I know my cousin in E. Tx was without power for a long time too, post Rita, due to tree fall. But comparing East Texas forests with South Texas brush country is apples and oranges. Laredo is on the semi-arid grassland (Brush country)/chihuahaun desert ecotone. It is cattle ranching territory, though most ranches make more money off hunting these days.
The biggest trees in most areas (Mesquites etc), are shorter than a 1-story house, with the exception of the immediate riparian area and neighborhoods with planted exotic trees (palms, ash hybrids, pecans, salt cedars, etc). Tree falls might take out a car or two or an electric line for a few hours, but aren't a significant risk there.
Flash flooding of washes and arroyos is the biggest danger to life out there, so getting on the road is usually more dangerous than staying in a structurally safe building, IMHO. It's 30-50-100 miles or more between (small) towns in this part of Texas, and Laredo is that areas largest city with the best developed emergency services. I'd just make the routine preps for Tropical Storm/depression conditions and be alert for tornadoes. If the OP has lived on the coast, he is probably well prepared to handle a day or two of heavy thunderstorms, wind etc.
Besides it looks like a moot point, unless something weird happens in the next few days.
Please...Let's Stay Calm and Prepared
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Re: Please...Let's Stay Calm and Prepared
In the future, hopefully TWC OCM's will not do what they did on Friday evening - read a volitile viewer's blog that opened with, "Let's face it, Dean is headed towards Texas..."
Apparently, the OCM(s) who read this got some bad feedback, because, within 15-20 minutes they back-pedaled in a big way, saying, "We are not saying that Dean is headed towards the U.S....", so, someone (perhaps from someone at FEMA, to someone at the NHC, to a Governor) must have called them (they do have their direct number) and asked as to what they just heard...
The bad thing is that many viewers listen with only one ear, so, if they heard a statement like the earlier read viewer's blog - they may have that incorrectly assumed that "TWC is saying that Dean is headed towards Texas".
I sent the above comment to TWC this morning, so, while my e-mail might not mean much, apparently, they already received enough criticism that they (TWC) won't do something as lacking in responsibility as they did on Friday evening.
Let's hope so...
Frank
P.S. Whilte I'm tempted to blame the OCM's, they do not act on their own (usually), but, only do what they are told to do, so, it seems that TWC's recent habit of making OCM's very loud and agressive-sounding (if I had to guess, I'd bet that they use a sound meter, telling the OCM's that they need to raise their voice to a certain level to be agressive-sounding), is forcing the OCM's to do things that are above responsible behavior - such as the above faux paus on Friday evening...
Apparently, the OCM(s) who read this got some bad feedback, because, within 15-20 minutes they back-pedaled in a big way, saying, "We are not saying that Dean is headed towards the U.S....", so, someone (perhaps from someone at FEMA, to someone at the NHC, to a Governor) must have called them (they do have their direct number) and asked as to what they just heard...
The bad thing is that many viewers listen with only one ear, so, if they heard a statement like the earlier read viewer's blog - they may have that incorrectly assumed that "TWC is saying that Dean is headed towards Texas".
I sent the above comment to TWC this morning, so, while my e-mail might not mean much, apparently, they already received enough criticism that they (TWC) won't do something as lacking in responsibility as they did on Friday evening.
Let's hope so...
Frank
P.S. Whilte I'm tempted to blame the OCM's, they do not act on their own (usually), but, only do what they are told to do, so, it seems that TWC's recent habit of making OCM's very loud and agressive-sounding (if I had to guess, I'd bet that they use a sound meter, telling the OCM's that they need to raise their voice to a certain level to be agressive-sounding), is forcing the OCM's to do things that are above responsible behavior - such as the above faux paus on Friday evening...
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Stephanie
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Re: Please...Let's Stay Calm and Prepared
Great e-mail Frank. I didn't hear about that comment until just now.
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Re: Please...Let's Stay Calm and Prepared
Frank2 wrote:In the future, hopefully TWC OCM's will not do what they did on Friday evening - read a volitile viewer's blog that opened with, "Let's face it, Dean is headed towards Texas..."
...
Makes you wonder whether that sort of thing leads to this sort of thing:
"At the southern tip of Texas, officials urged residents to evacuate ahead of the storm. 'Our mission is very simple. It's to get people out of the kill zone, to get people out of the danger area, which is the coastline of Texas,' said Johnny Cavazos, Cameron County's chief emergency director.
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Re: Please...Let's Stay Calm and Prepared
I agree - as the old saying goes, "fear feeds on fear"...
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vbhoutex
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Re: Please...Let's Stay Calm and Prepared
mitchell wrote:Frank2 wrote:In the future, hopefully TWC OCM's will not do what they did on Friday evening - read a volitile viewer's blog that opened with, "Let's face it, Dean is headed towards Texas..."
...
Makes you wonder whether that sort of thing leads to this sort of thing:
"At the southern tip of Texas, officials urged residents to evacuate ahead of the storm. 'Our mission is very simple. It's to get people out of the kill zone, to get people out of the danger area, which is the coastline of Texas,' said Johnny Cavazos, Cameron County's chief emergency director.
I doubt that those making decisions even saw the TWC faux pas. They meet regularly with other OEM officials and have direct access to NHC, etc. whenever there is a possible threat.
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Re: Please...Let's Stay Calm and Prepared
Sure, but, like those in Washington, local government officials watch the news, and, sometimes it's difficult even for these people not to get charged by what is being said, by those who read the news (or weather) - I just wish TWC would get away from the "extreme weather" angle of presenting the daily weather (though it seems to be getting worse, per their upcoming "Epic Conditions" feature)...
Weather forecasting was never meant to be entertainment, but, like the news, it's become that way, which leads to a related issue...
In this market, we now have at least one new OCM who appears to be as young as my niece - while I have nothing against someone that young, I do not believe that a person who appears to have come from her last job at the University television station, should be relaying critical information to a community as large as one here in South Florida - unfortunately, by her name (obviously a stage name), her employer seems to believe that her employment with them is "acceptable based on their target audience", however...
In other markets around the state (in Tampa and West Palm Beach, for example), affiliates for the same networks use older men to read the weather, and, speaking for myself, I find them to be more credible - critical information requires maturity, and, that was part of the issue at TWC when a viewer's opinion was read to sound like fact - the person who read it is also very young, and, not yet fully knowing right from wrong (also known as inexperience), probably had a "I want to read this!" mentality when this man's comment was reviewed...
In today's world, it's important to have someone in front of the camera who is experienced enough to know what they are doing, if the news goes sour before them - as opposed to someone who might be a "young loose cannon" (at least our local OCM does not appear to be this way, incidentially) - but is much prettier than their older and more experienced male counterparts...
If the media cannot see past this superficial way of thinking, then, they have failed in their mission...
Weather forecasting was never meant to be entertainment, but, like the news, it's become that way, which leads to a related issue...
In this market, we now have at least one new OCM who appears to be as young as my niece - while I have nothing against someone that young, I do not believe that a person who appears to have come from her last job at the University television station, should be relaying critical information to a community as large as one here in South Florida - unfortunately, by her name (obviously a stage name), her employer seems to believe that her employment with them is "acceptable based on their target audience", however...
In other markets around the state (in Tampa and West Palm Beach, for example), affiliates for the same networks use older men to read the weather, and, speaking for myself, I find them to be more credible - critical information requires maturity, and, that was part of the issue at TWC when a viewer's opinion was read to sound like fact - the person who read it is also very young, and, not yet fully knowing right from wrong (also known as inexperience), probably had a "I want to read this!" mentality when this man's comment was reviewed...
In today's world, it's important to have someone in front of the camera who is experienced enough to know what they are doing, if the news goes sour before them - as opposed to someone who might be a "young loose cannon" (at least our local OCM does not appear to be this way, incidentially) - but is much prettier than their older and more experienced male counterparts...
If the media cannot see past this superficial way of thinking, then, they have failed in their mission...
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Re: Please...Let's Stay Calm and Prepared
trust me...they are no fun.
no power....felled trees...weeks of debris clean-up.
no fun at all.
no power....felled trees...weeks of debris clean-up.
no fun at all.
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Re: Please...Let's Stay Calm and Prepared
jdjaguar wrote:trust me...they are no fun.
no power....felled trees...weeks of debris clean-up.
no fun at all.
Just want a small one... one can wish but I will probably never see one in my lifetime.
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Re: Please...Let's Stay Calm and Prepared
I'd ask some who were there for Hugo - I passed through there two years later, and, it still didn't look very good...
What impressed me were those Civil War-era buildings that had survived that terrible period, only to be destroyed by Hugo's winds...
I know, it's something many want to experience, at least once - speaking for myself, I'd like to travel to tornado alley during the Springtime, to just see one large tornado that affects only fallow farm fields, but, in reality, someone almost always suffers from them, in some way, so, my "wish" is probably best kept that way...
Frank
What impressed me were those Civil War-era buildings that had survived that terrible period, only to be destroyed by Hugo's winds...
I know, it's something many want to experience, at least once - speaking for myself, I'd like to travel to tornado alley during the Springtime, to just see one large tornado that affects only fallow farm fields, but, in reality, someone almost always suffers from them, in some way, so, my "wish" is probably best kept that way...
Frank
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