10x06 - Come a Tide

[bunniefuu]

♪ Reading rainbow ♪

♪ Butterfly in the sky ♪

♪ I can go twice as high ♪

♪ Take a look ♪

♪ It's in a book ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ I can go anywhere ♪

♪ Friends to know ♪

♪ And ways to grow ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ I can be anything ♪

♪ Take a look ♪

♪ It's in a book ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ Reading rainbow ♪

Hi. You know, I never get tired
of watching the clouds.

I just love the way they change,
and I'm always surprised

At the pictures
they paint in the sky.

These look like
mashed potatoes

Or maybe mountains
of whipped cream.

Look. I see a face in here
or a giant melting snowball.

Hmm, looks like a boot to me.
What do you think?

And this one's easy...

Definitely
the starship enterprise.

Now, imagine
you're in the spaceship,

Flying up above the clouds
and looking down

From an astronaut's
point of view.

These clouds look like
a spinning pinwheel

Or a whirlpool in the sky.

Look how sunlight changes
the color of these clouds.

They're all golden.

Can you see the mountains
below these clouds?

And here the earth looks like
it's covered with cotton candy.

Clouds may look like
cotton candy.

But they're really made
of tiny drops of water,

Like this.

There's always
moisture in the air,

And when the temperature
is right, clouds form.

Clouds help predict
the weather.

Weather experts
have different names for clouds,

Depending on what they look like
and where they are.

Cirrus clouds are the highest
in the sky.

It's so cold up there,

Water droplets
turn to ice in the air.

These clouds look like
horses' tails in the wind.

They're called
mare's-tails.

When you see cirrus clouds

You know the weather
is about to change.

Stratus clouds
are low in the sky.

They look like big,
gray blankets hanging overhead,

And sometimes they mean rain.

Cumulus clouds
are my favorites.

They're big and puffy,

And you see them
on warm, sunny days,

But when cumulus clouds
start to pile up like this,

It could mean a storm.

They keep growing
until they become thunderheads,

And that definitely
means rain.

[Thunder]

Rain is a wonderful gift
from nature.

It replenishes
our water supply

And nourishes
the plants and animals

Who need water to survive,

But too much rain
can cause a problem,

As one family learned
in come a tide.

Last march it snowed

And then it rained
for four days and nights.

"It'll come a tide,"
my grandma said.

And sure enough,

When all the creeks rushed
down to the river,

Like kinfolks coming home,
it did.

It washed away little gardens
on clover fork,

Pigs and chickens
on martins fork,

And a whole front porch
on poor fork.

We stood on our bridge
and watched them swirl by.

"Ooh eeh! Ooh eeh!"
Cried the pigs.

The river
nudged the bridge bottom.

Still we boasted,
"it won't flood us..."

But we left our radios
crackling that night

When we went to sleep.

[Whistle tooting]

Cloudburst!
Wall of water coming down!

In five minutes,
we had jumped in our clothes

And were headed for the truck.

[Honk]

"Did you hear the whistle?

Do you want to go
with us?"

Mama called to our neighbor
mrs. Mac.

"Joe won't go
till he finds his teeth."

"Did you hear the whistle?

Do you want to go
with us?"

Mama cried to the cains.

"I can't catch donald,"
john yelled back.

"It's that duck,"
his mother hollered.

"John has to save
the one thing that swims.

Don't stall on our account."

[Engine revs]

[Honk honk]

"Did you hear the whistle?

Do you want to go
with us?"

Mama called to papa bill
next door.

"I heard it, honey,
but I've got me a boat,

And I'm aiming
to find the oars."

Rain came down like curtains
as we drove up grandma's hill.

She fed us
warmed-over biscuits

And coffee--
stout as a post.

Then she sent us to bed.

When light flooded in
and I was asleep,

Daddy went out scoutin'.

[Mama]
"water up to the piano keys,

"But the house is solid.

What now?"

"If it was me,"
grandma said,

"I'd make friends
with a shovel."

And we did.

The macs, the cains,
papa bill--

Next day,
everyone was shoveling.

Soggy furniture
and mud-matted rugs

Made mountains
in front of each house.

"It got us this time,"
we had to admit,

Taking lunch
at the rescue wagon.

But we dug and hauled,
we scrubbed and crawled

To find our buried treasures.

[Chicken cackles]

Now we'll be fine,
except in spring

When the snow and rain
come together.

Then I'll hold my breath
and hope grandma won't say,

"Children,
it'll come a tide."

Grandma was smart
to keep her eye on the weather.

Where she lived,
spring rains caused floods.

Other areas
have different severe weather.

It's important
to know what to do

When the forecast is foul.

If you've never seen
a tornado before,

You'll be totally amazed.
It's awesome.

Look at those houses.

Look at this huge gray funnel.
It's a tornado.

It can pick up
everything in its path.

This one's sucking trees
out of the ground

As if they were
blades of grass.

Most people have never
seen anything like this.

A tornado
sounds like a freight train,

And you've got to stay clear.

The place to be
is your basement.

Check this out.
It's hail--

Frozen rain that can get
as big as a baseball.

I never want to be
outside in that.

Sometimes hailstones
b*at down so hard

They can actually bounce,

And they can break glass.

Just look at this car window.

If there's hail outside,
stay inside.

A blizzard.

It's cold and windy
and snowy.

It's really hard
to get around.

Roads are slippery.

Traffic moves slowly
or maybe even stops.

Everything closes
during a blizzard,

Even school,

And a snow day's perfect
for chilling out.

Lightning lights up the sky
like fireworks.

It's really electricity,

And sometimes
it strikes the earth.

Lightning can be dangerous,

So stay in your house
or car, where it's safe.

When there's too much rain
all at once,

That can cause a flood.

Rivers get higher and higher
until they can't hold any more.

Then they overflow,
and water covers everything.

Have you ever seen
something so awesome?

A whole neighborhood
becomes a lake

Or a street becomes a river.

Even cars can be swept away.

So stay clear
of rising water

And get ready to clean up.

Sometimes the weather
can be pretty dramatic,

But it doesn't
have to be scary

When you know
how to stay safe.

Weather experts
called meteorologists

Use satellites to keep
constant track of the weather.

They can tell you
what's happening

Across the country
and around the world.

Meteorologists use satellites
to watch the weather

From high above the earth.

As the earth turns,
the satellite circles with it.

Those white swirls
are clouds.

Below the brightest,
it's raining.

You can see which way
the clouds are traveling.

The satellite takes a photograph
every half-hour.

When the pictures
are put together,

They make a movie.

Now watch
what's happening here.

See how the clouds
seem to jump back

And move across
the map again?

That's the same weather photos
playing over again.

Tonight, when you watch
the tv weather report,

Keep an eye
on those satellite photos.

Every summer, meteorologists
are on the lookout

For one of the most powerful
storms--the hurricane.

They want to be sure
people are ready

And make plans to stay safe.

Hurricanes are storms
of tremendous force.

The winds howl and blow

And the rain
pours furiously.

In september 1989,

Meteorologists
tracked hurricane hugo

As it headed
for south carolina.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Charleston county is now under
a state of emergency.

Hurricane hugo will be
in charleston

Earlier than first reported.

For days,
everyone prepared.

People wrapped houses
with plywood

So the winds
couldn't shatter the glass.

Be off the island by noon!

Please leave now.

If you want to leave
the charleston area,

Please leave now.

As the storm came closer,
families left their homes,

Driving miles away

To safer places
far from the hurricane's reach.

Others unable to leave
found safety in shelters

Where they would be protected.

A hurricane
usually begins in late summer

In the warm waters
of the tropics.

As the sun heats the ocean,
the water evaporates,

Brewing into a spiraling wind.

The hurricane
grows stronger and larger

And begins to move,

Stretching out
hundreds of miles.

At the center
of the swirling wind

Is the eye
of the hurricane.

This photo shows the eye,
completely calm,

As the winds spin around it.

When a hurricane
reaches land,

Something called
a storm surge occurs.

Strong winds push ocean water
toward the shore,

Bunching it up,
so the water level rises.

Then the huge waves break,
surging over the shore,

Knocking down anything
in their path.

Power is out now
in much of north charleston

With the eye of hurricane hugo
approaching.

Hurricane hugo
swept through south carolina

With amazing fury.

I'm having to brace myself
against this wall.

We're being buffeted by winds
over 80 miles an hour.

This dim light is a battery.
All power is out.

The storm continued for hours.

The next morning,
hugo was gone,

But devastation
was everywhere.

Roofs were torn off houses,
and homes were flattened.

Piles of cars

Were left
by the surging water.

Boats were carried
onto roads.

Even a bridge was twisted
and left dangling...

But the storm affected
the people the most.

It's almost
total destruction.

This town
has never seen

Anything
like this.

[Reporter]
have you got places to stay?

No.

I have so many friends
that have no place to stay.

I lost my whole home,
everything.

Most people ain't
going to forget it.

I ain't.

I just thank the lord
that I have my family.

Hurricane hugo
left many people

Without food, clothing,
or a place to live,

But folks from all over
pitched in to help.

Right now my thing

Is to reach individuals
who've lost everything.

I feel the need
to help other people.

Volunteers came together

To prepare meals
and distribute supplies.

Slowly, people began
the big job of rebuilding.

Some of the new houses
looked a little unusual,

As builders tried out shapes

Designed to withstand
hurricane-force winds.

Places that were once devastated
have been restored,

And the before-and-after
pictures are amazing.

Wreckage has been cleared...

And buildings have been
put back together again.

When you look around,

It's hard to believe
that hurricane hugo was here,

But the people
will never forget it.

Hurricanes are incredibly
powerful storms.

Fortunately,
they don't happen often.

When they do,
we can count on meteorologists

To keep us informed,
and friends and neighbors

To help us clean up.

[Thunder]

Sounds like rain.

This is the perfect chance

For me to try
my new rain gauge.

It's made out of a plastic
bottle with a flat bottom

And some waterproof tape.

The top fits into the bottom.
I measure rainfall here.

If you want to find out
more about weather watching,

Here are some books
that will blow you away.

I've been in all kinds
of weather--

Sunshine, rain,
and even a hurricane--

But I've never been
in a tornado before,

Till I read tornado alert.

Tornadoes are powerful,
dangerous storms.

You can tell
when a tornado's coming.

It looks like a humongous
gray and black funnel.

The funnel is bigger
at the top.

Scientists can watch
for tornadoes with satellites,

But they can't stop them.

They can only warn people
when a tornado's coming.

I'm jose, and I know
tornadoes are scary,

But don't panic.

Just follow directions,
and you'll be safe.

Read tornado alert.

Hi there. My name is megan.

Have you ever wondered
where rainbows come from

Or why some days are cloudy?

If you have,
try reading weather.

Rainbows are made

When the sun shines
through raindrops.

You might see
all kinds of clouds.

I like big puffy clouds

Because I can look up and see
all kinds of shapes and animals.

There are some experiments
you can try,

Like making a weather vane

Or measuring the rainfall
with a funnel and a bottle.

There's lots more
cool information in this book.

You can be a weather expert.
Just read weather.

Do you know that each year

There are about 16 million
thunderstorms around the world?

Now I do because I just read
this book called storms.

There are all different
types of storms--

Thunderstorms,

Hailstorms,

Hurricanes,

And even tornadoes.

Hailstorms have ice
falling from the sky.

Some can be as big
as a grapefruit.

Cloud shapes can sometimes
tell you what's coming.

In a thunderstorm,
lightning comes first.

And then--boom!--

That's the sound of thunder.

I'm mia, and I think
this is a great way to discover

Neat facts about storms.

Try and stay dry.

[Wind chimes jingling]

Looks like I finished
just in time.

You know, sometimes we take
the weather for granted,

And sometimes
it's so spectacular

It's hard to pay attention
to anything else.

I'm going to pay attention
to staying dry

And watch this storm
from inside the house.

I'll see you next time.

Today's reading rainbow
books are...

Come a tide,
story by george ella lyon,

Pictures by stephen gammell,
published by orchard books.

Tornado alert,
by franklyn m. Branley,

Illustrated by giulio maestro,
published by harper collins.

Weather,
by rena k. Kirkpatrick,

Illustrated by janetta lewin,
from the look at science series,

Published
by raintree publishers.

Storms, by seymour simon,

Published by
morrow junior books,

A division of
william morrow & co., Inc.