Sensory overload of emergency related things!

I was going to write a post about our water preparation (because there are hilarious photos to go with it). As I was sitting down to resume Weather Channel watching and internet reading, there was a cavalcade of sirens. To the trained ear such as my own, I knew it was fire trucks. Plural. Multiple. We (roommate and I) rushed to the window to find way more trucks than we ever expected to find! Step one: grab phone to take an unnecessary amount of photos. Step two: Stand on the fire escape and take said photos.

So check out all of these fire trucks!

There are three ladder trucks, two of which have their ladders extended up to the roofs. There are also three engines hanging out and providing man power for the possible firefighting. Not pictured in that photo is this fourth engine that showed up and the gentlemen it provided.

At some point they were just standing around, so I took that moment to admire the clouds.

Yay clouds!

And if this isn't exciting enough for you, just you wait!

They started cleaning up. Repacked the hose, lowered the ladders, took off the bunker gear, etc. Issues begin to arise as the hose is disconnected from the hydrant.

Water every-fucking-where!

There were many attempts to close the hydrant. At one point, there were three guys using tools and their brute man force to no avail. Then sledgehammer guy steps in and bams the hydrant near the base. The water stops! Fist bumps all around!

So success. We hung out for a bit more to watch the rest of the clean up. Then the water came back! This time through the manhole cover.

And the drain. And the seams in the road. Yeah, that's right. The seams!

It only smelled vaguely sewery, not nearly as bad as it looks. Most people drove around it, but as more and more drove over it, the seam-based leak got worse. Eventually, some of the firefighters made a makeshift barrier involving a crate, a garbage can, and a road blocker thing (I bet it has a name, but I don't know it nor do I care to look it up).

Eventually a crew showed up to fix it all. Or started too. They weren't as interesting so I gave up and came back inside to resume drinking and consuming foods.

Update: A for real crew showed up to fix it! There's like jackhammering and all sorts of other activity (or maybe just that) going on right now! I mean, look at all those cones!