I have to go catch a plane but two quick answers from a similar discussion
with a bunch of atheists on another list. Both of these are from another
list and weren't to youspecifically:
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The Mississippi River was above flood stage fro January to July, 1927, a
period of about 6 months. It took that long for the water to drain off. In
August 1926 rains fell over much of the Mississippi River basin. By Sept.
streams in eastenr kansas flooded. The rains continued and by New Year's
day 1927 the Cumberland River in Ohio was 41 ft above the previous year's
level. In Feb. the rains lessened, but then picked up again in March. By
April a flood crest was marching down the Mississippi River moving at a
rate of 10 miles per day. It started at Memphis, Tn, which is about 500
miles upriver. So 10 miles per day means that the crest will take about 50
days to get to the sea. Except that as it gets into the low relief country
of Lousisiana, the rate of flow slows. The water didn't recede from the
lower Mississippi River until July of that year. (See Champ Clarke, Flood,
Time-life Books, 1982), p 70-79. They do show the flood gauge at Vicksburg
Miss. on page 87.
It wouldn't be so rapid a drainage as you envision. And, give the proper
winds, the water can be blown on shore carrying anything that floats with it.
Secondly, being outside of the sight of land is easy on a shallow tidal mud
flat
In the presence of other forces, water does not have to 'seek its own
level' There are tides, which alter the normal geopotential surface and
thus make the water ride higher over the land (in the Bay of Fundy these
tides lift the water up to 45 feet every day. A similar pheonomenon occurs
in the Bohai Bay of China where I stood on the muddy ocean bottom and
couldn't see the sea for as far as I could see. I did see many small
fishing boats stranded in the mud and I saw an ocean vessel on the horizon
resting in the mud. But six hours later, that very flat land that I stood
on would be 6-9 feet deep in water. The ark most certainly could be
stranded in shallow waters in this fashion, no doubt about it.I used to
live in Lafayette Louisiana. My house was 35 ft above sealevel. Yet models
said that if a big hurricane came through, the ocean would be at my house.
Thank goodness one didn't come through.
glenn
Adam, Apes and Anthropology
Foundation, Fall and Flood
& lots of creation/evolution information
http://www.isource.net/~grmorton/dmd.htm