Sometimes floods are theoretically fun, like when a fire at the Jim Beam warehouse caused thousands of gallons of bourbon to flood into the Kentucky River. Although, the resulting loss of fish and ecosystem damage resulted in a $700,000 fine.

Less fun: as of this posting at least 9 people have died from floods caused by recent storms in Kentucky.

The death toll in Buncombe county from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene finished out at 161 lives lost. The region is still a mess. A slow autumn meant a lot of people left town to find income elsewhere. It’s a frosty winter. Lord only knows how this spring and summer will shake out. Loads of people ride tubes down the French Broad. I can only wonder what that will look like this year.