Ike on the way

[NoHope587]

I expect to be offline for the next few days as Ike passes through the Houston area.
I will hold off mailing out any trades etc until things get back to normal.
If my cable connection holds out I may be able to get online, assuming my house still has a roof. Generator is primed fuel stored and the shutters are down not much else to do but wait..

[Triggersmob]

I hope you come through unscathed. I read today that the storm surge could cover a two storey house.

Is Miss Kitty in the path of the hurricane too?

[KurtS]

I saw some of the storm surge maps, and it doesn't look good.
I hope everyone stays safe through this.

[NoHope587]

Well the powers out. Cable and phone still working.
I have 5 days of fuel for the generator hopefully that will be enough...If not I'm off to Mississippi on Monday....

[Nighthawk]

I hope all goes well for you!

[ElleKitty]

Ike doesn't look like it's going to affect me at all.  Maybe some sprinkles late tomorrow.

My prayers go out to everyone in the path of this storm.  It looks mean.

[Nighthawk]

Glad to hear Ike won't get to your area. Hey Miss Kitty, still have'nt got your package. Hopefully today! I hope, I hope, I hope!

[scottishmoney]

It is surreal watching all the destruction of Galveston on TV, we spent a lot of weekends there when I lived in Houston.  Galveston is a cool place.

[NoHope587]

Just about everyone in the Houston area has no power. Cable tv and internet are down in my area. A curfew is in effect from 7pm to 2pm not that there is anywhere to go or anything to do until the infrastructure returns to normal. Working for a high tech company gives me access to tools most don't have. My house is rapidly becoming the cell phone charging capital for the area and I suspect there will be various people sleeping on the floor this evening as I have AC.

[TwoShadows]

Good luck to all you Texans down there. If there is no power in Houston we can expect a Texas baby boom in about 9 months?    First indications put a ton of Ike's rain over us, here in Indiana, but revised weather forcasting is putting it north of us so I/We don't have to worry (knock on wood) about another flood in this area at this time. One thing is for certain that storm is going to move across the midwest, headed north, in a hurry if our forcasters are correct. Looks like northern Indiana and Chicago are going to get a good drenching before this is all over with.
For what its worth the rich man is already capitalizing on this hurricane as gas prices were raised to $5.00 per gallon yesterday and ALL lumber prices have also gone up. The latter really peeves me off as most area stores and lumber yards were having sales to get rid of all the "summer" left overs but they could raise the prices due to a hurricane in the gulf. I sure didn't know Texas was such a huge lumber state?
The good ole boys can screw their own but they can't raise the price of a bushel of corn, soybeans or wheat to $100 a barrel which would make trading for our oil a much simplier process? Thats the system I am waiting on! A good old fashion barter!!!

[NoHope587]

Some Pics
I have not taken my camera around the neighborhood yet. I walked around to check on the neighbors but it looks like our sub division came through relatively unscathed. Some of my co-workers are not so lucky so I will be firing up the chain saw tomorrow to clear trees out of houses etc.

The back of my house. There used to be a sun room/cover porch behind the chimney most of it has just vanished but there is a small part off to the right and the decking floor is still there.
http://www.mycoins.us/forum/Ike/Back%20House.JPG

My Drive no damage to my trusty truck but the fence on the left is on the floor.
http://www.mycoins.us/forum/Ike/Drive.JPG

First light and the fact I have power is obvious to the neighbors already have one round to try and save his freezer contents.
http://www.mycoins.us/forum/Ike/First%20Light.JPG

I now have an unobstructed view of the guys house behind me.
http://www.mycoins.us/forum/Ike/Nextdoor1.JPG


All in all I have been very lucky. just a small amount of water ingress from the AC system and the loss of my covered back porch.

[scottishmoney]

In October of '94 we went through a flood there in Kingwood, we had no power for something like 4-5 days.  Far from being a miserable experience for me, it rather was an eye opening experience, like seeing incredible acts of human kindness, all the strangers that came by the Red Cross shelter and offered to let us stay in their homes or drive us around etc.

Disasters bite, but they do remind us that they can be the times when the best of human nature is brought out.

[scottishmoney]

First light and the fact I have power is obvious to the neighbors already have one round to try and save his freezer contents.
http://www.mycoins.us/forum/Ike/First%20Light.JPG

Ain't fun all of a sudden being the most popular guy in the 'hood?

[KurtS]

Nohope, I'm glad to see you got through OK. 

disasters...remind us that they can be the times when the best of human nature is brought out

Well said!

[CoinCrusader42]

A couple summers ago my wife and I went to Europe.

Our first stop on the trip was Houston, where we got on the cruise ship.  It was then down the channel to the Gulf, and on our way.

Before boarding the ship, a friendly cab driver gave us a nice tour of Houston.

The point is, having seen all this recently, the Hurricane had more meaning to us other than just another disaster story.

We are glad nohope did all right, and hope things get back to normal as soon as possible.

 

[latman]

Glad to see you made it relatively unscathed nohope. Must say also, that despite the potential disaster, it is really nice to see beautiful green lawns and healthy plants. We are in the grip of drought here and everything is dead.

[Muckeye]

My sympathy to all effected by this catastrophy.
Having spent 22 years in north Queensland I weathered a few hurricanes\cyclones, both on land and at sea. NOT FUNNY.
Good luck for a quick recovery.
regards,

[TwoShadows]

So they raised the price of gasoline for nothing?

[ElleKitty]

Oh, not for nothing.  I'm sure they made a bundle of money off of us in the process.  Although I have to say, the prices of gas here never went above what I'd seen in the recent pass. Highest price I saw this weekend was $3.89. 

[Nighthawk]

The highest I saw here in Michigan was $4.29/gallon! YIKES!

[KurtS]

On that note, you're lucky to live in Texas. I've seen my gas as high as $5.05, but has since dropped. I'm sure another upswing is due. 
But what do I have to complain about...it's not like I'm facing real problems like a hurricane; I hope everybody stays safe.

[Muckeye]

Sir Old Dan.
That's good news to someone on the other side of the globe.
regards,

[TwoShadows]

I hate to think what those folks on the coast went through as Ike tore Indiana, and the midwest, to pieces yesterday. That has to be the fastest moving hurricane I have seen in my life as they usually take a couple of days to get to us. People still without power all over the place!

[NoHope587]

I have spent all afternoon clearing roads and putting tarps on roofs. Everyone here is helping themselves as much as they can.
Two local restaurants actually opened today. The Live oak Grill which has a gas powered burger grill. No power cash only but I noticed several people were served even though they could not pay. Gringos a Mexican Catina chain a little closer to Houston opened its doors no menu just whatever they had available to cook. People have been offering myself and the rest of the crew food and water that I suspect they can ill afford to give away. Grocery stores are giving away veggies and fruit before they spoil. The Fema distribution sites are running like clockwork. No one is pushing in line or causing trouble. The only thing that's Pissing me off is the media which is trying to find negative things to say. There was a mix up about who was going to handle the distribution of goods to the local relief centers. It was taken care of but caused a three hour delay in supplies arriving at their final destinations. A problem occurred and it was sorted in record time. Yet all the media are doing is trying to apportion blame for the incident. Centerpoint working miracles having restores power to over half a million people so far. Gas is in short supply but its mainly because there are so few stations with power to pump it. Houston is well on the way to recovery. Galveston is not fairing quite so well but even there progress is being made.

[TwoShadows]

This says a lot about the people of Texas!!! Proud to hear they are dealing with their natural disaster with their chins up and dreams about tomorrow. Quite honestly I knew, regardless of what happened down there it would not turn into a pathetic mess and there would be NO Texans screaming for the government to save them. Like it or not natural disasters do occur and there is NO overnight miracle and basically NOTHING the government can do until the damage is done. The media will over dramatize the first fart they smell and play off of that smell for days. The good folks in Texas will probably show the rest of the world how to recover and do it quietly and quickly if the media and government will let them. But, more than likely, it will turn into a huge money show and the people who really need it the most won't see a dime! Isn't it great being such an optimist when money sucking organizations get involved!

[ElleKitty]

Unfortunately, there are Texans screaming for people to save them. *sighs*

ABC radio news played a clip of some young-sounding woman screaming at the Salvation Army because her Grandmother (82) had not eaten in 2 days. (since Saturday).  My question is; why didn't she buy food at the grocery store the WEEK before Ike hit that we knew it was heading for Houston?  Why did she expect someone to drop food into her hands when she held them out AFTER the disaster?

I will never understand these people. 

However I agree.  For the most part, things are going like clockwork here.  My employer, TMMTX, is running donations of both items and cash for the next week.  I will be taking them in as I can, and hopefully I will be picked to be on one of the four crews they're sending to the local Food Bank to sort donations and prepare meals for our slice of the Evacuee population.

[Muckeye]

nohope 587 and Miss Kitty, God bless your little cotten pickin' hearts.
I Know you are just two among many, but as you represent our little group of coin collectors, I'll say it again. Gog Bless you.
I can only hope all goes well quickley.
regards,

[scottishmoney]

I will suggest it is not up to the Salvation Army or even the Red Cross to take care of all the people, but rather it is for all the people to take care of all the people.

When we went through the flood in Houston in 1994 my then fiance now wife and I took in an 80+ year old lady, because we were concerned about her being on the first floor of the apartment building when the water was coming up and the lights were out.  It became an interesting experience when we brought her with us when we evacuated and went to the Red Cross shelter, she shared something with us that resonates to this day.  She said we reminded her of the kind Germans that smuggled her out of Germany in the 1930's to France.  It turned out she was Jewish, and was a because of the Germans that smuggled her out of Germany she avoided the Holocaust that fated so many of her relatives.

We contacted her family back in Connecticut and they came and got her finally. And we were actually the luckiest, I still like being equated with people that risked all to save someone from the Nazis.

[TwoShadows]

Well I/We got our first bad taste on the news this morning when a few disgruntled folks were complaining that FEMA, after they had gotten pre-approval, was NOT paying for their hotel rooms in another city so they were evicted because they couldn't pay?   I can honestly say I don't go to hotels if I can' afford to pay for it, regardless of the reason, but I am one damned good camper with all the necessities to make camping fun and its a LOT cheaper than a hotel. Guess I just take way too much pride in taking care of myself and my family. It never ceases to amaze me how so many folks are willing to go on TV to cry to the world for a handout but, at the same time, refuse to attempt to help themselves. This bunch reminded me of New Orleans all over again!
I just don't understand as we just don't see that here. I might also make mention our local churches and charities are NOW complainng about some, should I say illegals, traveling from church to church, for handouts as its an easy living and freeloading in the U.S. has become a lifestyle for many! Don't get me wrong as I would do anything for anyone who has the willingness to help themselves but do believe sooner or later every bird must learn to fly.

[ElleKitty]

You know, I wonder just how many of these people learned this behaviour from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  I'd imagine some of them are displaced New Orleanians.

[scottishmoney]

Twoshadows, I think the press likes to go around and stir the pot with the fewer bad apple stories than all the good stories of people reaching out and helping their neighbours and fellow Americans in need.  Having been through a disaster, the flood of 1994 north of Houston, I can vouch for the fact that there is far more good than bad.  The rotten apples are just the ones that want a handout no matter what.  They are why we have welfare, etc. so they can stay home and pump out more kids.

[NoHope587]

I am sitting here at home with 8 other neighbors celebrating the return of Electricity. I shut my generator down at 6pm this evening.
The neighborhood is secure all the roofs have been patched with tarp or plastic. With no help from Fema. our community is almost back to normal. No one whined or complained everyone pitched in as they were able. the streets are cleared and I am half way through my second bottle of wine so ask me if I care what the press is saying.... Just about everyone here has some one staying with them.. Tomorrow I am getting in my car and driving to Vegas to have some fun...

http://www.mycoins.us/forum/Ike/last%20house.JPG
http://www.mycoins.us/forum/Ike/Street.JPG