Re: Yikes it's Ike in Texas Gulf Coast

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:56:37 EDT

BBR_InsUW : ahhh ok my houses are still dark in The Woodlands

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:33:45 EDT

ilikeme : Near Memorial and Wilcrest.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:24:10 EDT

BBR_InsUW :

said by ilikeme :

I finally have power back as of today,

where are you at?

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:12:50 EDT

Seandhi : Congrats man. Sorry you had to be without for so long.
--
You're an enlightened cat, and I dig that.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:12:17 EDT

ilikeme : I finally have power back as of today,

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 22:43:30 EDT

BBR_InsUW : Just got off the phone with my tennants in The Woddlands and still no power and they have been told next Thursday...

Man this just sucks for them

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 21:09:07 EDT

ilikeme : We finally got Comcast internet back, but still are running on generator power. We had to have 2 large trees removed today due to damage to them, but otherwise no damage except for the powerlines being down in the backyard.


my source of power, the orange cords run to the neighbors
powerlines in the backyard
a common sight around town
powerlines on my fence
San Antonio CPS power at friends house
minor damage to my house

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 16:21:55 EDT

ravencajun : don't know if this link has been posted or not but it has a ton of pics of the entire coastal area from Louisiana and Texas hit by IKE. Google maps just click on the little cameras then on the pic to see it larger.
»maps.google.com/maps?q=http:%2F%···5625&z=9

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 19:22:37 EDT

SandShark :

said by Flippant :

I have it too, I am not too sure how much it is needed where I am. Let us know how that insurance works out for you. If I ever have an issue with flooding it would probably be along the same lines you have.

I will. I'm meeting our vehicle insurance guy tomorrow at the shop. He indicated, based on what the boss told him, the van would be a total loss. The boss has been shopping for a new work van already. No word from the flood people on the shop or his home as of today.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 19:16:53 EDT

Flippant : I have it too, I am not too sure how much it is needed where I am. Let us know how that insurance works out for you. If I ever have an issue with flooding it would probably be along the same lines you have.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 13:28:28 EDT

SandShark : Yes, I do on both of my homes. My boss has flood on our shop and his home. Unfortunately, there are many in Galveston and surrounding areas who did not have flood insurance.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 12:13:12 EDT

Flippant : Do you have flood insurance?

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 11:23:43 EDT

SandShark :

said by MysticGogeta :

How much water did he get in his house?

Around 2 feet.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 09:14:06 EDT

MysticGogeta : How much water did he get in his house?

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 02:59:18 EDT

SandShark : Here's a short video I took showing the mold we encountered in my bosses home in Galveston.

»www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8Gly5TGTUY

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:56:10 EDT

SandShark :

said by Locutus65 :

Wow Sandshark, sorry about your losses. Hopefully you won't contract whatever illness the other guy did. You know now that I think about it they never mention about wearing face masks or respirators when going into buildings that have been wet. They should have that on the news also.

Yes, they should definitely let people know about wearing face masks or respirators. Full body suits might not be a bad idea, either. We wore 3M face masks. The houses that got water are going to be toxic cesspools. As each day passes, it's only going to get worse.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:48:24 EDT

Locutus65 : Wow Sandshark, sorry about your losses. Hopefully you won't contract whatever illness the other guy did. You know now that I think about it they never mention about wearing face masks or respirators when going into buildings that have been wet. They should have that on the news also.
--
Black is the absence of light, but white is the absence of memory, the color of can't remember.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:13:16 EDT

SandShark : About an hour ago, I got back from Galveston and a short visit to Tiki Island. I rescued 2 ferrets and 2 love birds from our renter's house in Galveston. I can't believe they survived being in the house since Thursday before Ike arrived. I took them to the animal rescue shelter where they'll be transported to the Houston SPCA.

My boss and I went to his house and started pulling up carpet and padding. Fuzzy looking mold was growing on everything that had gotten wet. We went to our shop on Broadway afterward. Our shop got 4 feet of water. Everything that was inside got tossed around, I guess by the moving water. My work van, which was inside, is a total loss. I was able to salvage my hand tools and a few other items.

While we were at my bosses house, he got a call from a neighbor who had gotten word that a local businessman in the area, who had been in Galveston a few days before, had contracted some type of illness from airborne bacteria, mold or something else. He is in the hospital and isn't expected to survive. Right after we heard that, my boss said, "Screw this. Let's get out of here." So, we did.

I don't know if Galveston will ever be the same again. It's pretty bad down there.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:20:10 EDT

AmeritecTech : LOL

Houston Press cover

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:35:53 EDT

boognish : If you wait a few months and for the the dust settle and let people get comfortable again you can find some great deals on used generators. I got my generator about 8 or 9 months after Katrina. It was only used a few times and works great. I got it mainly for tailgating, but it come in real handy other times. It is nice when the power goes out to be able to keep the beer and food cold and a room or two cool.
A couple of my friends parents have natural gas generators for their whole house. They seemed to be work out nice.
--
don't get 2 close 2 my fantasy

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:19:05 EDT

Flippant :

said by E_V :

I'm almost tempted to buy a generator for my emergency preparedness kit.

If you do not get a generator before there will a slim to no chance of finding one on the shelves after a disaster this size. Ordering one online afterward can lead to shipping issues, this was the route I took. We actually got it in two business days but I got lucky in talking with the right person at a private shipping company and had to pick it up at their warehouse.

Buying one in a big box store can work but you will need good information when shipments are arriving and get in line early. Kind of like getting the latest video game machine for Christmas. Finding gas cans can be just as difficult, we got lucky and found a shipment that cam in with generators. Lastly hopefully there will be gas stations near by with power. Keeping even a relatively small generator running 24 hrs can take 10 gals or more, that can mean many trips to the gas station. Unless you get a whole house connection an investment in good extension cords can be very helpful too. We also got a window AC unit so we could keep one room cool to sleep in. Here it can make a huge difference.

Overall not a cheap investment but I will feel better for next time. We have been talking about doing this for the past year.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:30:36 EDT

robbin : There appear to be very significant changes to the coast line. It will be interesting to see where the vegetation line restores itself to. The beach has obviously moved!

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:25:05 EDT

SandShark : Pre- and Post-Storm Photo Comparisons - Galveston, TX

»coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/i···ton.html

Pre- and Post-Storm Photo Comparisons - Bolivar Peninsula, TX

»coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/i···var.html

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:59:10 EDT

removed :

said by Lyserjic :

I'm seriously considering a "whole home" generator after this mess.

Yeah, I met with an electrician today about installing a natural gas generator on my client's property (the one who has a ton of portable ones right now). Apparently it'll cost between $7000-10000, which should pay for itself during the next major storm.

In the last 24 hours, we've gone through roughly 144 gallons of unleaded fuel. The Shell station across the street sells gasoline for $3.69 (rip-off), so that comes out to a little over $500 per day...
--
irc.removed.us - #dslr | DSLR Phishtracker | Email: removed@dslr.net

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:13:42 EDT

robbin : To do it right it looks like you would need very good access to the roof decking from the attic. This would not be easy if you don't have a fairly steep pitched roof without taking out the ceiling. I am not sure of the insulation value as it appears to be more of a glue. However, after the Foamseal would be a perfect time to foam insulate the area between the roof rafters creating a sealed attic. This is a new concept and supposed to be much more efficient for those of us in the hot part of the country.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:07:28 EDT

lilhurricane : Better home cooling?
Secondary Water Resistance
Foamseal is 100% non-toxic, environmentally friendly and odorless.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:00:46 EDT

KeysCapt : I wonder what the secondary benefit in terms of insulation might be.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:53:19 EDT

lilhurricane : Getting good testimontials.
Up to current code.
Savings to homeowners on insurance

..seriously going to look into getting some estimates

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:48:22 EDT

KeysCapt :

quote:
$1.60 to $1.70 per square foot of roof covering for most at areas.

Me want.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:21:37 EDT

lilhurricane : The new rage here.

»foamsealamerica.com/

Foam seal the roof - I'll bet it's expensive

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:03:41 EDT

E_V :

said by Flippant :

Glad to see you again. Funny how much of our living depends on reliable electricity.

I'm almost tempted to buy a generator for my emergency preparedness kit.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:46:37 EDT

TCO1962 : I knew that house had a little "something extra" going on! They did well.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:20:54 EDT

AmeritecTech :

Yesterday, we received an amazing submission from iReport.com user austinheli. His photos showed a lone house standing in a wasteland left in Ike's aftermath.

We contacted austinheli, who is Ray Asgar, a private helicopter pilot based in Austin, Texas. He visited Gilchrist and Galveston Monday to photograph the damage left after Hurricane Ike slammed the coastal area last weekend.

The lone yellow house caught Asgar's attention. He said it was the only structure standing for miles. Considering the extent of Ike's devastation, he said, it was "odd to have nearly any damage to one home."

Several users left comments on Asgar's iReport, joining a debate about whether or not his photos were real. One user who jumped in was Kelley1. "This is my sister's house. It is real," she wrote.

Shortly afterward, Kelley1 uploaded a photo of the yellow house that was taken in May. Kelley1 is Judy Hudspeth and the house belongs to her sister, Pam Adams.

Pam and Warren Adams rebuilt their home in February 2006 after Hurricane Rita destroyed it the previous year. Hudspeth said that the couple hired a contractor to build a home that could withstand a Category 5 hurricane. Warren Adams watched over every step of the construction to make sure it was done correctly.

The couple evacuated to a friend's house in Lufkin, Texas, hours before Ike made landfall last week. Hudspeth said they've been without power since Saturday, and that her sister was "hysterical" when she initially heard everything was gone in Gilchrist.

Pam and Warren have since learned that their house is one of the few in the area to survive the storm. They are returning to see the devastating damage today.

»www.ireport.com/blogs/ireport-bl···#comment
--
"Independent thinkers tend to ALWAYS have someone Not agreeing with them. It's The non-thinkers that ALWAYS come in legions."
-John Callari

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:01:06 EDT

Lyserjic : I'm seriously considering a "whole home" generator after this mess.

My neighbors told me I was crazy for buying steel storm shutters 3 years ago after our near miss with Rita. They weren't telling me that this past Saturday morning!

A small whole home generator that powers a few select circuits can be had for around $5K. I consider that reasonable considering a *good* 6000 watt portable is around $3K. If you want to be able to power your Central AC, you are looking at a little more money. If I don't go with a whole home, I'm going to go with a big tri-fuel portable. Runs on gasoline, natural gas or propane. Propane would be ideal, because it's MUCH safer to store propane tanks than gasoline cans. Propane has a shelf life of practically forever, providing the tank doesn't rust out. And you can use it on your grill!

Below are a few links to generator retailers, lots of info and different models:

»www.norwall.com/

»www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/trifuel.php

-L

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:34:31 EDT

Flippant : Add to that about $200 (about 60 gallons) a day to fuel those generators and someone to get it daily, yep no fun. This has been an expensive adventure, I am glad the house and property held up well, but I do have about 4 different repairs to make. Small price to pay for having everyone I know make it through this for which I am grateful.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:05:00 EDT

Flippant : Glad to see you again. Funny how much of our living depends on reliable electricity. Yeah when we were at the stage you were there was much grumbling and long sighs of boredom. Things did improve everyday and I hope that begins to happen for you and your friend. Yes thank you lord for the great weather we have been happening it has taken what was a very bad situation from being horrendous.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:37:58 EDT

marti : still no elec. hot and cold water are still working. I have an elec stove. I go to the neighbor's for camping coffee each morning, as she has a gas stove.

latest rumor is that power will be back tonight, but another rumor is that it will back on sometime monday.

i can live without AC, as the weather has cooled down. But no 24 hour internet, lights, and TV is not fun

Most traffic lights in the clear lake area are still not working. it's hazzardous driving around here, as some folks are even running stop signs that did not blow away

stay safe everyone
--
Team Discovery

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:33:52 EDT

removed :

said by Flippant :

Sure I realize the scope of the problem. I have had to purchase a generator without knowing whether it was going to be needed or not. Sorry but again the difference between a have and a have not sure colors the way you see the information that they are providing.

Having to buy one is bad, that's for sure. One of my clients just bought 6 generators, and over a dozen window A/C units so that they can open their office back up. They are located in the Museum District, which isn't scheduled to get utility power back again anytime soon. They're also spending $500-800/day to keep me out during/before/after their business hours to make sure their network stays online and the generators run OK. Add to that $100/night for someone to sleep in the building to make sure that nothing gets stolen, and that makes one expensive hurricane. :(

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:41:56 EDT

Flippant : They must have sent out the repair trucks in droves today. Not only did I get power but 3 of the 4 in the generator club now have both power and generators. The one member who doesn't now has offers of a weeks worth of fuel and gas tanks. Also today Center Point made their first schedule for repair. It is far from detailed but at least it provides a bit of information. Details can be found here, »www.centerpointenergy.com/static···ike.html should be updated a few times a day. Good news for those on the clean side, bad news for those along the eye wall.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:48:20 EDT

Lyserjic : Saw on the news tonight many of those in Entergy service areas (north and east of Houston) may not have power until October 5th. Wow.

-L

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:39:20 EDT

TCO1962 : Any info on Brompton Court Apartments? Damage, power out, etc.??

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:19:12 EDT

MysticGogeta : Whats the name of the apartments I live in league city.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:16:23 EDT

MysticGogeta : YEAH! Finally got power everything was ok down here no trees on our house and our brand new fence didn't take any damage.
I hope yall are doing ok my aunt who lived in Galveston is living with us now they had 8 1/2 feet of water in there house it just goes to show how lucky some of us are.
--
Team Discovery-Join the fight

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:19:11 EDT

Flippant : I am sorry for those without utilities they really make a huge difference in day to day living. Well as much as I ranted about not having power guess what happened 20 minutes after that post. Yep, the power was restored :D. Within a minute of that my generator arrived :huh: 20 gallons of gas in the garage, used 10 immediately to pay the friends who delivered it (long story). It is like the normalcy fairy came and sprinkled her magic over our neighborhood. An hour before this the garbage was picked up to. Oh and now our cable is working as well.

I know what you mean about driving in the outage areas, we have all done it but to do it night after night. I am almost more used to treating traffic lights like 4 way stops. Also strange to go to stores that are not refrigerated, er air conditioned. Almost like you are living in a foreign country.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:57:41 EDT

AmeritecTech :

said by Flippant :

I bet you have power. [...] Sorry but again the difference between a have and a have not sure colors the way you see the information that they are providing.

No, no power at my house. Thankfully water and gas have been restored.

Areas that I know still almost completely without power: Midtown, River Oaks, downtown outskirts, Montrose, West University

Pretty weird to drive through River Oaks and see these giant houses with no electricity, and the same driving through the Montrose area.
--
"Independent thinkers tend to ALWAYS have someone Not agreeing with them. It's The non-thinkers that ALWAYS come in legions."
-John Callari

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:20:50 EDT

McSummation : A neighbor's family left yesterday. Parents live in Beaumont area and sister "lives" (lived?) in Crystal Beach. I just talked to the neighbor and her sister can't get to their "house". Part of the story is that Bolivar Peninsula is now 3 islands. Where Crystal Beach "was" is not accessible by vehicle, only boat and air. They were told it will be months before it is accessible by vehicle.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:52:58 EDT

Flippant : I bet you have power... ;) For those of us waiting on day 5 it would be nice to know if we could expect it tomorrow or sometime in October. I do find it reassuring that they know I am without power, except the public outage map does not really show that. Once my power is restored it will be nice to know that I am part of a percentage point to the good. Oh yeah it would be nice to see at least one of their trucks on the neighborhood but alas not a single sighting.

Sure I realize the scope of the problem. I have had to purchase a generator without knowing whether it was going to be needed or not. Sorry but again the difference between a have and a have not sure colors the way you see the information that they are providing.

BTW could you imagine trying to order a generator with one day shipping. It has actually taken 2 but will be here within the hour. But that is another topic altogether.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:42:31 EDT

KrK :

said by Flippant :

I am thinking of changing my profession to fence repair.

Yeah, really. Imagine the sign/advertising people who provide signage for businesses. If it's anything like how it was in Gulf Shores Alabama they'll still be replacing signs and awnings and treework etc a year later.
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:53:35 EDT

AmeritecTech :

said by Flippant :

Center Point has quite a bit to do that is for sure, they are not giving out any information about when any community or street will be brought up. Pretty much sucks. They say that by next Tuesday they will have "most" of their customers power restored, unfortunately their definition of restored falls in the "50 - 75%" a pretty broad range and where 51% is not equivalent to half but most. I have little confidence in many things they are saying. I do realize that this is really a horribly huge task to get this all done, but their PR and willingness to provide information is the pits. I just hope their ability to do the restoration is better.

Actually, I think they've been doing a pretty good job getting information out. They've got outage maps on their website, and they're providing a running count of how many people they've restored. Its a pretty herculean task to restore power to 91% of your customer base.

Its also not reasonable to expect them to say when a community will be up, because electricity is a circuit. They won't know when a community is up until they can determine where all the breaks in the circuit are, and once they've determined where all the breaks are it will be shortly after that before service is restored. By the time information got from the techs to the PR people, service will already be restored, and techs having to stop before every job to report in slows down the restoration process.
--
"Independent thinkers tend to ALWAYS have someone Not agreeing with them. It's The non-thinkers that ALWAYS come in legions."
-John Callari

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:40:31 EDT

Flippant : Center Point has quite a bit to do that is for sure, they are not giving out any information about when any community or street will be brought up. Pretty much sucks. They say that by next Tuesday they will have "most" of their customers power restored, unfortunately their definition of restored falls in the "50 - 75%" a pretty broad range and where 51% is not equivalent to half but most. I have little confidence in many things they are saying. I do realize that this is really a horribly huge task to get this all done, but their PR and willingness to provide information is the pits. I just hope their ability to do the restoration is better.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:01:22 EDT

AmeritecTech :

said by BBR_InsUW :

Any word on getting power back on in the woodlands?
Both of my houses are without still.

Overall not bad just one tree on the house and 2 foot hole in the roof one one house and the other just has fences down from trees but no real house damage

I came over to take care of the damage and am staying in Austin and driving back and forth.

Power's still out all over Houston, it could be a long time. They're talking as long as 3 weeks for some.
--
"Independent thinkers tend to ALWAYS have someone Not agreeing with them. It's The non-thinkers that ALWAYS come in legions."
-John Callari

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:29:23 EDT

BBR_InsUW : Any word on getting power back on in the woodlands?
Both of my houses are without still.

Overall not bad just one tree on the house and 2 foot hole in the roof one one house and the other just has fences down from trees but no real house damage

I came over to take care of the damage and am staying in Austin and driving back and forth.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:31:38 EDT

CO_Chris : Any one know how the Apt"s on league City parkway come out of the storm? When I was there labor day weekend the wife and i looked at all the new ones that are being built up over there. She wants to come back after our lease is up here to help my sister inlaw with the twins that she had in may and these apt's are just over a mile from the house. If we come back i sure dont want to move back to Pearland its to busy for me thats for sure.

Thanks for you help

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 23:21:36 EDT

SandShark :

said by removed :

I was driving down Westheimer around 4AM. It was pretty obvious that they were working really hard to restore power -- there were trucks from all over the country working on restoring access to various utilities. I saw a bunch of AT&T trucks from as far away as Georgia and California, too.

We were coming home last night by the dog track in La Marque. They're using the parking lot as a staging area for the utility trucks. The parking lot was packed with all types and sizes of vehicles. It was an amazing site.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:49:03 EDT

removed : I was driving down Westheimer around 4AM. It was pretty obvious that they were working really hard to restore power -- there were trucks from all over the country working on restoring access to various utilities. I saw a bunch of AT&T trucks from as far away as Georgia and California, too.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:24:08 EDT

Locutus65 : We got power back at 9:20 last night. It went off at 11:30 Fri. night. I was pretty upset about being without power so long until I watched TV last night and seen how bad the coastal area got hit. We were extremely lucky to just be without power for a few days. Had some very minor roof damage and a tiny leak in the attic. I live in the Med Center area close to Reliant.
--
Black is the absence of light, but white is the absence of memory, the color of can't remember.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:13:44 EDT

deke40 : I left a message with the roof guy yesterday and he called me back today. He only does leak repair and small jobs although he was the one that installed my roof 12 years ago. He still remembered shingle color and style.

The fence guy had just walked into his place of business and didn't even have any crews available until tommorow.

But as you said it was pretty amazing.

Hope my good luck will rub off on some of you guys too.

PS-Sorry about the wrong poster name at top.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:40:22 EDT

KeysCapt : Truly lucky. The most amazing thing to me is that you were able to contact roofing and fence repair people. Usually in similar situations that kind of help is months or years out.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:30:51 EDT

SandShark : I'm glad you checked in to let us know y'all are okay and glad to hear you didn't get a lot of damage.

said by deke40 :

I have lived in this area for 46 years and I have had enough. Going to sell out and move off the coast.

I tell you what. I've been through Carla, Alicia, Ike and all the storms in between, and I'm giving serious consideration to doing the same thing.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:12:53 EDT

kash : hi :) were still without power (have been for 5 days now :( ) wish they would hurry up and get everyone back online...

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:26:13 EDT

deke40 : I live less than two miles from the Gulf in Freeport. I left and went to North Louisiana and happened to call back early Saturday morning and my answering machine picked up and I was totally shocked to know we had not loss power except for about 8 or 10 hours. Even the local police and fireman were without power.

There is nothing but open land between me and the beach(I guess that is not exactly right as there is the huge new LNG facility and the Strategic Oil Storage) and all the damage I had was about 8 or 10 shingle tabs missing and two sections of fence about 50 feet total.

We have already cleaned up the fence and cut the yard. The roof guy is coming tomorrow and also the fence guy.

My insurance agent said this damage all comes under the wind damage clause of my insurance policy and there is a $2400 deductable on this. I shouldn't be out of pocket over $500 or $600. After all the other people's bad luck I consider myself lucky.

I have lived in this area for 46 years and I have had enough. Going to sell out and move off the coast.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:56:01 EDT

Flippant : Good to see you around and doing better. I am sure that water makes a big difference and I hope your power comes in as you have heard.

Well our one outlet power situation is working well, at least no one is bored anymore and thankfully the weather is cooperating for now. This may sound strange but we have a generator in our car but we will not be using it. I talked with the shippers of our ordered generator and it is on the road to Houston and is expected in their warehouse tomorrow morning. One of my friends in the generator club called and told me that the Home Depot in my neighborhood would have generators within the hour and would I pick one up for him. We got in line and were given a slip of paper with the number 18. We were able to buy the 18th of 123 on sale. So finally I am a neighbor helping one of my neighbors. It feels good. Well then tomorrow he will return here and help me set up mine. :D

It has been a busy morning, did some shopping. I feel like I am back in Europe we are now shopping for day to day needs, fortunately we have been able to get ice fairly easily and it is working well. I could hardly believe our luck when we found that with the generators they also shipped 5 gallon gas cans. We got 3 for us and 3 for my friend. Tehey seem harder to find then the generators. Seems that the karma of helping a friend helped us. The store had people from all over Houston, It does appear that Katy has become a shopping spot for many from other places. The huge amount of traffic here is making more sense.

As others are saying the news from the coast is grim. They are showing the devestation and describing it all in great detail, but there are no people anywhere. Scary.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:53:22 EDT

Gizy : I'm glad you guys are all safe!

Is there a list started somewhere that shows damage? I've got a property in Texas City, Texas, a block from the High School (a small strip center that has Blockbuster and Quiznos in it, if anyone knows of it) that we're trying to find out what happened. I know it's early in the process, so information is slow coming. But if anyone knows of a link, I would appreciate it.

Again, I'm glad everyone is checking in. Stay safe!
--
Any Soldier
My Gallery

Duct tape is like "The Force." It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:37:17 EDT

marti : water but still no power. I'm at a friend's house with my laptop. Rumor going one around my neighborhood yesterday was that power would be back by today. As I stated, it was a rumor.
--
Team Discovery

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:19:22 EDT

Lyserjic : Not to make light of everything happening here in Houston, but the picture below shows just how bad it really is.

I only saw this in two locations. There's 4 VRADS within walking distance of me, none of them had generators.

Your world, generated...

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:05:58 EDT

AmeritecTech : Gilchrist took it the worst, there's only 5 houses left standing out of 100. I posted a picture of it earlier.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 07:38:02 EDT

Jolie : Not to take away from the pain and devastation people have suffered, but, this photo I saw in the Chron this morning sure is a poignant one. I must admit I never thought of the impact the storm would have on the fish.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:54:36 EDT

alg : Hearing about the destruction at Crystal Beach I couldn't help but think about a small weekend house my grandfather used to own in Crystal Beach. He sold it off about 20 years ago as, according to him, the ocean sounded like an old washing machine and kept him up at night. :p A couple of years ago we went to go see the property and my dad was annoyed as the property probably would have been passed to him. That thing is probably sitting in about a million pieces right now.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:27:51 EDT

McSummation :

said by SandShark :

Then, there is the question of Crystal Beach and Gilchrist.

Family down the street have family from Beaumont and Crystal Beach staying with them. The Crystal Beach couple fear they have lost everything, although they said that their house is apparently still standing.

The neighbor said they are getting reports direct from Bolivar that are not being released to the news idiots. It's apparently really bad on the Bolivar peninsula. It appears that they do know what happened to many of those people.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:37:28 EDT

SandShark : This may have been covered over at the Weather Forum, but I'll post it here anyway, since some of you may not frequent that particular forum.

According to Weather Underground's Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog, there is a population of 3,800 in the town of Port Bolivar, TX. Of those, 500 did not evacuate. Of those 500, approximately 90 were rescued before Ike made landfall. The remaining 400 are presently unaccounted for. Then, there is the question of Crystal Beach and Gilchrist. How many people were stranded there and what happened to them?

Also, worth mentioning, and it too is covered in the blog, Ike didn't stop at Texas. My cousin, who owns a beach house in Treasure Island on the other side of San Luis Pass, flew down Wednesday. I helped him board up his windows and doors Thursday. He stayed in Brenham, TX before, during and after the storm. Then, after learning his home was still intact, he flew out of Austin on Sunday thinking how fortunate he was that his home had survived relatively unscathed and how fortunate he was that he didn't have to experience Ike firsthand. Well, get this. Right before he arrived back home near Cape Girardeau, MO, the remnants of Ike visited the area. He estimates winds around his home were 60-70 MPH, which downed many mature trees around his property. Not that it's funny, but I had to chuckle. Here he thought he had left Ike behind, only to find that Ike had followed him for 800 miles.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:01:47 EDT

Flippant : Tonight they are allowing reporters on some of the devastated areas. Crystal Beach has been wiped off the planet there does not appear to be a sq foot of livable property left. Absolutely flattened. I do not think it would have been possible to live though what did that. There are continued reports of many dead but no official word.

In other areas where many people are in Marti's situation. The lines for water and ice are unbelievable. I think the local govt has a good idea how much debris there is out there the number of tree mulching trucks brought in from out of the area to deal with the cleanup rivals the electric utilities trucks. Strange though we have not seen a songle one of these types of trucks in the past 48 hours.

People are starting to grumble about the amount of time it is taking to get things back to normal. Have a feeling it will get a lot worse. Schools and most business are still closed.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:45:37 EDT

Owlbet : Marti's checked in with me tonight. She's still without water, electricity, and internet. She's bored. She took great joy when I read this thread to her and she's relieved that her friends have made it through the storm as well.

She'll be back as soon as the power comes on....

:)

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:15:26 EDT

lilhurricane : Speechless. What devastation.

I am so thankful you & others here have been reporting in you're all ok.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:11:39 EDT

Flippant : Pictures speak a thousand words, all I can say is WOW!

»www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/0···_of.html

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:02:55 EDT

Lyserjic :

said by Flippant :

I am thinking of changing my profession to fence repair.

No kidding! I was thinking the same thing Saturday morning. Come over to the east side, you can probably make enough money to retire!

-L

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:28:22 EDT

Seandhi : I finally got power!

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:22:11 EDT

Flippant : I am thinking of changing my profession to fence repair. There are so many sections of fence down it is incredible. We are relatively unscathed here in Katy. But if you were a fence though you were hit hard. Lots of small trees snapped in half to, all kinds of limbs on taller trees. I think city hall is right, after power restoration waste removal is going to take quite a few resources.

Our situation is improving incrementally every day. Last night we took advantage of the generous offer to spend the night over at a new friends house as long as we need. I was able to help them with wifi network setup and HD tv setup. But we got the most out of that exchange. Our new neighbors across the street offered us an outside outlet for as long as we want. 200 ft of extension cord later I we now have enough power to take the aggravation on things. We are fortunate that so may businesses are open here. We also have long lines and traffic jams all day long. I would say only 1 in 5 traffic lights work. We are establishing a generator network of friends trying to get about 4 units. My order on line looks like it will be delayed due to freight companies being down for a few days, including Fed Ex and UPS. A firend of a friend works for FedEx. He has a loaner generator from FedEx, these are being made to all employees with a need for one. What a generous company, or one that knows that having their people able to focus on work is way more investment that a few thousand generators.

I was able to follow much of the NFL yesterday about the only entertainment had in the last few days. It was basically box scores on my phone until we went for our overnight stay. We hung out at Panera Breads and leached some power and WiFi for a few hours. A nice break. Just got our TV working, Tivo/Comcast are having issues but OTA is working fine. Maybe a little MNF!

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:34:46 EDT

TCO1962 : That would make a good ad for the company that built the place still standing. Everything is "gone" and it looks relatively unscathed!

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:05:59 EDT

AmeritecTech :

Gilchrist

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:53:24 EDT

SandShark : Thanks. Yes and no with regard to Katrina. We were here when Katrina was in the Gulf and when it made landfall in Louisiana, but we were several hundred miles away. I did stay during Rita, though. Rita was a wimp compared to Ike.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:46:22 EDT

Lyserjic : ke really tore things up here on the east/southeast side of Houston. The eye came right over us about 3:30AM on Saturday. Talk about surreal. One minute it sounds like hell on earth, the next, dead silence. Then the other side hits..

My neighborhood has power, water, gas. Houses on my block very minimal damage, mostly downed fences. No structural or roof damage. We got power back less than 24 hours after it went out. Comcast seems to have maintained their lines enough to keep us in Internet access. I take back everything bad I may have said about them.

I drove out awhile ago to try to see if Home Depot or Lowes was open, and whoa...it was a real eye opener. I'm very very lucky here. A good portion of the Pasadena & Deer Park, TX area looks like a war zone. From what I can see, I'm in a 10-block area that has power. Everything else for miles around is dead. Might have something to do with being in a newer subdivision with underground power.

I invested in steel storm shutters a few years ago, all my neighbors told me I was wasting my money. I'm pretty sure those shutters kept my big glass windows from blowing in when the winds along the northern eyewall were hitting us. There was about a 30 minute period before the eye crossed when the wind slamming like nothing I've ever seen.

FEMA has set up a "POD" location about a mile from my house. Judging by the traffic around the POD, they could use another location.

I had forgot my camera when I went out and saw something the folks at DSLR would appreciate. AT&T has deployed gas powered generators chained to their brand new U-Verse VRADS in areas where there is no power.

Never made it to the store, traffic is too screwed up. My measly little 4-foot section of fence that needs repair is nothing compared to what some of these people are going through. The fence can wait a few weeks.

-L

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:48:09 EDT

AmeritecTech :

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:26:18 EDT

E_V : If memory serves I recall you hunkered down during Katrina as well. Glad you and yours made it through again Steve.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 21:02:59 EDT

SandShark : Thank you. I've never "hunkered" so hard in my life! What made it even worse was that it was dark. The winds were eerie, not to mention I was hearing a corner wall in my living room making creaking noises like it was under stress. And our home is brick! Thank goodness our home was built under the newer building codes.

Here's hoping you hear from your friends and family really soon!

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:23:29 EDT

McSummation : SandShark , I'm glad to see you post. When you said you were going to hunker down, I was worried.

We were in Kingwood Wednesday visiting my mother-in-law and bailed out Thursday morning and ran home (Round Rock).

Friends and relatives are slowly reporting in. So far, they are all safe. Some are at home, some aren't. Some in the Clear Lake City area haven't reported in, yet. I need to call some of their relatives in Austin and check on them.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 19:17:18 EDT

SandShark : Just got power about an hour ago thanks to a friend who's letting us borrow their generator. Not sure how long it can run with only 10 gallons of fuel, but we've got our refrigerator/freezer and freezer in the garage running, plus a fan and the Internet. Some gas stations in the area are running, but lines are long. My wife is worried that using the Internet (laptop) is going to cause the generator to use too much fuel! :D I assured her it wouldn't and that having the Internet was high priority.

We were extremely fortunate. The western eye-wall came over our house. It was pretty bad right before, but I think the winds were much stronger after the eye-wall passed through and we got the SW part of the storm. That's when two sections of our fence blew down. I was waiting for one of them to come through our windows, but fortunately that didn't happen. We lost a few shingles, mostly on the ridge vents and a couple of decorative shutters, along with some tree limbs. We have a huge cedar and live oak close to our house. I kept waiting for one or both of them to come crashing into our house. I can't believe they didn't.

Galveston, where I work, took a severe hit as did points east including Bolivar and Crystal Beach. Murdoch's Souvenirs, Hooters and The Ballinese Room were destroyed. Our shop on Broadway supposedly got six feet of water in it. Overall, it was a pretty harrowing experience and one that I would not wish on my worst enemies. Unfortunately, there are many who have lost everything, even their lives. I pray for their families.

Edit - I want to add I'm glad to hear all you guys and gals are doing okay! Take care of yourselves.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:00:57 EDT

E_V : Lots of damage I see - glad to see y'all posting. :)

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:58:14 EDT

marti : I have my laptop plugged into the DSL modem and the modem plugged into a battery backup. I will lose lap top battery soon. Water is working. Still no electricity. I have an electric stove, but the neighbor I evacuaated with has a gas stove, so I can have coffee in the mornings.

I be on-line full time as soon as I can. Everyone hang in there.

marti
--
Team Discovery

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:58:18 EDT

KeysCapt : Nice to hear you have good neighbors ... and brother, I can sympathize with the hot sweaty nights! Once I experienced that, I made it a point to have a room air conditioner installed through the wall in the bedroom. It never runs unless we lose power, and then it is connected to the generator. The room gets crowded (all the pets squeeze in too) but we have A/C, SatTV, and a refrigerator. Life is good.

Not to make light of it, but you know things are bad when there's a line at the Waffle House! :)

Good luck with the recovery ... hope your power is back quickly.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:40:06 EDT

Flippant : Well the wonders of modern technology. Cellphone tethered to my laptop and we can watch the local news online, and my phone charges at the same time. Sitting in my neighbors front yard. They are letting us use their outside outlet. Better than siting in a dark damp family room staring at each other. Yes our neighbors are nice, we have not picked up the 100 foot extension cord but that may be a chore for tomorrow.

Hot sweaty night despite some cool Florida thoughts. Well that is until about 2am when the cool front hit. After the initial light and thunder storm I slept through the downpour. Looking forward to some cooler evenings. Everytime we hear a large heavy truck in the neighborhood we go see if they are working on our transformer. No luck so far.

Started taking the tape off the windows and moving the patio furniture where it belongs. The fridge and deep freezer are now empty. I sure hope they do a normal pick up on Tues.

Our neighborhood seems to have fared well through this. The main commercial thoroughfare (Mason Road) has power and almost everything is open. This I understand is a rarity. This morning they were announcing where grocery stores and gas stations were open. I was shocked as ou here it is business as usual but the lines are insane and parking lots are full. Listening to NPR and they did a report on a Waffle House with a long line to enter.

We have an open invitation to stay at the house of one of the ladies my wife works with. We should have taken her up on it but we decided to tough it out. If it does not cool off tonight she will have company.

Heard from many friends at work. For the most part everyone has very minimalto now damage, 5 of 7 without power. One with power has a yard full of downed trees and broken fence. He said he would switch power for yard condition. One friend has a boat that he fears may not have fared to well but cannot go to check it out yet. Roads down at the pier have lots of water and debris.

Last night I ordered a generator and window AC unit online. I cringed when I selected One Day delivery. Swear to you it was only $4 shipping charge. Yes we have a special deal there. Should be here Tuesday morning. This experience is going to be expensive when you include all the wasted food and potential repair/improvement bills (small but may add up).

Glad to see so many checking in and basically doing fine. Glad to hear from Marti as hard as it is to communicate in some place. God Bless and I wish everyone a speedy recovery.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:34:05 EDT

Fobulous : Not alot of damage in my neck of woods. jut some tree branches snapped off but this storm is probably the worst one hitting Sugar land.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 11:07:07 EDT

AmeritecTech : Yep, we got it then, the Ferris Wheel is at the Aquarium. My pictures were taken down the bayou just a very short bit at Sabine Street: »maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=29.7···414&z=19
--
"Independent thinkers tend to ALWAYS have someone Not agreeing with them. It's The non-thinkers that ALWAYS come in legions."
-John Callari

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 11:05:59 EDT

Jolie : Yes, thank you. It was the Wortham Centre and I remember seeing a ferris wheel not so far from there.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 11:04:49 EDT

AmeritecTech : Looks like you took the picture right here: »maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=29.7···828&z=18

Standing on the edge of the Buffalo Bayou, across the street from the Wortham Center in this little park they have there with a winding trail by the bayou.

Edit: Not linking to quite the right place, but scroll up a bit, you were right above Preston @ Smith, and the elevated road in your shot is Franklin.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 11:00:59 EDT

AmeritecTech : Looks like Buffalo Bayou. I think that's the Post Office on the top right.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:58:12 EDT

Jolie : Glad to see you are all well and safe. I've been watching the live feeds and when I saw all that glass laying on the street from the blown out windows of the Chase building and the flooding this morning, it all just took my breath away.

Can someone tell me the name of this bayou? I've been hearing talk of them this morning, but, don't know which one this is. Just know it's a pic I snapped of a bayou when I was there the first time.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:46:15 EDT

AmeritecTech :

said by removed :

What's the bayou near UHD & the county jail look like? Is that area flooded?

Flooded. Saw some video of that area on KHOU.
--
"Independent thinkers tend to ALWAYS have someone Not agreeing with them. It's The non-thinkers that ALWAYS come in legions."
-John Callari

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:43:46 EDT

removed : What's the bayou near UHD & the county jail look like? Is that area flooded?

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:29:40 EDT

AmeritecTech : Downtown:

Sprint service has been solid for me throughout.

Water is come and go. When it somewhat works, its weak pressure and there's some sludge that comes out with it. I've boiled some of it for use.

Electricity is on, but very weak. Its not enough juice to keep the AC running long enough to cool the house. I can charge my phone somewhat, and have the radio on sporadically. TV won't stay on and the lights keep flickering. I heard that Ike took out a ton of the transmission lines that we import our power to Houston on.
--
"Independent thinkers tend to ALWAYS have someone Not agreeing with them. It's The non-thinkers that ALWAYS come in legions."
-John Callari

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 09:35:09 EDT

Seandhi : I am finally able to get cell signal this morning at my house, but it is unreliable at best. I have completely lost signal again while typing this message. We actually took a direct hit from the storm, entering the eye of the storm at 4:45 in the morning. Luckily our garage sits perpindicular to the direction of the winds, so we were able to watch the whole thing with with our neighbors with the garage door open. We still have no power, so we obviously don't have AC. Luckily it feels kind of nice outside this morning. Our neighborhood is pretty trashed with trees down everywhere. Most of the houses show no damage other than the ones with trees on top of them.
--
You're an enlightened cat, and I dig that.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 09:11:19 EDT

AmeritecTech : Some pixies.






So many fences down around town
This is how you pre-emptively protect pool furniture from wind, apparently.
Skate Park, hahaha

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 08:38:12 EDT

KeysCapt :

said by Flippant :

Aw cruel world. We are still without power and I am in my car charging my laptop using a neighbors open router. How is that you ask, well the other side of the street has power. Long sweaty night for us.

When Wilma beat South Florida up a couple of years ago, that was common in certain areas. Neighbor helping neighbor, it was very common to see 100' extension cords across the residential streets, taped down. Every house on one side helped out its opposite number, and this lasted for weeks. Hope your power is restored quickly but if not, maybe this will work in your area ...

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 08:30:59 EDT

AmeritecTech : Got called into work this morning. Took me 1 hr 15 min to get from downtown to the Medical Center, made me late. I would have left earlier, but there was supposedly a mandatory curfew until 6 AM. There's nobody in the office, heh. Other departments have forwarded their phones to me and I have no idea what to tell these people when they have questions or issues for the other departments.
--
"Independent thinkers tend to ALWAYS have someone Not agreeing with them. It's The non-thinkers that ALWAYS come in legions."
-John Callari

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 08:27:27 EDT

removed : Pouring rain... not the best treat when your roof is leaking.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 01:16:57 EDT

aelfwyne : From Beaumont here, not really sure how my apartment fared, as I weathered the storm in Kingwood at a friend's home where there is a generator. We of course have no power other than the generator, but while the storm was still howling we fired it up and had DSL service and the DSL *NEVER* went out. Yay Embarq!

Anyway, all's good.
--
If it ain't broke..... You didn't overclock it enough.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:02:59 EDT

boognish : I'm still without power from gustava. I would like to say you get used to it. I keep trying to convince myself of that.
--
don't get 2 close 2 my fantasy

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 22:48:04 EDT

Owlbet : I heard from marti again. Marti and her friend drove home today. Other than tree limbs strewn about, the fence in a state of collapse, no electricity, and no water, Marti's home rode out the storm just fine. She'll be back as soon as she can.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 22:25:55 EDT

signmeuptoo : Thanks goodness the air is supposed to be cooler after tomorrow for you guys, and even us up here in TN. I am really looking forward to the cooler air!

I see the devastation and I am literally heartsick for all of you, ALL of you (yeah, even you who you know who).

Downtown really was quite affected. Alicia, a slightly stronger storm, did significantly less damage as I recall.

One thing I keep thinking about with downtown: If all those windows, thousands of them, failed so readily, I wouldn't want to lean against one for fear I'd end up falling to the ground! Yeah, I know, not likely, and they broke due to air pressure, water, and wind, but still, I would have thought that the windows would have been a lot more strong, resistent, and secure.
--
Obama isn't experienced enough??? He made it through Harvard, became a lawyer against great odds. Experience not enough? Bull!!! Cancer and other diseases kill fellow members here at DSLR! Easy: Join us in Teams Helix and Discovery to save the world

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 20:46:06 EDT

removed :

said by markwp2001 :

Hang in there, hoping for the best. How about tying something heavy to the inside of the door to give it some support?

Yeah, I ended up getting pretty creative and setting up some things. The winds are completely gone now but the garage door is absolutely ruined. Let's see if insurance will cover it..

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 20:44:56 EDT

lilhurricane :

said by Flippant :

Long sweaty night for us.

~blowin' kewl breezes yer way, Mr Dolphin ;)

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 20:38:26 EDT

Flippant : Aw cruel world. We are still without power and I am in my car charging my laptop using a neighbors open router. How is that you ask, well the other side of the street has power. Long sweaty night for us.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 15:40:28 EDT

markwp2001 :

said by removed :

said by markwp2001 :

Removed, you still have power?

Still have power, but things are not going well. There are several leaky spots in the roof (thank god for buckets), a number of shingles missing, and my garage door looks like it's about to be sucked right off its tracks. I just came back here to check the forums and see if there's any way to temporarily reinforce the door, but it's not looking good. :/

Hang in there, hoping for the best. How about tying something heavy to the inside of the door to give it some support?
--
LHF's Football Master 2006

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 15:33:16 EDT

alg : Checked in with my mom. One of the fences got knocked over and a couple of big branches fell off the trees but fortunately they all landed in the yard. One of them landed in the driveway so she can't take the car out but fortunately there wasn't anything in the driveway where it fell. No power of course. My cat made it OK but she was pretty scared. Branches and stuff like that all over the place but otherwise nothing major.

Elsewhere my late grandfather's trailer in Pearland (now being rented out to a family friend) had one of its walls ripped off. Fortunately they didn't hang around for it. Needless to say my dad's side of the family are a bit upset about that as they are going to have to junk my grandfather's old home.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:12:45 EDT

only me : Im glad to hear everyone is doing fine.. thank God it seems like everyone while they have some damage.. seems to be fairing well.. My cousin in Baytown said he is without power but house stood up well.. Fences and trees are down but thats about it.. Cousins in Navasoda had a tree fall on their car.. but still seems ok out thata way.. the only family I havent been able to speak too is my aunt who is at 59 and kirkwood area.. talking to a friend in the area seems they have quite a bit of damage out thata way.. anyway.. Glad to hear yall all made it through.. God Bless!!!
--
i want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous, not because it did anything spectacular.. but because it never forgets what it can do

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:34:47 EDT

removed : Everything's calm now in West Houston.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 12:13:58 EDT

Owlbet : I've heard from marti , she's fine. She's in North Houston with no power, no water to make instant coffee, and no WiFi. Cell phone still works.

She says hi!

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 11:47:00 EDT

ilikeme : we are doing ok here in west memorial. I am typing this on my iPhone since the power lines in the backyard are down. The house it's self has no damage but a lot of trees are down in the area and some neighbors do have damage.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 11:40:34 EDT

anon : »www.youtube.com/results?search_q···ch_type=

recorded some vids of progression........luckily I have power now but was out last night.

Stay safe!

-Sugar land,TX

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 11:11:35 EDT

AmeritecTech : Thanks. :)

I've got pretty good vantage point from here and I saw about 60-70 transformers pop last night (bright green flash) so Centerpoint has their work cut out for them.
--
"Independent thinkers tend to ALWAYS have someone Not agreeing with them. It's The non-thinkers that ALWAYS come in legions."
-John Callari

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 11:08:38 EDT

lilhurricane : So glad to hear you guys reporting in.

Hope others fared as well.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 11:05:24 EDT

AmeritecTech : Power is back, it was out about 4 hours. The water is cut off, though. I can see skyscrapers with Windows blown out. Buffalo Bayou is way way over its banks.
--
"Independent thinkers tend to ALWAYS have someone Not agreeing with them. It's The non-thinkers that ALWAYS come in legions."
-John Callari

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 10:50:12 EDT

Flippant : We are doing ok this morning. Winds are down to 20 - 30 mph. I am guessing we had winds last nigh of 60 - 90 and it made for a very restless night. At 2:29 the power stopped and we heard the hissing of a transformer going, about 15 minutes later it blew. So far the house seems to have held up well, the yard a little less so. Some downed limb, small trees bent over and part of the fence down, I am counting ourselves lucky. We that is until I read the Chronicle online and saw where a Center Point spokesman is saying a FEW WEEKS to restore power.

All in all a fitful night but we are able to cook all out bacon, eggs etc this morning for breakfast.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 09:48:00 EDT

removed :

said by markwp2001 :

Removed, you still have power?

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 09:26:20 EDT

BBR_InsUW : watching the khou news feed and waiting for word about The Woodlands area

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 08:42:09 EDT

TrainBuff : I hope that everyone is safe!

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 08:03:40 EDT

markwp2001 : Removed, you still have power?
--
LHF's Football Master 2006

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 04:18:23 EDT

AmeritecTech : Downtown here I'm seeing bright gleen flashes every 15 minutes or so, its transformers blowing up. I've seen probably 30 go off so far. I've lost power twice but its back now.
--
"Independent thinkers tend to ALWAYS have someone Not agreeing with them. It's The non-thinkers that ALWAYS come in legions."
-John Callari

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 03:58:19 EDT

removed : Wind is getting much stronger here. I'm hearing a strange flapping noise from a very specific part of my roof -- it looks like some of the shingles are starting to lose their grip. Checked the attic and didn't see any leaks yet, so it looks like we're in good shape for the time being.

Edit: More power outages and faster wind in West Houston.

--
irc.removed.us - #dslr | DSLR Phishtracker | Email: removed@dslr.net

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 03:36:21 EDT

Seandhi : We are experiencing heavy rain wind. Trees down everywhere. Lost power at 7:30. Worst yet to come.
--
You're an enlightened cat, and I dig that.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 03:13:53 EDT

WNGFAN 1 : Stay safe everyone in Ikes path.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 02:12:57 EDT

AmeritecTech : No outages at all, thankfully.

Edit: The power flickered right when I posted, hahaha

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 01:51:04 EDT

removed : So, who's still alive and online? I'm in West Houston and still have power, though there have been about half a dozen 2-3 second outages, most in rapid succession. The transformer has made some strange noises as well, so it may just be a matter of time before it goes out for good. We've also had a few heavy gusts here and there, but nothing worth panicking about just yet.

--
irc.removed.us - #dslr | DSLR Phishtracker | Email: removed@dslr.net

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:38:38 EDT

jpg366 : I dislike Ike.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:40:46 EDT

alg : Raining in Austin.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:36:08 EDT

AmeritecTech : Wind just picked up bigtime here in downtown. Anderson Cooper 360 is broadcasting from Hotel Icon, downtown Houston tonight.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:32:40 EDT

ilikeme : Some current pics. Its still calm here, although the wind has picked up a bit. I have a feeling Comcrap will finally have to fix that line after the storm. They have come out twice to look at it but have done nothing about it and it keeps getting lower.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:02:58 EDT

MysticGogeta : I can't believe it when I was helping my Aunt and Uncle move stuff upstairs and bring pictures in their car. The water is already flooding most of coastal roads and water is splashing all over the sea wall which I'm sure many of you saw. Its looks very grim for Galveston.
--
Team Discovery-Join the fight

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:50:03 EDT

goofy01 : Just heard that up to 40% of the Galveston population have refused to evacuate.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:31:07 EDT

MysticGogeta : We went to make sure my aunt and uncle got out of there. It wasn't a joy ride.
--
Team Discovery-Join the fight

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:27:10 EDT

Flippant : See this thread... »People on the sea wall? ;)

I am just surprised they are letting non-residents in. I thought they were suppose to be keeping potential looter out since most of residents are suppose to be gone.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:27:04 EDT

removed : What traffic? 45 has been clear most of the day... as have most of the streets in Galveston.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:20:44 EDT

robbin : Why would anyone in their right mind GO to Galveston on the day the hurricane is making landfall? All you are doing is being totally irresponsible by adding unneccessary traffic to the system! :huh:

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:08:45 EDT

MysticGogeta : I went to Galveston around noon and I couldn't believe how high the water is. The water has flooded many exits past the cause way far as 61st street.
--
Team Discovery-Join the fight

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:07:56 EDT

marti : I'm with female friends near 290 and 610. Wal-Mart in this area was closed today, but we found a Kroger open -- they were packed with shoppers and some supplies were out or running out. Could not find ice any where, and the ice machine here in this motel now has an out of service sign.
--
Team Discovery

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:06:11 EDT

signmeuptoo : Anyone still in the barrier islands: Don't be a hard head, get out, staying is not only silly, but idiotic IMHO. Anyone on the coast, you guys get out too!

I remember Alicia, and while this storm might not be as powerful, it is much larger, so it WILL be WORSE.

Honestly, I can't understand the mentality of people that stay in the path when they know the water will rise, with rise (20) and waves (50), as high as 70 feet, what are they thinking? The water fairy will NOT come save you.

If you doubt this, read about the great storm that happened in Galveston all those years ago, look at how many died. Now the land is much more developed, so some things will be worse.

Time to get out, it's almost your last chance. Remember, the highway leaving the island will end up under water eventually if things get bad enough. Then you will be stuck. Personally, I think the reporters staying on the island are foolish, they should just mount some remote control cameras and LEAVE.
--
Obama isn't experienced enough??? He made it through Harvard, became a lawyer against great odds. Experience not enough? Bull!!! Cancer and other diseases kill fellow members here at DSLR! Easy: Join us in Teams Helix and Discovery to save the world

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:04:30 EDT

Flippant : Well it looks like we will be just on the dry side, but that is a lot better than being just on the wet side. They had a radar loop that clearly showed a huge storm eye. No 4 or 5 mile eye for us. It looked like it was 40 or so miles wide. The water along the dirty side coast and the Galveston Bay the water is still clearly rising like a tide, I would guess at least a foot an hour maybe more. The old veterans of coastal weather are all looking at it with this puzzled look saying, "I have never seen any storm like this before". Seem that this one may clearly be different than the norm.

Personally we have finished all our preparation that we are going to do and are now just hoping for the best for everyone. Plan on having pork carnitas for dinner tonight.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:32:42 EDT

Seandhi : It just started raining here... Looking at radar, it is only an errant rain band.
--
You're an enlightened cat, and I dig that.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:04:28 EDT

markwp2001 : Mississippi Gulf Coast prayers to you, Texas. We know what it's like.
--
LHF's Football Master 2006

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:47:17 EDT

ilikeme : I tried to get some supplies at wal-mart today, but that did not happen lol. Luckily, Home Depot was still open and had what I needed.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:44:45 EDT

ilikeme : Here is a website where you can watch KRIV, KHOU, KTRK, and KPRC all in one window. »www.maroonspoon.com/wx/ike.html

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:27:03 EDT

alg : I certainly hope he makes it through OK but I have to admit I wouldn't want to stay behind in a place like Baytown.

My uncle lives right next to Ft. Anahuac park; I don't know if they packed up but considering that you can see the bay right out the living room window I wouldn't want to hang out there either.

Most of my family left but it was more by coincidence. I am here in Austin of course and my brother is working in Alaska and my dad just happened to go visit him this week. That leaves just mom and the cat back at the house. The house is inland right outside of IAH so I think she should manage.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:55:03 EDT

only me : Becareful.. We'll be praying for you all.. My cousin in Baytown has decided to stay as well.. :(

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:44:26 EDT

Flippant : Well the reports this morning are not good for the barrier islands or for those in southeast Houston. Ike is still 200 miles away and the rising water has already flooded Surfside and piers in Galveston are nearly submerged and water is spraying over the seawall and this. Meanwhile the margins they have along the west side of parts of the ship channel look like they have almost been reached.

There are people still there, fortunately there is still quite a few hours before weather will affect car travel. Gas is spotty but can be had, better this morning than last night. Highways seem to be flowing fine this morning as well. Plenty of warnings given about how bad this one appears to be and clear and easy pass to leave.

To all those wondering why anyone in the Houston area is still here. There are probably over 2.5 million people still here. In order to keep the roads open to those that need to evacuate all those that are deemed in safe areas have been asked to stay but be prepared for outages. To think of over 2 million people on the road at this point would be foolish. I am well over 70 miles away from all the storm surge areas. I can fully believe that this may be one of the worst storms in the last decade certainly looks that way for some of the beach areas. We have been preparing ourselves for the last couple days. We appreciate your prayers and well wishes and of course are hoping for the best for the people that are at real risk of life in all this.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:03:29 EDT

Fobulous : Sugar land here, I think we'll get some high winds and rain but i can't really take my mom and go because she's still ill.. we rode out Rita last time but this time it seems to be more severe since it lands alot near Fort Bend County..but no one here is leaving.

I'll take some pictures when i can.

looks quite so far

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:31:13 EDT

CO_Chris : Wishing Y'all Luck in the next few days.. I know all of my Family got out of Pearland,and league city and are now safe up at the farm north of waco.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:09:53 EDT

boognish : Stay safe and dry guys and gals.
--
don't get 2 close 2 my fantasy

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:48:14 EDT

Hayward :

said by MysticGogeta :

Yeah ok I'm going to burn my house down because I've never used a candle. I don't need your sarcasm around this time and I'm amazed how rude you are.

Sorry but it REALLY HAPPENS OFTEN....candle/lantern caused fires in storms.

And screw you I have been through IKE already (And dozen other major storms in 15 years here) and this time thankfully escapped with just 28+ hours of near hurricane winds, while Cuba was raped... just 90 miles away... a MUCH more compact storm then... now a MONSTER.... hurricane winds 115 miles out (230 miles taking both sides) and tropical to 275 (almost 600 miles)

Storms can pass by tiny little Key West, and even surge minimal though devestating like Wilma 70% of island 3-6ft underwater, come and gone flow over/around in short order... sorry but in the Gullf they inevitable slam into and surge pile up on land... no ifs ands or buts... it WILL happen, and you are nearby get out...and BTW Katrina did not of itself kill New Orleans it was the surge BACKWASH that did the walls and levees in... take it seriously if you can easily get out... take a couple of days off at the Motel 6 inland...They'll leave the light on for ya ;)
--
»haywardm.com (Hayward's Key West)

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:38:13 EDT

MysticGogeta : Yeah ok I'm going to burn my house down because I've never used a candle. I don't need your sarcasm around this time and I'm amazed how rude you are.
--
Team Discovery-Join the fight

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:11:17 EDT

Hayward :

said by Flippant :

We are staying too. I have a bunch of supplies for the "hunker" as well. Been through cat 3 before and unless it spawns a tornado nearby we should be fine.

Having been hit by one in GEORGES 98.... and even in the Keys during IKE one hit the middle Keys in just tropical winds... but really destroyed buildings and property...

You never know... again you can easily get away.... DO it PLEASE.
--
»haywardm.com (Hayward's Key West)

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:08:47 EDT

Hayward :

said by MysticGogeta :

I'm staying also we have plenty of water candles food etc.

At least secomd person with candles... you really want the fire department thinking about coming out when they shouldn't.

They are these modern new things called rechargeable batteries and even just shake LED flashlights.

And how many die of running generators INDOORS, or right outside a house inward venting window.
--
»haywardm.com (Hayward's Key West)

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:05:11 EDT

Hayward :

said by Flippant :

The way the models break up so badly as it approaches the coastline is a bit worrisome. They really do not have a handle on this one yet. If it gains real strength and veers east there will be little time to evacuate any large population center. Looks like we all are at least in for some heavy rains.

Kinda sounds like Katrina doesn't it????

And having experience BOTH, I will tell you GET OUT. Very prolematic from the Keys... one 2 lane way out often into storm

Mainland you have lots of ways to do that.... Keys just on 2 lane way, often INTO the storm.

But again having been through BOTH... just as unpredicatable and NASTY... you don't easily not have to be around IKE DON'T mess with IKE if you don't HAVE to.
--
»haywardm.com (Hayward's Key West)

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 02:33:34 EDT

signmeuptoo : Guys, I'll be praying for all of you. I lived through Alicia, which was a weak cat 3, took my dog for a walk in it, lol. I lived in SW Houston and the eye passed right through, I'll never forget the eye, or the first clouds that appeared as it approached.

If any of you are in Galveston or anywhere on the barrier islands, PLEASE get out. Man I hope Galvestone comes through the storm as unscathed as possible, I love that place.

Hang in there guys, stock up on stuff! If you live in SE Houston, get out too, I've seen models where flooding could be quite bad there. I used to live in SE myself.
--
Obama isn't experienced enough??? He made it through Harvard, became a lawyer against great odds. Experience not enough? Bull!!! Cancer and other diseases kill fellow members here at DSLR! Easy: Join us in Teams Helix and Discovery to save the world

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:37:16 EDT

Corona : Looks like it's comin right over Galveston now

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:30:55 EDT

ilikeme :

said by Flippant :

Well this does not look good. Too early to really say where or how hard but not too early to start thinking about it...

I think I was one of the last to get gas at the Sams club on i-10 and the beltway. Almost every place else was already sold out in the area. When I drove by places this evening, they all were sold out.
--

Fiber Optics is the future of high-speed internet access. Stop by the BBR Fiber Optic Forum

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 23:52:49 EDT

i1me2ao : i left lake jackson this afternoon and gas stations along i-10 were already out of gas.
--
»www.thereligionofpeace.com/

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:05:57 EDT

MysticGogeta : Yeah I'm south of the Clear Lake area its going to be a rough night for us.
--
Team Discovery-Join the fight

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:25:16 EDT

robbin :

said by Flippant :

The news is kind of funny. Usually when a hurricane comes through they always tell you the most pessimistic predictions. "Oh god this is going to be the worst thing to ever happen to Houston" kind of reporting. This storm they are still making it sound really bad, but there is a difference. Because of the absolutely insane traffic jams associated with hurricane Rita they are trying to stage evacuations.

The funny part of the news is that they are trying to tell everyone in the non-evacuation area, "It won't be that bad. If you are not in an evacuation area just stay put." Most of us are not in the evacuation area. I am not really close. Everything is basically closed down for tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how the roads are in the morning. With an afternoon landfall there may ne be a whole lot of time to have additional evacs.

I agree about the news part. Did you read the article I linked to on the Weather Underground. They are using a new model which looks at the total kinetic energy the storm carries instead of just highest wind speeds. According to the new model this is a bad storm. Not necessarily for Houston, but for Galveston and other coastal and low lying areas.

Y'all are getting the news a little close for good evacuation. My mom lives in the coastal bend area. There were already mandatory evacuations along the coast down there yesterday. When I talked to her last night she said there was an army of buses staged in the area for evacuation as well as national guard. They had evacuated some prisons from another area into the local prisons and they were going to evacuate all of the prisoners somewhere else (why did they build prisons in hurricane evacuation zones?). I imagine things have changed down there due to the new storm path. Luckily most of the Houston area is not below sea level like New Orleans. Still a 20 foot storm surge will do major damage over large areas.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:15:11 EDT

Flippant : Yep if the power goes out we have quite a bit of meat to cook. Side burner on the grill would also be handy.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:53:31 EDT

removed :

said by Flippant :

The funny part of the news is that they are trying to tell everyone in the non-evacuation area, "It won't be that bad. If you are not in an evacuation area just stay put." Most of us are not in the evacuation area. I am not really close. Everything is basically closed down for tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how the roads are in the morning. With an afternoon landfall there may ne be a whole lot of time to have additional evacs.

I'll be staying either way, so a strengthening hurricane really won't make much difference to me. Filled up my propane tank today, and I'm ready to BBQ every day in case the power goes out. Poor me. :)

Edit: I'm right around your area.. sort of. About 10 miles east of Katy.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:45:47 EDT

Jolie : Be careful, be safe.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:35:13 EDT

lilhurricane :

said by robbin :

Everyone please take all necessary precautions -- this is not one to play games with!

This is worth repeating. Please, stay safe.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:14:27 EDT

Flippant : The news is kind of funny. Usually when a hurricane comes through they always tell you the most pessimistic predictions. "Oh god this is going to be the worst thing to ever happen to Houston" kind of reporting. This storm they are still making it sound really bad, but there is a difference. Because of the absolutely insane traffic jams associated with hurricane Rita they are trying to stage evacuations.

The funny part of the news is that they are trying to tell everyone in the non-evacuation area, "It won't be that bad. If you are not in an evacuation area just stay put." Most of us are not in the evacuation area. I am not really close. Everything is basically closed down for tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how the roads are in the morning. With an afternoon landfall there may ne be a whole lot of time to have additional evacs.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:07:53 EDT

robbin : An informative read can be found on the Weather Underground site here:

»www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMa···how.html

From the Galveston National Weather Service

"All neighborhoods... and possibly entire coastal communities... will be inundated during high tide. Persons not heeding evacuation orders in single family one or two story homes will face certain death. Many residences of average construction directly on the coast will be destroyed. Widespread and devastating personal property damage is likely elsewhere. Vehicles left behind will likely be swept away. Numerous roads will be swamped... some may be washed away by the water. Entire flood prone coastal communities will be cutoff. Water levels may exceed 9 feet for more than a mile inland. Coastal residents in multi-story facilities risk being cutoff. Conditions will be worsened by battering waves. Such waves will exacerbate property damage... with massive destruction of homes... including those of block construction. Damage from beach erosion could take years to repair."

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:57:31 EDT

marti : I'n up in North Houston--290 at Tidwell with my neighbor Debbie. It didn't seem like a good idea to stay in the Clear Lake area.
--
Team Discovery

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:42:16 EDT

robbin : Everyone please take all necessary precautions -- this is not one to play games with!

"The system's strongest winds extend as far as 115 miles (185 kilometers) from the eye...

"Ike's wind field is now larger than that of Katrina, the storm that devastated New Orleans in 2005, said Jeff Masters, the director of meteorology at private forecaster Weather Underground Inc. The total amount of energy is more powerful than Katrina, so we could be seeing a storm surge that could rival Katrina"...

Hurricane Ike is following a track similar to the 1900 Galveston hurricane that killed 8,000 people, the deadliest storm in U.S. history."

''It is a massive storm; it is impacting in terms of its scope 40 percent of the Gulf,'' said Michael Chertoff, U.S. secretary of Homeland Security, in a conference call from Washington. ``The most important message I can send is, do not take this storm lightly. This is not a storm to gamble with. It is large and powerful and carries a lot of water with it.''"

»www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=···fer=home

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:24:31 EDT

Flippant : We are staying too. I have a bunch of supplies for the "hunker" as well. Been through cat 3 before and unless it spawns a tornado nearby we should be fine. I do understand the unpredictable nature of these things, but hopefuly the risk will remain low.

Went to get my spare propane tank exchanged and something to plug the bottom of the tub better. I should be used to the frenzy buying before a hurricane but still it amazes me to see the local HEB parking lot chock a block full. Strike 2 on the propane, ended up getting it at Walgreens of all .places. D cell batteries, water, bread forgetaboutit.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:38:41 EDT

N10Cities :

said by AmeritecTech :

said by Seandhi :

Where do you work that would require you to work tomorrow?

Helpdesk for a hospital. Patient care applications have to remain operational.

Wow! I hope you get hazard pay for this! :D

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:21:19 EDT

AmeritecTech :

said by Seandhi :

Where do you work that would require you to work tomorrow?

Helpdesk for a hospital. Patient care applications have to remain operational.
--
"Independent thinkers tend to ALWAYS have someone Not agreeing with them. It's The non-thinkers that ALWAYS come in legions."
-John Callari

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:14:18 EDT

Seandhi : Where do you work that would require you to work tomorrow?
--
You're an enlightened cat, and I dig that.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:13:44 EDT

MysticGogeta : I'm staying also we have plenty of water candles food etc.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:58:11 EDT

AmeritecTech : Staying, and have to work tomorrow, woooo

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:50:43 EDT

Seandhi : Who's leaving and who's staying? I'm staying... I bought water, batteries, a weather radio, first aid kits, flash lights, baby wipes, booze, and ammo. Whatever I forgot, I am sure I can buy with bullets after the storm. :-)
--
You're an enlightened cat, and I dig that.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:23:59 EDT

AmeritecTech :

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:01:31 EDT

AmeritecTech : Mandatory evac was just expanded to all of Galveston Island (as opposed to just the west half previously).

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:57:41 EDT

N10Cities : I know I'm not on the coast, but hope everything goes OK with everyone on the TX coast and everyone stays safe. Looks like the path after it hits TX will bring it up into Western Ark and we haven't even dried out from Gustav yet! Glad I don't live by a river or creek...

:huh:

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:05:24 EDT

MysticGogeta : That doesn't look good our back porch got ripped off during Alica (The 3) and it hit Freeport its going to be interesting here Saturday.
--
Team Discovery-Join the fight

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:44:56 EDT

alg : Those models definitely prove AmeritecTech 's earlier comments. Despite being spread out they all end up at either Brownsville, Corpus Christi, or Houston and not out in between somewhere.

My take is that it will either go down towards the valley or towards Beaumont/LA area.
--
Put's and End's due too it's english Abuse's!!!!!!

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:33:36 EDT

marti : The computer models show it all over the place: »www.wunderground.com/tropical/tr···#a_topad
--
Team Discovery

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 23:25:12 EDT

Corona : And again even closer to HOU

[att=1]

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:18:28 EDT

Seandhi : Someone else posted in the weather forum a comparison of the tracks of Ike and Rita. I would hate to see East Texas and western Louisiana go through that again. Then again, I'm not sure that I want us to go through it... »Re: Hurricane Ike
--
You're an enlightened cat, and I dig that.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:15:38 EDT

ilikeme :

Here is an updated track. It is getting closer to Houston.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:30:33 EDT

alg : Looks like this will be an interesting weekend here in Austin.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:01:13 EDT

only me : yea.. Ive lived here all my life and seen them move around everywhere they werent predicited to go.. strange thing is.. right now Corpus isnt under any type of evacuation.. just prep.. we'll see as the day progresses.. one of the guys who just moved here from oklahoma was sending his family up to SA.. i told him.. all my life.. every single storm.. it never fails.. SA is almost always as bad as us.. even when the storms have missed us.. they get horrible rain and flooding.. I'd stay away from SA lol.. and sure enough they are predicting an upward turn to SA :D South is better at this point according to the models.. but we'll just wait and see.. school is still on for the next day or so.. so we'd have to wait it out for the kids regardless
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i want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous, not because it did anything spectacular.. but because it never forgets what it can do

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:54:44 EDT

Flippant : That is a tough decision. I watched the model "verification" loop and was amazed how consistently wrong by predicting a more northerly track and while the storm steamed of south of that. It does look like west and south of the storm would be a much better place to be though.

Wow a mandatory evacuation in parts of Brazos county, and a voluntary one in Galveston.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:35:33 EDT

only me : North of the storm always is worse than South.. Im just basing that on the model that shows it hitting between here and Port Lavaca.. if it hits here.. We're possibly better in Weslaco where we have family... I used to have family in Navasoda but they moved to Bay City..
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i want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous, not because it did anything spectacular.. but because it never forgets what it can do

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:13:59 EDT

AmeritecTech :

said by only me :

yup... biggest decision for me right now is where to send the kiddos.. to houston or to the valley.. looks like right now the best thing is to go south.. I hate the indecision.. lol.. weather.. great.. :D

Are you sure, because to me Houston looks like it will be better off than the valley.
--
"Independent thinkers tend to ALWAYS have someone Not agreeing with them. It's The non-thinkers that ALWAYS come in legions."
-John Callari

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:33:48 EDT

pearland_guy : Very close to my location. They just issued Mandatory Evacs for 77541. Just south of here (77584).

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 07:53:46 EDT

only me : yup... biggest decision for me right now is where to send the kiddos.. to houston or to the valley.. looks like right now the best thing is to go south.. I hate the indecision.. lol.. weather.. great.. :D
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i want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous, not because it did anything spectacular.. but because it never forgets what it can do

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:15:01 EDT

Flippant : The way the models break up so badly as it approaches the coastline is a bit worrisome. They really do not have a handle on this one yet. If it gains real strength and veers east there will be little time to evacuate any large population center. Looks like we all are at least in for some heavy rains.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:33:37 EDT

pearland_guy :

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:26:50 EDT

only me : Bruce Im with you!!!!! We have half the boards up already and I told my husband.. well.. even if it ends up being a false alarm.. We'll save on our electric bill!!!! :D We'll know a lot more by tomorrow!
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i want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous, not because it did anything spectacular.. but because it never forgets what it can do

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:07:43 EDT

BruceT : Hey Only Me..... I just hope he keeps this recent move north. I know it is too early to tell but when I looked at the recent update I was relieved. It looked all day as if Corpus had the crosshairs on em.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 17:00:31 EDT

only me : he just doesnt know where hes going!

turning North

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:49:32 EDT

Corona :

said by only me :

lol. u know u ATT guys in SA think that y'all are the only ones to exist in the company :D j/k

We shall see what happens.. boards are up on the house.. started last night.. as of the most recent models.. it looks like it might hit right below Corpus

:P wish they would move me to DFW.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:29:11 EDT

only me : lol. u know u ATT guys in SA think that y'all are the only ones to exist in the company :D j/k

We shall see what happens.. boards are up on the house.. started last night.. as of the most recent models.. it looks like it might hit right below Corpus
--
i want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous, not because it did anything spectacular.. but because it never forgets what it can do

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:04:09 EDT

Corona : I'm retarded. I didn't realize you were so close by!

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:03:30 EDT

Flippant : Dang that prediction is a bit close to home. Hunker Down!

I still think it will be changing. So far it has moved from NOLA to Houston and now Victoria. I do not know if the models themselves are population based but I would not doubt the "median" prediction was. If they predict it would come ashore where hardly anyone lives, almost know one would care. By predicting populated areas you can have the people of an effected area get prepared just in case.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:05:33 EDT

SandShark :

said by ilikeme :

I heard that it is expected to go back to the east some once it is into the gulf, which will be sometime tomorrow afternoon.

Let's hope you "heard" wrong.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 23:42:37 EDT

ilikeme : I heard that it is expected to go back to the east some once it is into the gulf, which will be sometime tomorrow afternoon.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 23:22:10 EDT

only me : looks a bit further south now.. :hmm:

Corpus is dead center..

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 23:07:59 EDT

Corona : IT's COMIN RIGHT FOR US!

Good thing I'll be in Dallas.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:50:59 EDT

removed : Not looking good, but I think it's still way too early to get worried about this one.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:35:22 EDT

AmeritecTech : I read it on a NOAA or NWS-related site, but I can't recall where, so take it with a grain of salt.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:33:45 EDT

SandShark :

said by AmeritecTech :

said by Flippant :

Well this does not look good. Too early to really say where or how hard but not too early to start thinking about it...

One thing I found out about these projections is that they incorporate population levels into their models. In other words, there is a greater tendency for projections to appear to be targeting major population centers like Houston or New Orleans when that may not be exactly true.

If the math actually shows its going to hit south of Victoria, it will appear to be targeting Houston directly for a long while until the storm gets much closer. That's why hurricanes always seem to be aimed directly at us when they come near.

This is done by NOAA because they're trying to protect and warn as many people as possible.

Not that I don't believe what you're saying, but I'd like a more authoritative source, if you have one.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:25:11 EDT

AmeritecTech :

said by Corona :

Interesting. I didnt know they did that.

Yeah, once you know to look for it, it becomes more and more obvious. Like with Gustav, those projections were smack-dab centered on New Orleans for the longest time, until the angle it would have to turn looked impossible and then it snapped quickly away and to the more western areas of Louisiana. Also, when it was far out to sea, the far-western edge of the projection for Gustav ended exactly at Houston.

Watch how it seems to hold Houston in the western edge of the white cone even when it seems pretty unlikely that it could make such a dramatic turn:

»www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLzmMeksORY
--
"Independent thinkers tend to ALWAYS have someone Not agreeing with them. It's The non-thinkers that ALWAYS come in legions."
-John Callari

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:06:40 EDT

Corona : Interesting. I didnt know they did that.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:34:23 EDT

AmeritecTech :

said by Flippant :

Well this does not look good. Too early to really say where or how hard but not too early to start thinking about it...

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:04:32 EDT

ilikeme : Models have shifted more to the west. Houston may end up being on the nasty side of this storm.

Re: Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:00:53 EDT

Corona : Three of the six models show it heading into western Louisiana. Gonna have to keep an eye on this one (got friends there).

[att=1]

Yikes it's Ike

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:55:18 EDT

Flippant : Well this does not look good. Too early to really say where or how hard but not too early to start thinking about it...

Ike 5 day cone