My wife's office is in the evacuation zone. She was supposed to leave at 2:00 today, and is still there, and plans on staying well into tonight. I hope she's able to get home (not that it will be too much better here: the eye is now projected to pass like directly overhead, but at least we're on the 3rd floor).
If you need to evacuate to Austin…
After the storm passes, we probably will; power is expected to be out for at least 2 weeks, from what I'm hearing. Once they clear the debris off the roads, we'll almost certainly have to go somewhere. Not that there are any rooms available anywhere...
Well…we do have a spare room. Although I would force you to play Hero with me.
Well…we do have a spare room. Although I would force you to play Hero with me.
What's Hero? If it's like Bella Sera, you might need to see if Sebastian can come.
Well…we do have a spare room. Although I would force you to play Hero with me.What's Hero? If it's like Bella Sera, you might need to see if Sebastian can come.
Don't do it! It is a TRAP!!! ~grins~
Be safe and if you do head out, please be careful!
You S. Texans take care. (Sidenote: I thought the "certain death" comment was just for people with houses on Galveston Bay? Not that that isn't plenty scary enough.)
On the less important side, I also worry about all the historic stuff down in Galveston. Many summers of happy memories down there...
I am in Houston which is in direct path of Ike. The latest reports are that Galveston should be completely underwater for about 12 hours as Ike goes through. For the Harris County/Houston area they are predicting 65-80 mph sustained winds with gusts to 100 mph. The offer to store my RPG supplies might have to be taken up.
Offer up prayers to whatever you pray to that we all make it through to the other side of the storm safely.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6
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Sounds like Ike is going to be real bad when it hits land. The national weather service says anyone who stays in Galveston faces certain death. Those are their exact words.
Not exact words - the warning was for single-family homes:
"All neighborhoods ... and possibly entire coastal communities ... will be inundated during the peak storm tide," the weather service warned. "Persons not heeding evacuation orders in single-family one- or two-story homes will face certain death."Still pretty scary.
It is just starting to rain in Galveston, but the downtown area is already under 4 feet of water. I expect to be without power within the next 3 to 4 hours. The reason is without Ike making landfall there is already 105,000 people in the southern communities that have no power. So remember us. I wish you all a long and happy life.
Best of luck and stay safe!
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Sounds like Ike is going to be real bad when it hits land. The national weather service says anyone who stays in Galveston faces certain death. Those are their exact words.That's a pretty crazy statement, hope it's not like the storm of 1900.
that was a cat. 5 iirc. this one will be bad, but not nearly that bad. the 1900 hurricane was the worst ever because they didn't have early warning, so the island was full when it hit...
I hope people were able to get out or are on higher ground. I have a lot of friends who live along that stretch between Galveston and Houston. Y'all are in for something nasty. We in south Louisiana have been under tropical storm winds for a day and a half as that monster strafed by. This thing is huge - 550 miles across - and pushing a lot of water. God bless!
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before the power gets turned off here, i just wanted to say thank you everyone for your concern and your prayers :)
this storm will be nasty for a lot of people (especially in galveston, the 45 south corridor, and some of brazoria county), so, if you can, throw a few bucks at the red cross. a lot of people will be eternally grateful :)
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before the power gets turned off here, i just wanted to say thank you everyone for your concern and your prayers :)
this storm will be nasty for a lot of people (especially in galveston, the 45 south corridor, and some of brazoria county), so, if you can, throw a few bucks at the red cross. a lot of people will be eternally grateful :)
Will do. In Hurricane Gloria in '85 my hometown fishing village (on Cape Hatteras, NC) nearly got washed off the map. We were fed by the Red Cross and without power for nearly three weeks. The way I see it, I'm just paying it back. More power to you all and God Bless.
God Bless all of you and best of luck to everyone!
If you see a guy named Chris Wissel around Galveston or in an evacuation center, tell him I said hello and the cabbages wish him and his the best.
Yeah, so far I am not seeing much of note in Big D. I hated to see that the Balinese Room bit it. And over 40% of Galvestonians defied the evacuation? Man, they are made of some stern stuff. Probably all BOTI.
Well, we've been lucky here in the Temple-Killeen area. There's been very little rain or wind from Ike. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for East Texas.
The news reports I saw tonight made it look like Galveston was leveled, and now they are reporting that the state has sealed off the island. Is it really that bad, or is it just standard media sensationalism? They are saying Ike was the fourth worst natural disaster in U.S. history.
I know Galveston pretty well, and the pictures I have seen makes me think that "leveled" is a big exaggeration on the media's part. There are certainly big losses, like the piered buildings along Seawall. But I get the impression that it was much better than feared.
The homes they are showing are mostly vacation homes on the west side of the island, where there is no seawall. Of course the first row of beach houses go--that happens every so many years.
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The news reports I saw tonight made it look like Galveston was leveled, and now they are reporting that the state has sealed off the island. Is it really that bad, or is it just standard media sensationalism? They are saying Ike was the fourth worst natural disaster in U.S. history.I know Galveston pretty well, and the pictures I have seen makes me think that "leveled" is a big exaggeration on the media's part. There are certainly big losses, like the piered buildings along Seawall. But I get the impression that it was much better than feared.
The homes they are showing are mostly vacation homes on the west side of the island, where there is no seawall. Of course the first row of beach houses go--that happens every so many years.
What's the story about them sealing off Galveston Island?
Power restored, an absolute triumph for CenterPoint Energy. Those guys have my absolute respect. We're among the lucky 20% now -- most of Houston, they said, is looking at 2-3 weeks without. My wife and I survived OK, with minimal damage to our dwelling, and we have enough bottled water to last a few days -- hopefully the treatment plant will be up by then. The main apartment building has, since the storm, had a gas leak, a major fire alarm, flooding, and a waterfall on the 4th floor... and no management. The property management company actually hung up on me when I tried to report the fire alarm in conjunction with the gas leak:
"Yes, I reported the gas leak yesterday. No, they did not send anyone. No, there is no management here. Yes, the fire department is on the way. Can you let someone know what is going on here?"
"I left a message on the office answering service."
"No, not a message, a person. Tell your supervisor what's going on."
"I TOLD you I left a message..."
"Can I speak to your supervisor?"
(Snort, followed by a click).
If anyone rents from the Lynd Company, this is how they view their investments.
What's the story about them sealing off Galveston Island?
Parts of I-45 are still underwater; we got monsoon-like rains and lightning from a huge cold front last night/this morning that exacerbated the flooding from Ike. They're trying to get rescue/emergency vehicles down there as a priority, which they can't do if the drying roads are full of flooded vehicles/people out of gas/evacuees trying to return WAY too soon. I heard on the radio that downtown Houston is also blockaded off, to keep out rubberneckers so they can try and clear the wreckage from the streets.
Glad to hear you made it through OK Kirth! Hang tough and I hope all goes well!
Glad to hear you made it through OK Kirth! Hang tough and I hope all goes well!
Thanks, Patrick! Like I said, once through the storm, fire alarm, and flooding, we're actually VERY well off compared to most of the rest of Houston, and all of Galveston. I'd for sure thank God if I believed in one; as it is, I'm thanking CenterPoint Energy, who has something like 10,000 linemen working 16-hour shifts in unbelievable conditions. Any of those linemen who got us up and running get free beers from me whenever they like, as far as I'm concerned. Likewise for the Houston Fire Department guys who came out here this morning through the monsoon. You want to talk about real-life heroes...
Glad to hear you made it through OK Kirth! Hang tough and I hope all goes well!Thanks, Patrick! Like I said, once through the storm, fire alarm, and flooding, we're actually VERY well off compared to most of the rest of Houston, and all of Galveston. I'd for sure thank God if I believed in one; as it is, I'm thanking CenterPoint Energy, who has something like 10,000 linemen working 16-hour shifts in unbelievable conditions. Any of those linemen who got us up and running get free beers from me whenever they like, as far as I'm concerned. Likewise for the Houston Fire Department guys who came out here this morning through the monsoon. You want to talk about real-life heroes...
It's good to know you and your family are ok. Have you heard anything from Derek?
Yeah I shuder waiting for the Big One to hit around here. The carnage will be horrific. We haven't had a real big hurricane since the Fifties, and since then the entire oceanside has been stacked with summer McMansions. If it happens in the Summer, we are really skrewed, as there are only two bridges off this sandbar.
Man I gotta buy some survivalist gear, I'm scaring myself.
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Yeah I shuder waiting for the Big One to hit around here. The carnage will be horrific. We haven't had a real big hurricane since the Fifties, and since then the entire oceanside has been stacked with summer McMansions. If it happens in the Summer, we are really skrewed, as there are only two bridges off this sandbar.
Man I gotta buy some survivalist gear, I'm scaring myself.
I volunteer to help you store all your rpg stuff here at my place. :)
It's good to know you and your family are ok. Have you heard anything from Derek?
Yes; Derek's OK as well. He's in Montrose, which if I understand correctly got mostly flooded, and still is without power, but I think he had plenty of beer stocked. He left a message right after the storm to let me know he was OK, but I was unable to reply right away -- it took a day or so to get any cel phone reception. (BTW, that guy's even cooler in real life than he is on the boards.)
If anyone has relatives in the area they can't reach, try not to panic. Cel phone service has been extremely spotty, so if you can't get through, it may be just that... no need to assume the worst. Just leave them a message to call you when their phones are back up.
I volunteer to help you store all your rpg stuff here at my place. :)
I don't think you'd have the room CJ. Been collecting since '79 and I'm a packrat and completist!
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What's the story about them sealing off Galveston Island?Parts of I-45 are still underwater; we got monsoon-like rains and lightning from a huge cold front last night/this morning that exacerbated the flooding from Ike. They're trying to get rescue/emergency vehicles down there as a priority, which they can't do if the drying roads are full of flooded vehicles/people out of gas/evacuees trying to return WAY too soon. I heard on the radio that downtown Houston is also blockaded off, to keep out rubberneckers so they can try and clear the wreckage from the streets.
Thanks for the info and I'm glad you all made it through safely.
What's the story about them sealing off Galveston Island?snipsnip
I've been looking for new information today, and it seems like the ADD media has somewhat moved on.
The island was actually sealed before the hurricane struck, and is "remaining" sealed. The rationale I heard given for this yesterday was for assessment, rescue, relief, and repair teams to get in place without making their jobs more difficult. Also, I thought this had happened before in my lifetime, but I've got nothing hard to give you, I'm just going on memory.I'll keep looking, but I'd be interested to hear if you find anything different.
Glad to hear everybody is OK so far. Everybody we are hearing from so far are Houstonians?
EDIT: Link. Not as much (or as new) information as I would like, but the statistics here seem to go with the images I saw. The news about the causeway is new to me, and scary. Trying to find more on the Galveston Daily News site.