jkOnTheRun

Blogging Rita- final part

Power has just come back on and I must say it’s been an emotional roller coaster having come from what was projected to hit us to what we actually experienced.  We have received virtually no rain except a few sprinkles, the wind is still occasionally gusting but has quieted for the most part.  Our yard is littered with tree limbs but there is no damage I can find for which we are very thankful.

On the geek side I can’t tell you how glad I am to have two batteries for my Tablet PC, I used it sparingly to get weather updates and light blogging and had only just switched out my first battery when the power came back on.  This HP tc1100 gets phenomenal battery life when optimized for such.  At times the Verizon EVDO had connection problems but I never failed to eventually get in and when I did I experienced full EVDO speed which is fast.

With power off and no air conditioning earlier today when the winds died down to a safe level at least 10 children came out of their homes to play at the end of my street.  The sad part is I haven’t seen these kids playing outside for months.  Makes you think.

I wish to thank everyone all over the world who has expressed their concerns for our situation.  Friends can help make any situation brighter, even when confronting the giant.  I am very touched by all who have contacted me to offer support.  I feel very blessed.

Blogging Rita- part 11

Rita has moved inland. We all went to bed last night at 11 pm and all was well. We were awakened this morning at 5:20 am when the power loss alarm went off in the house.  No TV stations are live on the portable TV. EVDO rocks!

UPDATE: We can now get a TV signal on the portable. We are on the very fringe of the storm with gusty winds but no rain at all.  We still have water which is great, just no power.

Blogging Rita- part 10

The latest update by those who track hurricanes has moved the projected path of Hurricane Rita even further to the east.  This means my house is no longer in the predicted path of the eye of the storm.  We are now expecting roughly 80 mph winds which is much better than the 120+ mph winds previously predicted.  It is beginning to look like the biggest problem we might face is a prolonged power outage.  Centerpoint Energy is already reporting localized power outages across the entire Houston area and the winds onshore are less than 30 mph.  We’re keeping our fingers crossed and fully aware that in a hurricane what is good news to us means bad news for others.

Blogging Rita- part 9

I just received word that my Mom and group arrived safely at their destination near Dallas.  They ended up leaving the mandatory evacuation route due to the traffic problem and went all over back roads until they got there about 1:30 this morning.  Cell phone service is already having trouble all over Texas and she was finally able to get hold of my brother here in Houston with the news.  My sister who lives in Beaumont left yesterday for the Dallas area and I haven’t heard of her progress yet.

My household is full of nervous energy as all preparation has been completed and there is nothing left to do, leaving everyone charged up with no outlet to work off the nervousness.  Me, I’m sitting here enjoying the connectivity while it lasts and listening to the sweet bluesy classic rock sound of Led Zeppelin.  Just seems right, somehow.

Blogging Rita- part 8

Now the wait begins.  All storm preparations are done and we are hunkering down for the big show that should start later today.  Predictions have us beginning to feel some wind and rain around noon CST today with a gradual strengthening until landfall tomorrow noon.  The temperature has dropped around 10 degrees from what it was the past few days making it extremely pleasant outside.  I still have not been able to get in contact with my Mom nor my sister so I do not know if they are still stuck in the giant traffic fiasco on their way to Dallas.

There will no doubt be much discussion and investigations over the handling of the evacuation plan.  People have now been sitting in a very slow moving traffic jam for over 24 hours and shelters are being put in place to get them out of their cars come storm time.  The traffic jam is reported to be over 100 miles long due in large part to evacuees leaving whenever they wanted as opposed to following the planned staggered evacuation that was designed to prevent just such traffic problems.  No doubt finger-pointing for blame will begin in earnest even before the storm comes ashore.  I saw one county official tell his constituents two days ago that while their mandatory evacuation was to take place the next day according to the official plan that he wouldn’t wait so they could use any route they wanted to leave as opposed to the official route and time.  They should string this guy up.

Blogging Rita- part 7

I just received an update from my Mom’s evacuation progress.  I wanted to bring her to my house since she’s 82 years old and lives alone but my sister and her husband decided to evacuate to his brother’s house in Dallas.  Mom decided to go with them and they left town late last night.  I just heard from her and they are only 50 miles north of Houston, sitting in a gridlock, and only estimate an hour or two of gas left.  Hopefully one of those fuel trucks that Governor Perry has dispatched to the main evacuation routes will reach them in time.  In addition to my elderly Mom they also have my brother-in-law’s mother with them who is in her nineties.

Blogging Rita- part 6

We have spent the past two days getting ready for Rita.  Yesterday we stocked up on nonperishable food and water.  I can easily say we have more food in the house than ever before.  No matter what happens I am confident we will not go hungry.  This morning we removed all loose items from the front and back yards and stowed them away in the garage.  We only have a porch swing and trampoline left to disassemble and stow away.  We have not boarded up the windows on the house– there are over 50 windows and this is just not feasible.  It doesn’t help that plywood has been going for $20 a sheet when you can find it.  We have cleaned out a walk-in closet for us all (2 adults, 3 teenagers, 2 dogs) to huddle in if the wind gets really bad.  It’s the safest room in the house.  All notebooks and Tablet PCs have been fully charged, all iPods and cell phones too.  Unfortunately the 10 hour battery that was to be delivered this morning will likely not show up as UPS has announced all deliveries are cancelled until further notice.  I was really counting on that battery to keep me online longer. 

Cell phone service has already been spotty since last night due to overload, it seems many people are calling in and out which is no surprise.  I hope Verizon’s EVDO keeps rocking for a while. 

The Houston Chronicle with the help of columnist and blogger Dwight Silverman have started a blog called Stormwatchers that is following Rita news through a team of bloggers in the Houston area.  This experiment in citizen journalism by a major newspaper is an excellent “first person perspective” of those in the throes of a major storm like Rita.

Blogging Rita- part 5

As tens of thousands of motorists are stuck in traffic trying to flee the Houston area a new projected path for Rita is now being reported by the authorities.  While there is no such thing as good news where a storm of this magnitude is concerned the latest estimated path is welcome news for those in my area.  The new path shows Rita coming ashore much farther east than the previous projections which puts us much farther from the eye path then previously thought.  The new “landfall cone” now indicates the storm’s possible path is split between Texas and Louisiana.  I am beginning to feel a little easier than I did first thing this morning but I still feel horrible for anyone in the path of this major hurricane.  Of course, Rita could change direction countless times between now and landfall as she is as fickle as all such storms tend to be.

Blogging Rita- part 4

Earlier I tried to describe the feelings that I am experiencing at the decision to stay and ride out Hurricane Rita and since then I’ve been talking to others here to get their take.  One person told me that they are “paralyzed with fear” at the thought of staying, especially since it is almost too late to leave given the traffic situation.  To me we’re in the “deer in the headlights” stage– we see the danger but we can’t do anything about it.  Maybe Bill Cosby said it best when he was describing the split-second before a traffic accident when everything seems to slow down but you can’t prevent the collision.  First you say it and then you do it.

Blogging Rita- Part 3

No, you didn't miss parts 1 and 2 of "Blogging Rita" - I decided that even though the first 2 posts on Rita weren't numbered to make it easier for readers to find them that I should start with this third post.  Significant news concerning the path of Rita this morning.  Last night at midnight Houston time the predicted path put Rita making landfall around the Freeport area.  This put the eye passing very close to my area in Cypress, or at the very least put us on the “dirty” (west) side of the storm which is the worst side for rain, wind and possible tornado damage.  This morning the experts are predicting landfall very close to Galveston which means my area would be on the clean side of the storm.  Not much to hang your hat on but those of us here are looking for anything to make us feel better about our situation.

The traffic situation has taken a turn for the worse– people are experiencing 3 and 4 hour trips that take them only 2 miles towards the edge of town.  The emergency measures have been stepped up as a result and the three major arteries out of town are currently being set for contra-flow. The inbound side of these freeways are being closed and diverted to a single traffic flow towards out of town.  This is a very ambitious and unprecedented move given the size of the city of Houston but it will hopefully make it easier for people to flee the storm’s predicted path.  The downside– this contra-flow project is so huge in scope that it will likely be late today before it is completed, and those already sitting unmoving on Houston’s freeways will probably not be affected by this move.  Right now there is no sure way out of town in less than 18 – 24 hours and with the predicted landfall of late tomorrow night they predict the first gale force winds will hit land sometime Friday morning.

I must comment once again on the fantastic job city, county and state officials are doing in preparation for Rita.  I have never seen such a concise plan enacted so quickly, especially considering the areal scope of the predicted affected area.  The mayor of Houston, Bill White, has done a great job planning, executing and just as importantly explaining to citizens using no uncertain terms what is going on, how residents will be affected and what they should do through frequent press conferences.

Galveston city officials have stated their intention of riding out the storm on the island, and will stay hunkered down in the San Luis Hotel.  The San Luis has long been a favorite stop for tourists but most people don’t realize the hotel was built specifically to withstand a Category 5 hurricane like Rita.  There is a special bunker at the hotel and city officials will stay there.  The mayor of Galveston, in a press conference yesterday, was asked how she is handling the pressure of the situation since the island is likely to be devastated.  Her response– the bar at the San Luis is as good as people have heard.

Hurricane Rita- to stay or go- which one is the right move?

Houston has been at the forefront of the Katrina relief effort and an often heard question dealt with why the people of New Orleans did not heed the call to evacuate.  With Rita bearing down on the Houston area the answer is a little clearer to those currently wrestling with the same decision.  No one wants to expose their family to a potentially dangerous situation but the decision to stay or go is not as simple as it seems on the surface.  How difficult this decision is can only be appreciated by examining the thought process that is being undertaken by everyone close to the Texas Gulf Coast right now.  Those in the predicted storm surge area don’t have to think about anything, they are under a mandatory evacuation.  Those of us who are not under mandatory evacuation but are still in the predicted path of Rita are the ones facing a difficult choice.  So why would any of us choose to stay?

Only a few hours after those on the coast began fleeing the area news outlets were reporting that given the sheer numbers of evacuees there was not a hotel room available in the entire state of Texas.  This means that people without relatives or friends outside the storm zone would have to go all the way out of state to the north or to the west to escape.  The staggering amount of cars trying to flee the area means that such a trip could easily take 24 hours to get to a safe destination.  Right now every single route out of the area is bumper to bumper in traffic that is barely moving, trips through Houston of just a few miles are reported to take over 5 hours!  For many in the area there is simply nowhere to go.

Area residents that choose to make the trip anyway are confronted with some tremendous obstacles.  Gasoline stations in Houston are either out of gasoline already or have lines that stretch for blocks in some cases.  Heading out of town is a challenge before you even leave the area because you must have a full tank when you don’t know how far you’re going to go.  The high price of gasoline starts your journey with only the first big expense of what will likely prove to be a very expensive trip.  There is no telling how many additional times you will have to fill the tank before you find a hotel somewhere out of state.  It could easily be a couple of hundred bucks just for gasoline.  Those with large families will be hit with large hotel bills once they find a place to land, it will surely be necessary to stay for days if not a week or two as predictions are that the coastal area will be without power for up to two weeks.  Those families that have pets will find it even more difficult to find a place to stay that will accept pets in the rooms.  I know I couldn’t bear to leave my dogs behind to fend for themselves, especially after seeing all the heart-wrenching video of abandoned pets in New Orleans after Katrina.

All of these things are being considered by thousands of people in the areas expected to be impacted by Rita, and many are not sure if they should go or not.  Or if it’s even possible to get out of town at this point.  So we decide to ride it out while people elsewhere in the country ask their televisions “why didn’t they just get out?”

Following Rita

Hurricane Rita is lumbering toward the Texas coast and the emergency services that have been mobilized is simply amazing.  The current path of Rita has it coming right up the island of Galveston and continuing on to my hometown of Houston.  By 6 am tomorrow morning over 1 million people will have been evacuated under a mandatory evacuation enacted by state and local authorities.  Seems everyone learned valuable lessons from Katrina.  My home is far enough inland that we should be OK so as of now we are going to ride it out. I have been watching news coverage all day and Houston is one giant traffic jam so I'm not sure we could get very far anyway.  I'm going to blog about this as it unfolds but at some point we will likely lose power so if I go silent that's probably what happened.  Hopefully Bill can post some interesting stuff if I can't get online.  As of now Rita is a Category 5 storm with winds of 165 MPH and 200 MPH gusts.  Our power company is telling residents to be prepared to be without power for two weeks. Wish us luck.