Continued from here...
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/901389/#new
The other thread is getting a bit long....
According to TWC...
Over 1000 people and 50 aircraft are involved in Search and Rescue.
In the Galveston area alone.
Ric
This message was edited Sep 13, 2008 3:11 PM
Hurricane Ike Landfall
Thanks for keeping up with us, Ric.
Any one hear from Ceejay?
Annette
Tracks, thanks for sympathy for my garden. Not many people would understand the loss! I finally got into the front yard and took some pictures. There were several roses blooming. They looked so odd juxtaposed against the devastation. I was hoping they would show up in the pictures more -- like a bit of hope. You can see a few dots of red in the front right and maybe a bit of the big pink Belinda's Dream.
I'm at a total loss as to what to do and that's making me depressed. The branches punched vertically through the plywood on the roof, but that branch is still attached to the tree. Then there is the problem of that cedar leaning against it. If I do anything, it might fall. How do you get professional tree trimmers after a hurricane? I can't even get my ladder out of the garage.
I am glad you are safe in spite of all the devastation.
I'm so sorry about your house. We are pretty devastated here too. Lost most ofthe fence and several trees are down. We have large branches to remove from the roof and shed as well.
Still waiting to hear from Ceejay. Hope she's alright.
I hope everyone is alright and continues to stay safe. It's not exactly safe out there even now. Some branches are just dangling and could come down any time.
Knolan, losing trees is such a sad business. I'm glad y'all are all right. I'm tired already just from trying to clear my driveway! Clean up is not going to be fun.
Good news though. If I can get my ladder out and get on the roof and find something to cover it, I think I can do a temporary fix. I can see one of the branches that punched through the roof and it's not attached to anything! See the toothpick like thing sticking out of the middle!
A police officer stopped by and she said that tarp and chainsaws are in low supply. That's stuff I did not think of before the hurricane, but I will next time!
I just went thru Ike--we just got power back on because we have underground
lines (house 15 yrs). Everyone and I mean everyone has major roof damage (on
homes less than 10 years--mine is 15yrs) and EVERYONE has fences down. Part
of my fence was built in April and its the only one in the neighborhood up.
My next door neighbors bedroom roof collapsed from water earlier this
morning. Those that did not board windows--there is a lot of broken windows.
And we were on the CLEAN side of the hurricane.
Debbie
N hwy 6, west Houston
Major GOOD NEWS!
I just talked to ilovejesus99 in Baytown, TX.
Sandy ^8^ says she's OK!
LOTS of yard damage but her house appears to have weathered the storm in fine shape.
No power but her landline phone is working fine....
She says it's blazing hot and humid.
So hot her feet are sweating!
AND she's eaten so many Klondike bars she's sick......
If anyone whould like to call her DMail me please.
She said if she doesn't answer it's because it's too hot to run to the phone! LOL!
Ric
13, 2008 3:35 PM ET
"AUSTIN (AP) - Many of the millions of Texans who lost power from Hurricane Ike's wrath won't get it back for weeks, as utility companies struggle to undo damage inflicted on high-voltage transmission lines, officials said Saturday.
Dottie Roark, spokeswoman for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the power grid for most of the state, said two-thirds of the electricity transmission used by Houston-based Centerpoint Energy customers went down. That includes 8 of the 345 kilovolt lines - the largest on the grid, she said.
"In some of these areas, it could be weeks before they get their power back on," Roark said. "Two-thirds of the transmission - that's a big hit." Entergy, the electric utility, has also reported major damage to its transmission lines, company representatives said.
More than three million people in Southeast Texas were left without power after Hurricane Ike roared ashore. Terry Hadley, a spokesman for the Texas Public Utility Commission, said the fate of those high-voltage lines, the main arteries of the electric grid, will greatly affect how long people are without power.
"The key will be what damage there is to major transmission lines," Hadley said. "The first priority is search and rescue. And then they'll move in the power companies as soon as there's an all clear."
Hadley said the power outages in the Beaumont area is more extensive than the devastation left by Hurricane Rita in 2005. Hadley said crews from utility companies outside the affected areas would likely help with the restoration effort, which will likely begin on the western edges of the storm and move east toward the areas with the most damage.
"Just about everybody in the greater Houston area and Beaumont is without electricity unless there is back-up power," Hadley added.
State officials are meeting in Austin to discuss emergency response efforts, including the restoration of electric power. Texas wasn't the only state to see major power outages. Some 140,000 lost electricity in Louisiana. That's in addition to the 60,000 still without power from Labor Day's Hurricane Gustav."
Maybe sometime before we hear from a lot of our DG friends. I can't imagine such devastation.
Christi
Yuck. That's a long time to be without the luxury of the electricity we have come to take for granted.
I just talked to Marylynn_TX again a few minutes ago.
She said they were told it could be 4 weeks before all the power is restored.
I'm guessing the Army Corp of Engineers will be paying a visit down there soon.
I can't see it going on that long.
The health issues alone............ insulin storage, home care, etc....
Ric
Elphaba ~ don't let it discourage you... the mess will be cleaned up one stick at a time. Take it in stride and your gardens will be even more beautiful when done. Amazing how plants survive in adversity. We could take lessons from them.
Elphaba, I'm sorry about what has happened to your house, but am glad you yourself are OK.
Ric, thank you for information on Sandy. I have been worried about her being alone throught all this. I'm glad her house weathered the storm.
Has anyone heard from araness? Orange is so close to the coast. According to maps shown last night, Orange was in the path of the projected storm surge.
Now everyone affected by Ike has a different worry. We have relatives in Houston. My MIL's house had a 6" hole in the ceiling and two trees leaning against the house. Trees block the driveway and the street. My SIL's house was spared direct damage, but has a large tree blocking the driveway. Early this afternoon, she answered to door to a man who was volunteering to cut and move (didn't mention haul away) the tree for $1,000. It's amazing how fast these worms come out of the woodwork. Check with the Better Business Bureau before hiring anyone to do work for you.
Elphaba, Stay off the roof. You just ran 8.0 on a Bull. Try to relax and enjoy that you and your pets lived thru it. Did a twister with baseball hail in April and my gardens are doing wonderful with all the rain you guys on the coast have sent us. Lots of work but you just need to take it all in and take a deep breath. We have large trees around our house and I love them until they come alive in a storm with the fear of falling on the house. All will be fine! Try and sleep well tonight as I am sure you had no rest last night. God Bless
Henry, Thanks for letting us know about sandy. I was really worried about her.
Elphaba, Hang in there. When things settle down i'll have some seeds to send your way. How are you doing in the way of supplys ? Also wonder how Sandy is doing in the way of supplys.
Prayers going out your way.
Vickie
Shoot the worms! I am a God fearing woman that never spanked my kids nor hit my animals and I just want to hang those low life jerks and beat them with a large stick! How can anyone stoop that low? Makes me sick to know they will come in masses to the area.
That sounds like what the towing companies are doing in the unregulated towing counties along Padre Island. Family was down there and got caught in sand with the surf coming in. The fee to tow his vehicle? $2500. The county he was in allows a "the sky's the limit" policy on towing there. Sounds like a good county to stay out of.
Didn't areness have an emergency contact?
Glad to hear about Sandy...but wish she had called to go to the shelter. It's one thing for my sister's family and my daughter's family to ride it out. Houston didn't even want people clogging the roads when they live in the relatively safer areas of town.
We have the power out more often out here in the country than San Antonio has. We have those oil lamps and flashlights for light. We cook (and heat) with propane. But would like a generator someday. Not fun to lose everything in your refrigerator.
On the weather channel they said there was bad flooding in Orange... I suspect Araness is without lights too. Hoping she and her family are o.k..
There are good people out there but the leeches prey on tragedy. I would hope no one feels the urgency to get it cleaned up to patronize those "worms"!
Jeez LindaTX8. Are they still pulling that one off? When we were in our Prime as young dumb girls down there in Dads motorhome(7 of us) We were so happy to be at the beach that we did not notice the tide was coming in. Yep I was stupid enough to park the beast right on the beach! I knew better as I had lived there. Heck time flys and tide comes in with no tires showing. I called for a tow and he comes and tells us it will be 600.00 This was in 1977. If I remember right we had about 300.00 combined to camp on the beach for 2 weeks. Well one of my friends said she had her Dads credit card and would pay for it. I thru a fit and said I would rather sink the thing than pay that! This was not my Dads Motorhome, I was just the one that drive it to the coast. Our little friend Cindy was getting very scared of this Guy and called her Daddy. Well her Dad was a Judge in Ft Worth and called someone to tow us out in 20 min. Im not sure to this day what went down when Cindy called her Daddy but this Guy that wanted all this money was now driving our Motorhome to the septic dump for us the whole time us girls were there. He told one girl he would never drive a Tow truck in the state of Texas again if he did not take care of us girls. I hope he kept the morals he learned in those 2 weeks as he turned out to be a great guy to all us girls.
Sandy said she was going to start eating the microwave meals next.
She has an electric stove...... so I suggested a little backyard cookout.
After all she has no lack of fuel.
As for supplies... I didn't ask and she didn't say....
but I know there's a huge supply of MRE's down in Houston... I saw that before Ike hit.
State officials say 57 helicopters and 1,500 rescue personnel are on the ground along the hardest hit areas.
Gov. Perry's spokeswoman, Allison Castle, said late Saturday that since Hurricane Ike made landfall there had been 940 rescues statewide of people stranded in homes, vehicles or other places. Most of the rescues have been in Galveston and Orange counties, she said.
And I've heard of 3 babies being born in the Evac shelters!
Man what a Tale that will be!
Be Safe!
"Associated Press - September 13, 2008 10:35 PM ET
ORANGE, Texas (AP) - Hundreds of Orange residents rescued from Hurricane Ike's floodwaters are headed to San Antonio on 25 buses.
The 600 to 700 people rescued by nightfall Saturday were originally headed to Nacogdoches in East Texas, but that plan fell through.
It wasn't clear when the buses would make the 300-mile trip to San Antonio. Orange is on the Louisiana border, about 110 miles east of Houston."
Perhaps araness is with this group. Pray she and DH are safe.
Christi
A picture is definitely worth a thousand words:
http://www.chron.com/news/photogallery/Ike_blasts_Houston_Galveston.html
This message was edited Sep 14, 2008 3:55 AM
Oh, I'd heard there was another group of evacuees going to S.A., but I didn't know it was so many people or that they were from Orange! I'm glad they're really trying to rescue people. Nothing worse than flood waters to make people appreciate a drier climate. We haven't had any real rain since this thing began.
Thank God you are all safe!!! Having just come thru Gustav I know exactly what you are going thru!!! We're dealing with the adjusters now!!!! Make the insurance co. your 1st call. It can take them a while to get the adjusters there!!!! It's been 14 days since Gustav and I believe I met with the last on them yesterday. When I was able to get thru they told me to take pictures and secure my property. The adjuster told us that if the repairs total 80% of the insured value they total the property. They totalled 3 units yesterday and possible a 4th one will be added to that list. We secured the units as quickly as possible but with no electricity and extreme heat they all had mold and mildew starting to grow in them. That just cut my income by $2100.00 a month. Oh well, we'll have to figure something out.
The heat was the hardest thing to deal with while there wasn't any electricity!!! We were blessed the whole time we were without electric that it was overcast and rainy!!! I can only imagine how bad it would have gotten if the sun had been out!!!!!
I have been dmailing SingingWolf, who is Trois' daughter. She hasn't heard from Barbara, Trois' wife or Trois' son. Anyone hear where they evacuated to or if they did, please post it. They live in Santa Fe.
Ric, it can take forever to get electric restored! They don't have to just clean up debris, they have to totally reset poles, re-run wires, the whole shebang. They may even have to wait for water to recede and land to dry out so they can drive those heavy trucks on it without getting stuck in the mud. Basically, they're starting from scratch. They'll have teams from all over the state of Texas plus from other states working 24/7 to get everything back, but it will take 4 weeks or longer for everyone to be back up and running.
I was thinking about Trois' family too, they live close to Galveston, I hope they are O.K.
For all of you that went thru that hurricane. I really feel for you as we went thru 3 a couple yrs ago and I know how much loss and work it is . May God Bless all of you. Help each other the way we did and in no time you will be back on your feet. Fran in Orlando, fl
Praying for your strength and safety.
Yeah the drill on fixing the power is pretty straight forward.
Basically in many parts a total rebuild.
I'm just wondering if they will be bringing in Corp of Engineers or some other Military groups.
Their specialty is down and dirty installs on a record pace.... just set up battalion sized generators.
Get power to a source
Then the actual permanent repairs can go ahead.
IMHO it's time to bring in the Big Dogs
Can't say if Trois' family evacuated, but Santa Fe was definitely in the evacuation zone, so maybe they did.
We've had the National Guard here since day before yesterday. The electric company already pre-planned to bring in 1500 extra workers from Oklahoma and Lousiana. They're on top of things but, it still takes time.
We've had some pretty wild storms here in the Phoenix area. Trees and utility poles go down; people are without electricity for a few days. Some homes get damaged. Everyone freaks out. I cannot imagine what we'd do if we got something of the nature of Ike. I looked at the photos dmj1218 posted. It's hard to imagine where to even start.
My heart goes out to you all. I think you must be a strong bunch and I know you'll survive this. I wish you all the best - and soon.
My heart goes out to all of you as you begin the enormous work
of cleaning up and getting your lives back in order.
Here in Albuquerque, NM, and other places in the state, we now
have teams of firefighters, utility workers and equipment, and other
trained personnel heading your way to help. Events like this make
us all more aware of "Help thy neighbor" and the simple acts of
kindness that make a difference. We are proud to lend a hand. It
will take time, but it will get done.
Thoughts and prayers flowing your way,
June
Does anybody happen to know if MamaJack and her sister are ok?
I had her phoen number some where. If nobody knows wil start hunting it down and see if I cna reach her.
She lives in a suburb of Dallas and this area didn't get any storms. Saw a post a couple of weeks ago that she is having pc problems. Might try d-mailing to her.
Christi
starlight, I live about 10 miles west of mamajack. I haven't heard from her, but we didn't get any serious weather here. Rainy and a few good wind gusts, but that's about it.
I am more worried about cocoa, who lives farther east and hasn't checked in. I have her cell # on my phone, but right now I don't have my phone. Has anyone heard?
That address puts them on the west side of downtown so they should be OK there.
Power is out all over there so....
Do you have a Landline Phone # ?
If not try a White Pages search.
Most of the calls I'm getting are from the good ole' Landlines
Ike just slid past us here in Cincinnati, OH...
Probably 140 miles to the west...
We are getting Wind pounded... (well for here anyway)
35 MPH winds Gusts to 55 MPH....
Nature did a bit of tree trimming in our backyard and our neighbors.
Ric
My sister's family to the NW side of Houston received some damage from falling trees, but nothing major. They've got a little minimal roof damage to one side where a tree is now leaning against the edge of the roof. And another tree took out an old van they have...basicly it wasn't worth much anyway The good car was in the garage, it's fine, and their DIL's car was saved by the old van taking the brunt of that falling tree, just a minor dent. No power, of course, but phone's working. They were lucky.