Secure for Ike

[Splitlip]

I came back from Seguin, TX (by San Antonio) Wednesday afternoon and coming south on I-35 were multiple school buses, a convoy of 8 different ambulance services and about a dozen military vehicles hauling water tanks- heading for the areas to be hit, was nice to see an effort like that actually coming into play.

Yup. Does give you a warm and fuzzy. By now you should also be seeing utility companies and tree service companies from all over the country staging to come in and repair your power infrastructure after the event.

 

[richerso]

JimDiver,
Thank you for the great advice. I have never seen such a friendly, succinct list of such points before. I will definitely be filing this thread away for future reference.

For the rest of the world, Arlington is about 250 miles from Houston and probably 400 miles from Corpus Christi. This places us well inland. We (locals) would probably be ill prepared if hurricane conditions reached this far inland. We simply have no experience with hurricanes (aside from Lousiana transplants) and it would be a real fluke of nature if we ever experienced one.

 

[DandyDon]

.... It would be a real fluke of nature if we ever experienced one.

​

Biggest hit since '83 for Houston, expected to remain hurricane force well inland.

 

[jimdiverman]

JimDiver,
Thank you for the great advice. I have never seen such a friendly, succinct list of such points before. I will definitely be filing this thread away for future reference.

For the rest of the world, Arlington is about 250 miles from Houston and probably 400 miles from Corpus Christi. This places us well inland. We (locals) would probably be ill prepared if hurricane conditions reached this far inland. We simply have no experience with hurricanes (aside from Lousiana transplants) and it would be a real fluke of nature if we ever experienced one.

My apartment off 360 at Trinity is from when I evacuated after Katrina in 2005. I kept it.

I could write a book about hurricane survival. I have been in all the bad ones here in Louisiana since Betsy in 65.

 

[Splitlip]

Very good post Jim. "been there,done that"

I posted this on a Texas board earlier today. Maybe someone else could benefit from it.

Just a few tips from Louisiana, the hurricane abused...

1. If you are in a location that your power is buried in ground, you only have to worry about protecting your property. If you do lose power, it is probably just a short lived transmission issue at the substation.

2. If you have overhead power lines, do you have a lot of trees in the area? If so, the trees can become uprooted and knock down the lines. If you don't have a lot of trees, again, it shouldn't take as long to reconnect lines after the storm, but you may lose power for a day or two or three.

3. If you are in an area that floods when it rains, leave. Take your important papers, titles, prescription drugs, photographs, keepsakes, and car and home insurance policies (very important) with phone numbers to call for claims. Take your pets with you. You cannot live where your property is submerged.

4. If you still have an old analog phone, get it out and be prepared to use it. If you do lose power, your other cordless and powered phones will not work.

5. If you live alone and you do decide to stay, make sure someone who is also staying knows to contact you when the storm is over.

6. If you have a generator or are thinking about staying because you are going to buy a generator, be prepared to have a problem finding gasoline (and the generator for that matter if you don't have one already). Gas stations cannot pump gas if they have no power. Get gas ahead of time. Also, be prepared to spend $800 or more for a generator and $50 to $100 a day on gasoline depending on how much you are going to run in your house and how long you are going to run your generator. It is best to not try to run that big central unit if you can run the window unit in your bedroom. FEMA will only pay for the generator if you are without power for at least 7 days, if you are thinking of filing a claim. It is difficult to find 5 or 6 gallon gas cans, gasoline, ice, generators and electrical connections for the generator IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER the storm.

6. If you lose power and you are going to leave, or are leaving, in order to avoid a real mess in your refrigerator when you get back, either empty the contents of your freezer, or cook it and eat it. You may not lose power for 3 days, but if you do, that is all it takes to spoil everything in your fridge. If you have a freezer full of ice, that will help keep it that long. If you leave, take the ice out also, or it runs out like everything else.

7. Even if you are planning to stay, have an exit strategy. There will be an hour when evacuation is no longer advisable or possible as downed trees and power lines will block roadways until after the storm is over and work crews have cleared them. You do not want to get caught out in the storm in your vehicle. Know where the nearest public shelter is if it gets too bad or your house is destroyed by a tornado. (No, I'm not kidding.)

8. If you lose power, you will have no light at night. The only sound in the neighborhood will be the drone of generators, at which time carbon monoxide is building in the area and could cause health problems. Have whatever light sources you are going to use available and charged or batteries for replacement, unless you have a generator and keep it running all night. If you live in the country like I do, turn everything off early to keep your eyes adjusted to no light and go outside and look at the stars (not until the storm passes obviously). You will be surprised how cool the sky looks when there are no lights around.

Best of luck to everyone!

 

[vanessar]

View attachment 49838 View attachment 49839​

Biggest hit since '83 for Houston, expected to remain hurricane force well inland.

Patiently awaiting the result.

vanessar

 

[Debraw]

Well I dieseled up today, bought some extra water, made sure the flashlights were ready and brought some stuff that was outside, inside. We are pretty far inland in the DFW Metroplex but I think you can never underestimate a storm like this. My mother lives in Houston and my stepdad has a house in the bay at Galveston that he has gotten out as much as he can and brought to their home in Houston. I think he will lose the bay house. I heard the FG Gulf Diving boats were tied to a bridge in Freeport. I hope everything goes well for everyone. Here we go kids! Nothing to do but pray now.

 

[vanessar]

Well I dieseled up today, bought some extra water, made sure the flashlights were ready and brought some stuff that was outside, inside. We are pretty far inland in the DFW Metroplex but I think you can never underestimate a storm like this. My mother lives in Houston and my stepdad has a house in the bay at Galveston that he has gotten out as much as he can and brought to their home in Houston. I think he will lose the bay house. I heard the FG Gulf Diving boats were tied to a bridge in Freeport. I hope everything goes well for everyone. Here we go kids! Nothing to do but pray now.

I am located in the center of Houston. Please let me know if I can assist your folks.

vanessar

 

[richerso]

Here we go kids! Nothing to do but pray now.

Yep. Here we go!

I am located in the center of Houston. Please let me know if I can assist your folks.
vanessar

That is very nice of you vanessar! ! ! You get kudos for being a good Swamper ! ! !
Thank you. I am sure Debraw will have nice things to say as well.

I always knew Texas Swampers (and divers in general) were a good group of people ! ! ! That's one of the things that I like about this hobby. Good people! I have all kinds of warm fuzzies right now.

 

[DandyDon]

Well, I'm sitting up here on the Panhandle High Plains watching extended rain from the moisture pumped in by Lowell crossing Baja, and admittedly I have never been thru a hurricane. I do wish you all the best for the property you left behind if you left, and worry about you in the light colored zones who have not yet...

Excerpting from 1:40am statement Hurricane Local Statement for IKE

MAXIMUM WATER LEVELS FORECAST:

GULF-FACING COASTLINE WEST OF SARGENT...5 TO 8 FEET

SHORELINE OF MATAGORDA BAY...4 TO 7 FEET

GULF-FACING COASTLINE SARGENT TO HIGH ISLAND INCLUDING GALVESTON ISLAND......12 TO 16 FEET

SHORELINE OF GALVESTON BAY...15 TO 25 FEET

LIFE THREATENING INUNDATION LIKELY!

ALL NEIGHBORHOODS...AND POSSIBLY ENTIRE COASTAL COMMUNITIES... WILL BE INUNDATED DURING THE PERIOD OF PEAK STORM TIDE. PERSONS NOT HEEDING EVACUATION ORDERS IN SINGLE FAMILY ONE OR TWO STORY HOMES MAY 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 CLOSER TO THE COAST. 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.

If you are there, I think you may want to read all of that site. Some more excerpted...

PERSONS WHO HAVE NOT EVACUATED SHOULD PLAN TO SHELTER IN PLACE IN A WELL BUILT STRUCTURE DURING THE PERIOD OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT PERSONS WHO LIVE IN MOBILE HOMES OR POORLY-BUILT STRUCTURES SHOULD EVACUATE TO A SAFER LOCATION SUCH AS A WELL BUILT HOME. PERSONS WHO LIVE IN HIGH RISES SHOULD CONSIDER EVACUATING AS WINDS CAN BE STRONGER AT THE TOP OF A HIGH RISE THAN AT GROUND LEVEL.

THE WIND FIELD SURROUNDING IKE ARE UNUSUALLY LARGE. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 39 MPH ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE COASTAL COUNTIES BY 8 TO 10 AM FRIDAY...AND SPREAD INLAND TO THE HOUSTON AREA BETWEEN 11 AM AND 2 PM FRIDAY. WINDS OF AT LEAST TROPICAL STORM FORCE WILL THEN POSSIBLY LAST ABOUT 24 HOURS.

DEPENDING ON THE EVENTUAL TRACK AND STRENGTH OF IKE THE HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL REACH THE COASTAL COUNTIES EARLY EVENING ON FRIDAY AND THE HOUSTON METRO AREA 8 TO 10 PM FRIDAY NIGHT. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS MAY LAST FOR UP TO 8 TO 12 HOURS.

PEAK WIND GUSTS OF 95 TO 115 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS HARRIS...LIBERTY...BRAZORIA...GALVESTON...AND CHAMBERS COUNTIES. WIND SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 115 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE NEAR WHERE THE CENTER OF THE STORM COMES ONSHORE.

VERY DANGEROUS WINDS WILL PRODUCE WIDESPREAD DAMAGE AND DESTRUCTION OF MOBILE HOMES IS LIKELY.

STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WILL INCLUDE THE MAJORITY OF MOBILE HOMES BEING SEVERELY DAMAGED. THOSE THAT SURVIVE WILL BE UNINHABITABLE UNTIL REPAIRED. HOUSES OF POOR TO AVERAGE CONSTRUCTION WILL HAVE MAJOR DAMAGE...INCLUDING PARTIAL WALL COLLAPSE AND ROOFS BEING LIFTED OFF. MANY WILL BE UNINHABITABLE. WELL CONSTRUCTED HOUSES WILL INCUR MINOR DAMAGE TO SHINGLES...SIDING...GUTTERS...AS WELL AS BLOWN OUT WINDOWS. UP TO ONE QUARTER OF GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL.

PARTIAL ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED AT INDUSTRIAL PARKS...ESPECIALLY TO THOSE BUILDINGS WITH LIGHT WEIGHT STEEL AND ALUMINUM COVERINGS. OLDER LOW RISING APARTMENT ROOFS MAY ALSO BE TORN OFF...AS WELL AS RECEIVING SIDING AND SHINGLE DAMAGE. UP TO ONE QUARTER OF ALL GLASS IN HIGH RISE OFFICE BUILDINGS WILL BE BLOWN OUT. AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL CAUSE DAMAGE...INJURY...AND POSSIBLE FATALITIES.

NATURAL DAMAGE WILL INCLUDE ALL TREES WITH ROTTING BASES BECOMING UPROOTED OR SNAPPED. NEARLY ALL LARGE BRANCHES WILL SNAP. BETWEEN ONE QUARTER AND ONE HALF OF HEALTHY SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED...MOST COMMON WHERE THE GROUND IS SATURATED. UP TO THREE QUARTERS OF NEWLY PLANTED GROUND CROPS WILL BE DAMAGED