Water Damage Shuts D.C. Museums for July 4

[Eugene]

June 30, 2006, 9:04AM
Water Damage Shuts D.C. Museums for July 4

© 2006 The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Flood damage kept the National Museum of American History
and the National Archives closed Friday at the start of the busy
Independence Day holiday weekend.

The Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Visitors Center castle,
also closed since Monday because of basement flooding, were to reopen,
said Smithsonian spokesman Peter Golkin.

Some of the most severe damage to Washington's cultural attractions is
at the National Archives, home to the Declaration of Independence, the
Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The historic documents were all safe
in a vault, officials said, but other documents were at risk of mildew
damage, and crews were using giant dehumidifiers to try to protect them.

<snip>

No Smithsonian museum exhibits were damaged by flood waters, Golkin said.
Most damage was limited to mechanical equipment, but at the American
history museum had flooding in the lower-level cafeteria and gift shop.

<snip>

Full article: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/politics/4015016.html

[onehandle]

1. Congress should fund them properly.

The Duke Cunninghams and Tom Delays have better things to do with our tax money.

[gauguin57]

2. In other news, the Declaration and the Constitution have floated away ...

... giving the Bush administration even more carte blanche to spit on everything this country stands for.

How con-VEEEEnient!

[Peace Patriot]

3. Damn, they've had to lock up the Declaration of Independence, the

Constitution and the Bill of Rights, from Bushite global warming flooding! What next?

[grasswire]

4. I still haven't heard....

...if the flooding is from the water table, storm drains backing up, or if the MALL is actually flooded that far in from the river! That's quite a way from the banks of the Potomac. I would think if the water were that high, Alexandria would be washed out and National Airport would have runways under water.

[bobbieinok]

5. has such flooding and rain happened in DC before???

Is this a 'message' to bushco that global warming is real??

[MountainLaurel]

8. Not since they've been recording weather data

This is the worst rainfall ever in DC.

As for this being a message to Bush, I don't think he's going to be listening to anything that doesn't come on oil industry letterhead.

[JackDragna]

6. I don't want to see a single dime used to repair DC!

Nothing but a bunch of politicians and them minor-i-tee folks there, just like New Orleans! They should know better than to build on a place that could possibly ever be flooded in a freakish rainstorm!

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

7. Ironic justice.

Pure and simple.

But there's no such thing as global warming, so stop saying that! :rofl: