Should I stay or should I go?

Don't forget about fresh water flooding. Houston has many areas that flood. I knew someone that lived in the neighborhood of Mary Lou Retten. The house was several feet above the street level and about every 15-20 years they had water in the house. This was fresh water.

One of the biggest issues is when the wind is strong enough (or street flooding bad enough) that 911 will not respond. Heart attack --- you are on your own. Glass from broken window in eyes --- you are own you own. Broken bones doing an emergency repair --- no help. The snake that got a little too close -- no help.

Another fun issue is the wind breaking live power lines. The power lines hit houses and start fires. The rain from the hurricane is typically not wet enough to put out the house fire that has 100+ MPH wind "fanning" it.

Wait for 100 responses, then go!

Well is he still playing with Ike ?

Loss of drinkable water, electricity, Internet connection, city services, food and beer supplies, fuel, damages from flying objects.

Don't forget your friends such the huntsman spiders that will move into your house.

They seem to only be evacuating flood areas.

Batten down the hatches and get the Coleman stove out. Even though your chance of flooding your house may be safe.. what about access roads etc surrounding the area. You may be stuck on an island for a week or so until water recedes and roads and services are repaired.

I think La is a bad evacuation route since the storms invariably will move east after making landfall. This storm is only tracking at 10 mph so it will change direction at a fairly sharp angle. It may even hesitate over Huston for a short time

Should I stay or should I go now?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
An' if I stay it will be double

So come on and let me know

You're twice as high and much further from the water than we are in El Lago. And 90% of my neighbors are staying.

Lemmings never lie.

Yeah, but it make you wonder when everyone in Friendswood is leaving. We are like a ghost town now, except on the main roads which are bumper to bumper.

Lemmings never lie? Or lemmings never live?

BTW you get the Steve S. prize for recognizing musical references... My last such thread, "Moving on over, rocking on over" never had anyone acknowledge the musical reference...

I always think of 'should I stay or should I go' as being the Goalkeepers (soccer) song!

It's the hardest decision for a 'keeper... stay on my line and let the defence do it's job , or go out and try to catch that greasey ball through a ruck of players and risk getting stranded. You get damn commentators who know zip about 'keeping saying crass things like 'The keeper just flapped at it' NO he tried to get to it but was impeded by several other people trying to do the same.

Whoops sorry about that rant.

Dunno what the answer is...Whatever is safest for the kids?

Del

Allot of Harris county is under mandatory evacuation. Is El Lago on the 'other side of the tracks'?

No, EL Lago is in the evacuation zone. (Very little of Harris county is actually under evacuation.) I'm about three blocks from one of the tidal lakes. I may also just be stupid.

What maximum wind speed can your house withstand? Do you have a disaster kit or supplies, generator, food, etc. that could last until power comes back on and local stores re-open? What about your vehicle, do you have a safe place to park it? How will you communicate? What about your family, are they prepared too?

Good questions all.

Food we have.

Ice we have

I stupidly sold my generator in a garage sale a couple weeks ago, betting that there would not be any more hurricanes before we left for KL. I lost that bet.

Vehicles are high and dry and full of fuel.

I have lots of charcol for cooking and have bags of water.

Family is with me.

Communication by cell until the cell service goes out.

oh and house is built to Galveston county code. It has handled 80 mph before with no problem. I would not warrent it over 100, but I will be suprised if we see 100 mph wind.

Sounds like you made up your mind...

Good luck and we'll be keeping a slide rule open for you...

What about the roads if you do have to evacuate will they be high and dry.

One other note medical services. I hope nothing happens to you or your family but if something does arise will they be there for you. You already commented that its like a ghost town.

I say plan a extended weekend get away. An enjoy yourself what ever happens we can't change it so why worry.

Which ever you decide good luck and God's blessings

Don't worry about the toilet not working for a week. It won't be a big deal for at least an hour or two.

If it gets bad be sure to brush your teeth with bottled water. I failed to consider this once. I used the dim light in the bathroom while using tap water to brush my teeth in order to save flashlight batteries. After I was done I turned on the flashlight for something else and used a little more water. The water was dark brown. Lets just say that I won't make that mistake again.

In case you want to know: I evacuated to a hotel. I don't recall for sure if it was just the power being out or if the incoming water pressure had gone out too. But, the manager told me that on "normal days" the water system has minerals (and whatever) settle to the bottom of a tank in the hotel. With the hurricane conditions we had the water was getting mixed. Nothing in there made me biologically sick, but if I thought about it I was starting to feel sick. I prefer my water a little lighter in color.

Toilet should be no problem.. I have a creek right next to my house so water for flushing will be no problem. No airconditioning will get old pretty fast. This evening we will fill up the water bags for fresh water supply.

Will the toliet flush if the system is flooded ?????

seems like there might be a back up !

Hi Steve S

Maybe it is better to leave 3 weeks early.

What is the price of real estate now?

Three day cone has now shifted right into my back yard. We are now in the hurricane wind zone for sure...

What will tell the tale will be strength...

But then again we still have 36 hours or so to land fall. I suppose this thing could still do a Rita and go into Beaumont...

....this thing could still do a Rita and go into Beaumont...

That's the classical definition of dilemma: I moved out to Beaumont some four month ago where I bought a house, but I haven't sold my house in Houston (Alief), yet. I wished the turn would be south-wards, to Corpus...

I'll agree to that... but I am sure the Corpus folks wouldn't....

Steve,

You really do not want to be around during a hurricane if you can at all help it. I've been through a couple and sustained winds of 90 mph is hairy. I remember thinking to myself; "Self, what a dumb idea." Ever see what a branch traveling at 90 mph can do?

Either way I wish you and your family luck. Be safe.

Bret

No internet connection? Unable to login to CR4? I'd get out now!

Seriously, having lived in Manila most of my life where typhoons regularly pass, I can say that I'd rather be safe than sorry. Though my family (the previous one: mother, father, siblings) were never hurt or never suffered too much for too long during or after a storm, I wouldn't now take the chance with my present family.

In one storm, the one story house behind ours had its whole roof fly off, sail high over my two story house and land on the vacant lot in front of us. We let in the frightened family into our house for safety.

In another, the electric pole just outside our house tipped over, and hung over the road at a 50 degree angle. Cars would take the long way around, a few foolishly brave drivers sped through. Fortunately, it didn't topple over for three days before it was fixed. And, yes, we didn't have electricity for three days.

Flooding never happened at our place but everywhere else seemed under water. Unable to get a ride home from work, I walked 10 kilometers in flooded streets until I got to a place where I could get a ride.

The place where I live now is out of the typhoon belt so my kids never experienced such things. I'd like to keep it that way.

I survived Andrew (easy here in Ft Laud), Rita , Wilma, and Ernesto, ( worse than I could have imagined). I was in NY when Wilma visited. I had to find ways to get my children to NY after the storm. And I only had minor flooding and some light wind damage to everything. Every car was severely damaged by flying tree branches, roof shingles, and lawn decorations. I had new laminated flooring that was flooded when an a/c duct allowed water to pour water into that room. Three inches of water in the entire house.Four ceilings fell in onto the floor. The last one happened while the adjuster was in the room next to it. No electricity for four weeks. I had to send 10 tarps from NY because there were none to be had. Shipment took three weeks by UPS.

Get a camera and take pictures of everything in and around the house. Put valuable papers (insurance polices, House title,) in double zip lock bags after making copies and mailing them to a distant relative. Get on a plane and go anywhere. Don't risk it. Just make a vacation out of it.

If you find nowhere else I will put you up. What are you trying to prove? Come here.

well if you nek deep in debry then it is time to go, i have lived through 5 or 6 typhoons here in Japan they are quite common here. You get used to it.

and earthquake frequently there in Japan .

What variables have I missed?

Tornadoes, wind borne missiles.

You're commenting while nestled inside, several open or broken windows in a rainy windstorm may a different story read.

I remember a friend stayed behind and all was well. He woke in the morning before daylight swung feet to into water from the top bunk in Motor home (: by time he got free of MH was 3/4 block from home

goog ps

When it comes to my family I always play it safe. When it comes to just me, Well thats a different story.

I have a tendency to take more chances when its only going to involve my safety. I believe I'm capable of surviving on my own for extended periods of time. But providing for 3 others in such situations would be much harder. And I don't mind discomforts as much as my wife and 2 kids.

I can camp out with just a tarp and some rope. Or just using whatever is available. My wife and kids consider it roughing it in a class b motor home.

I'd say get out with your family. Sounds like your ready to move anyway so your packed and ready to go.

"class b motor home"

My wife wants to know what class hotel that is.

In my opinion its the 2 star class hotel. A class "A" motor coach is a 5 star hotel.

At least with a motor home you can be in the woods & not in a city.

The rolling class

Well it is not really different because your family depends on you and needs you so becareful what you risk. My kids woke me up to that when I use to bush hog in a dangerous area near the edge of a 80 ft bank on the farm. I scared them and did not even realise it.

Or maybe Steve should get one of these.

http://www.terrawind.com/terrawind.htm

Or one of these

Got Scuba Gear ?

Exactlly how much value do you place on life and limb ?

Buy waterproof video camera. Climb tall tree. Post video.

I just have read last IKE route prediction and I've read what happened in 2005 when Rita came.

And it seems I could get why you've decided to stay.

I'm sure you're experienced man, but could you please say where are you intending to wait over the toughest storm's hours, at your house either at basement or out of there in special shelter? Could basement appears as trap? So isn't it reasonable to split your family on two parts in order that one of those could help another afterwards?

Hopefully you'll overcome this coming up disaster and next issue is how you'll be till normal life will return. Is there any risk of looting either other kind of criminal activity? I think you're armed, but I would advice you to set up a shift schedule among your men so that 24/7 someone shall be on duty.

I wish you and your family every good luck.

Wow, where to begin...

First, we will stay in the house, with my family. In the Houston area no one has basements because the water table is about one meter below the surface, so a basement would flood.

The main issue during the storm will be flooding and damage due to flying debris. Flooding is not much of an issue for me as I am on the high bank of a creek. If the creek goes out of its banks the people on the other side will have to flood for many km before it gets high enough to flood me.

The main issue will be that after the storm it may be a few days until the electricity comes back on.

Looting and other criminal activity is a possibility but not likely. As it turns out I am no longer armed. I sold all my guns because I am moving to Malaysia and you cannot import fire arms to Malaysia. But I am not worried about setting up a schedule and my only man is my 19 year old son who doesnt know how to shoot anyway. I will be very suprised if any criminal activity takes place.

I thank you for your good luck wishes.

If any of this is repeat ignore it.

If you can't shield all of the windows, shield the ones that face the direction the wind comes from first. Hopefully the loose debris will have moved away from you before the wind turns. If all the windows are boarded up, consider some small holes 1-2" to allow you to see what is going on outside.

Look for a location in your house that has no windows, a hallway, a closet, a bathroom. Put some pillows, and mattresses in there. If the _hit hits the fan, it is your most survivable location.

Load everything you can into your freezer, and refrigerator. If power goes off, don't open the refrigerator unless you NEED to. Power may be off for many days. The larger the mass the longer it stays cold.

Notify your local fire department that your house will be occupied. If your windows are covered, write occupied on an outside board. Big, so it is visible from the air.

Stay in contact with someone that is not in the storm area. Let them know who to notify (police, fire, etc.) in case they can no longer reach you.

Do you have a UPS for your computer, or anything else. It will provide some limited power after disruption of service. You could run a light for short periods of time. You would be able to run a newer refrigerator for a short time if needed. If you have a power inverter, use up all of your vehicle batteries except one. You can start the one intact vehicle and charge the other batteries with jumper cables. Think now about ways to store power. Gasoline supplies will be gone soon, inverters and automobile batteries are still there though.

My experience here was that the television stations were able to broadcast throughout the storms. There was always information available on the local stations. Better than sitting next to a radio. During the storm we had many strange partnerships. The news stations on the radios teamed up with the television stations, we had radios broadcasting the same voice signal as was coming over the TV. We did loose cell phone service from some of the carriers, not all.

Stay safe. If you are not going to be on CR4 for a while, please tell us ahead of time.

We got the "leave or you will die" message from the mayor this morning. I'm in Dallas now. Hope you hunker down and ride it out OK.

Yeah stay, use your engineering talent, record faulty construction methods. Acquire hands on knowledge of what went wrong and how untenable wind pressures effect timber frame integrity

Got to this too late to offer much but hope for a good outcome. Please report back that all are safe and well!

Hi Steve S

Saw the floods at Galveston - I hope you are far and high enough or has left.

His location in Friendswood was directly in the storm's path. He stated he was 30 miles from the coast, and 20 miles upstream from the bay. This should buy some cushion from the rising waters. But there is a creek that runs through his town. The hurricane force winds were 120 miles wide at landfall. That means that the hurricane force winds were 60 miles inland when the storm officially made landfall. SteveS is only 30 miles inland. I am very hopeful to here good news from him soon.

Inquiring minds want to know, do you get a smooth ride in one of those big red helicopters?

Sailboat. North shore Georgian Bay, Lake Huron. Winds 30 knots SWS and rising. Waves 3 meters. Am in full storm sail trim. I can see Ike on the horizon.

This is going to be a blast!

The boat ain't sinkin till the Honey Bucket is Floating.

Just a quick message for now. We got electrics back last night and internet this morning. As a summary, we saw winds over 100 mph. I had a little water in the attic, not through the roof, but blown in under the soffets. I lost about 250 square cm of roof shingle, about equal to 1 shingle, but it was parts of three. I had lots of tree damage, still cutting and stacking limbs. My pile right now is a 1.5 meter high, by 3 meter long by 2 meter wide, and I am only about half done. I had about 3 meters of fence come down in my back garden. I had actually taken down about 3 meters myself to open a hole and reduce wind pressure. The wind took another 3 meters along the edge of my hole. Me and my family are safe and sound, although I cut my thumb with a tree saw. That hurt like the dickens but should be fine.

Bravo Steve...glad to hear you're safe.
I hope your stash of Sardines is safe

Del

Well, let's hope they'e not like this:

I am relieved things are as well as they arefor you.

Well, glad you made it through with not too much damage or injury (your thumb injury doesn't count, it came after the storm).

Our prayers are answered. That cut is pay back for scaring people. lol

Please explain. Are you attempting to solicit funds for some unnamed illness?

bhankiii is located in El Lago, Have you herd any reports on damages there?

El Lago is not good. But there are spots that came through ok. Storm surge did a lot of damage there.

Yeah.....thanks for the scare. I was expecting you to touchdown in Lake Huron and spent all night getting soaked anticipating same.

Winds died down to nuthin' and rained like hell.

So here are some pictures of our little adventure....

The creek (bayou) next to my home right after the storm. That bridge over the creek is the street in front of my house.

The creek now that the water has receded....

My damaged back garden fence...

Broken trees and damaged limbs in the back garden...

My damaged left thumb. Not sure why, but the is the second time I have posted pictures of my damaged left thumb on CR4.

Our newly renovated stop sign along with our estate agents for sale sign.

My pile of limbs and branches....

But the house is fine...

So many homeless now you can raise you price after fixing the roof and cutting the firewood for BBQ.

Is that a satalite dish to the right in the picture? I would have thought it would be in Chicago by now. Thank God your elevation was high enough.

Yes it is Bob, I was surprised too. That family is missing fence on all three sides of their house, but the sat dish is still there....

You have to keep wounded thumb this way

Otherwise here is a real chance to be treated as shown

So take a care of yourself.

In any case I so glad you and your family are safe now.

warm regards, caramba

p.s. You've been supplied a great stock of firewoods for farewell BBQ!

Broken trees and damaged limbs in the back garden...

My damaged left thumb. Not sure why, but the is the second time I have posted pictures of my damaged left thumb on CR4.

Our newly renovated stop sign along with our estate agents for sale sign.

The Hurricane bit your thumb? oh and your world is upside down due to the hurricane.

Glad you made it through.

Since we have electricty and most of the city does not, I drove around yesterday in my little truck handing out ice. What I call random acts of iceness...

What I found was startling. My neighborhood was barely touched compard to the rest of the city. Roofs gone, large trees uprooted and crashed into homes, gas stations flattened, flooding, etc.

Conserve fuel. It will be in short supply untill you leave.

Mighty glad y'all made it so well! Thanks for the pics, too. Take care of the thumb, you want it healed well before the move...

I know there is plenty of news of destruction and chaos in Houston, and it is bad...

but it is getting better every day. Today the donut shop in our town opened and my family had coffee and donuts for breakfast. What a treat. Last night we had pizza from the local Domino's pizza store.

It is still impossible to get milk, eggs, and bread, but a number of grocery stores are open.

And this evening, much to my amazement, a brush removal truck showed up on my street and removed my pile of limbs and branches. I didn't expect that to happen for weeks.

At my house, you can't tell that a hurricane ever happened. That is certainly not the case for many others, but it is still amazing to me.

the collective CR4 mindpower has protected you

The Kris-Del time machine removed them next week.

This is a photo album from a friend who lives in Seabrook, close to the water and close to where Bhankiii lives. Not a pretty site....

http://maintenanceforums.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3321076603/m/9151083493

Oh! My...

Hope Bhankii is ok, simply inet surfing is not the first what he needs right now.

I am alive and well, thanks for asking. I had to sneak into my job to use a PC this morning. We have no power, but 100 linemen are due in today.

House is fine - lost a tree and all the fence. No sewers - ours uses a pump. We have water and food and gas since much of the area is back on line.

I still have all my fingers.

I'll check back in next week - I think I hear a guard coming....

Nice to meet you again and to hear you're ok.

You must some improve yours Time Machine operating range for next hurricane, to make all your properties safe .

The next time you scare me like that, I'm going to send you to your room without power for a week.

I'm glad to here you are well, and did not suffer any worse damage than you stated. Keep your patience. you will need it in the coming weeks and months.

Hi all, I'm from Alvin, TX, just a couple of miles down the road from Friendswood where Steve S. is. Still don't have power at our apartment there, so we are staying in Angleton at my parents place. Here are a few of the pictures I took after Ike in Alvin.

Glad ALL y'all are safe!

Cable internet just came back this morning. Electricity-two days ago. Claimed damages on my Houston house (back porch squashed by my pear tree, the shingles from the roof of my shack, my mechanical shop, have disappeared, two holes, size of a golf ball in the main roof, water from rain, directed by Ike, in my bedroom - carpet is ruined.

The house in the forest had three 34x42 windows broken. Didn't dare to fill a claim.

I heard the sound of strong wind before, but never like Sept 12 starting at 10PM till next morning at 10. My North neighbor lost 23 tall trees, my South one lost 21. My East one had a big oak tree over his garage roof. My West neighbor had only an oaktree un-rooted, no damages to the house.

Still pissed off on Ike.

Ouch. I am so sorry to hear that man.

Now I really wish that we could have convinced it to go to Corpus....

I know what you mean about the wind. That was just crazy....