe in hoping for the best, but planning for the worst. That's the way to survive a flood or anything else that might bedevil our Valley.