Interesting naming quirk:

The storm that wrecked the Mataafa in 1905 is usually referred to as the "Mataafa Storm," but I never hear anyone refer to the "Edmund Fitzgerald Storm." It's always "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," with the wreck taking all the attention from the storm. Although the "Gales of November" in general get their due respect. I guess that's the power of Gordon Lightfoot.

And here's something else I've noticed:

Hurricanes are named with generic first names of people, like Hurricane Katrina, but you can't do that with floods. For example, "Flood Mary" sounds like the idiotic name of a band that would have had a video on MTV's120 Minutes in 1992.

"MJK," a new PDD user, mistakenly submitted the comment below as a separate post:

"They are saying here at our office that the flood is being referred to as the Summer Solstice Flood, so maybe the Summer Solstice Flood Disaster of 2012. Sound good?"

It certainly is clumsier with the word "disaster" in it, but if it helps secure funds it's probably the way to go.

I noticed this weekend at my family reunion that it's not too early to attach the word "historic" to it, according to this photo album.