They're saying that Houston is supposed to have tropical storm force winds by 9pm, stepping up to hurricane force by midnite, and lasting at least 12 hours. It will be very windy and raining off and on for several hours before that. They're predicting rain for several days after.
The part of town that I'm in (the Meyerland area, inside the southwest corner of the Loop, for those who know Houston) is not part of the evacuation zone. We'll have street flooding, but that will be from the rain, not from the storm surge.
I made the choice to stay here where I have food, water, and other supplies and where my family is. Also, at the time that I would have started driving (Wednesday), there was no way to know where on the coast the storm would hit. Which way was safe? It didn't make any sense to throw stuff in the car and start driving, when there was no way to be sure you could find gas along the way, or a hotel room anywhere in a 300 mile radius. And afterwards, I'd be stranded far from home, cut off from my family here, not knowing what had happened.
Part of my decision is based on having lived thru several hurricanes. I know that after the storm I may read these words and wonder what the hell I was thinking. But I'm certain that I will be fine. Thanks for worrying!
Oh, and I'm not in a bunker, but I have a closet that I'm turning into one. If the trees come in or the windows blow out, I can retreat further into the interior hallway of my apartment building.
Ah, I thought all of Houston had been told to evacuate, not that there were separate zones within Houston.
Thanks for humoring me! What you say makes sense.
Take care.
Man, I'm keeping all of you in my thoughts. The next 36 hours are going to be hell. Take specail care, all.
I saw a breakdown of expected wind strength in our area. Tomball expected to get from 60 to 75 mph winds. All from the same direction, since we will be far from the eye. That beats the 100+ they predicted yesterday.
Still not time to relax. I may have mentioned, in the 70s, I went to bed in Corpus Christi, as hurricane Fern bit into Glaveston. Confidently, I slept. Woke up with Fern sitting on top of us. It was minimal wind, but rained hard daily for six weeks.
So, I dont have a tv hooked up in my home.. i have to rely on internet..
So- the storm has changed course?
lost strength?
It is currently moving toward Beaumont.
and has lost some of its strength i gather?
How far is Beaumont from Houston?
More cousins who fled NO for Houston tried to leave yesterday and turned back because of the traffic. Spoke with their son this morning who left NO and came to Atlanta instead of following them to Houston. (smart kid) He and his girl have a RENT-FREE apartment for six months, she's in school and they're both looking for work. Looks like they're going to make lemonade out of their lemons.
Beaumont is right near the TX/LA border. But, it has lately wobbled a bit back in our direction.
I also saw that there is a new levee break in New Orleans as a result of early morning showers.
Edgar...check your "pm"s.....
edgar, shewolf, mac -- are your windows boarded up / taped up?
We've done all we can do except wait.
Well, change of plans. We are staying put. The storm has changed course enough that where we are we will only get (most likely) tropical storm type weather. Besides there isn't enough gas left to actually make it anywhere. The biggest problem I think we will face now is the very high probability of multiple tornadoes, though that is always a threat here anyway. Just gonna hunker down and take it. I hope anyone in the NO area has already left, because they are already flooding again. Anybody who is in the path of the storm my our thoughts are with you. Stay safe.
If you tune in channel eleven, Niel Frank, the station's hurricane expert, says the storm will in his opinion make an almost direct hit on Galveston. He claims the talk of it hitting Beaumont is most likely wrong.
I personally am too far from the storm to need to cover or save my windows..
i am in austin 200 miles from shore and much farther above sea level.
all we are expected to get here is a hell-of-a-lotta rain and strong winds. Maybe flooding in the low lying areas and most definatly power outages.
Basically.. a strong storm.
but in preparation for that we have some bottled water and 2 flashlights and plenty of batteries. I have one back up ' plug in' battery in case we are here for days with no power, we can use the phone if necessary.. but thats it. A little overkill on my part.. but thats it.
Update, of a sort: It's still hot and muggy, cloudy, so far no rain and only occasional light wind gusts. We are getting ready to leave home for the apartments. May have time to check in a time or two first.
Hasta la vista in case you don't.
Shewolf--
I don't think it would hurt to move around your yard picking up anything weighing less that five pounds that could possibly become airborne.
Right now everything is easy to find, but after the wind picks up, it might not be.
Let me know about your daughter & family...am waiting to hear.
Rita downgraded to 3 - which is, I suppose, a slight help..
http://www.cnn.com/
