To the Weather Service, 500 equals less than 26.

They called the flooding in late winter 1982 a 500-year flood, meaning those levels would be reached once every 500 years.

The same rivers that flooded then flooded this time, and many reached higher levels.

"This could rival and in some places top the flood of 1982," said Jeff Ranieri, forecaster at NBC's weatherplus.com, speaking from Fenton.

A is not A. 500 is less than 26. War is Peace. Freedom is slavery.

Remember when words had actual meanings?