ATL: IKE Discussion

[TreasureIslandFLGal]

I was out of electricity and fresh water for 28 days after hurricane Fran went through North Carolina back in '96. I learned a fe very valuable lessons for those wanting to hunker down. You need to be sure that you have:

1. lots of water. Besides buying some, fill every container you have with it and get a bottle of bleach to keep the water free of nasties when it starts to get old. You will need lots of water to cool down with when there is no AC. You also need to keep hydrated when doing tough cleanup work afterwards.

2. Bug spray. When screens are blown out, the bugs will drive you nuts at night! All that leftover standing water means that they will quickly overrun the area a week or two after the storm passes.

3. Plenty of toilet paper and a shovel. Your toilet won't be flushing and that wastes much needed water anyway. Plan to dig yourself a new toilet out back if you don't have lots of garbage bags and a bucket.

4. Batteries for a radio. When you are going batty in a few weeks, the last thing you want is for your batteries to all run out.

5. Food for Fido. Be sure you have plenty of pet supplies for them too.

6. Lots of paper plates and disposable silverware. Washing dishes takes up water you won't want to spare.

7. A good variety of foods you don't need to cook. Forget the 72 hours of supplies, you really need more than that if you are going to hunker down. Roads may be impassable for quite some time. If you can get to a store, it will be empty for a long time too.

8. antiseptic/antibacterials. Standing water is like poison and will quickly cause infections. Stay out of it if you can. If not, be sure to douse yourself in whatever you can to kill the germs. After Flloyd, NC looked like post-civil war. So many young people ended up losing limbs to simple infections that were not treated soon enough.

9. Patch a flat. Worth getting since the first few times you drive you will get flat tires. Best bet is to have a bike and its own patch a flat kits. Those with horses fared the best.

10. Medicines. If you take meds that need to be kept cool, you need to evacuate. Don't bet on having electricity back right away to be able to do that. If you don't have an extra month of meds stocked up, better plan to leave as well. If you need oxygen, go too. Keep a good first aid kit if you inted to stay, as medical help won't be available and you will need to be able to treat your own booboo's for a while.

11. A sense of community. If you don't have one yet, don't worry about it. It will be there immediately after the storm. You will get to know your neighbors and be awed by the incredible strength and resilience of those around you. You will all break down at some point, but you will also all get to lift eachother up.

Good luck and stay safe.

[Wx_Warrior]

A lot of dry air in Texas so hopefully that will get sucked in Ike.

[HURAKAN]

Immense storm.

[Txdivermom]

Really no one should talk absolutes, not even the pro mets, simply because no one truely know how a system is going to react to something, no doubt they have a better idea but thats no absolute, thats my little piece anyway

Another piece of bad news, Galveston only calling Vol.evacs. I'm shocked given the chance that Ike could wobble north of the NHC track and slam into that reigon as a huge major hurricane.

I am also terribly shocked by that as well. I can guarantee that if I lived there, I wouldn't be there today.

On Channel 13 this morning someone was in Galveston interviewing peeps. All of West Beach (now under mandatory evac...was voluntary yesterday) was leaving or planning on leaving. They were supposed to wait to 12 noon so special needs folks could be evacuated first. They were interviewing folks on the Seawall going about their regular business. Hanging at the beach, etc. ACK!

BTW, I just saw a caravan of 5 buses go by out my window at my office. They were heading north up I-45.

Edited because they FINALLY told Galveston County to evac! YAY!

[dwg71]

3 1/2 hour movement per VDMs 4 minutes north and 25 minues W. Thats like 275-280 right???

[vbhoutex]

Traffic is picking up on all the major freeways, per my son and some others I know who are working on the road. Stores are getting very busy with many essentials becoming in short supply. Glad I have almost everything already. currently on a break from cleaning up the yard and reaffanging garage for storage of same. Will be cutting boards for windows later and installing unless there are major changes. Current expectations in my area of West Houston are 80-110 g140. Curent track will take us at a minimum through the eyewall or very close(basically same track as Alicia and we got the eye from that).

[pablolopez26]

I was just at the local Home Depots and Walmarts. This is what i see.

Gas Stations are really full. Some of them have already run out of certain grades. I filled up my car yesterday at 3.64 cents for Premium grade. Long lines at local stations here on 1960 and Jones.

Hardware stores are running low on plywood. Generators are being sold very quickly.

So far i see the general mood of nervousness and uncertainty. Nobody going crazy just yet from what i saw.

[Windy]

Wow. The latest NHC forecast calls for IKE to still be a tropical storm all the way inland to near eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. That would be a very rare event indeed!

Reminds me a bit of Erin and the OKC land-i-cane:

[Frank2]

I've been extremely busy this morning, but, after just reading the TCD, I stand by my earlier comments of it not strengthening further, since Ike is not "your typical hurricane" (a/k/a "atypical", per the TCD)...

Let's pray the winds remain aloft, per the TCD...

Frank

[MaryEllen71]

This is my 1st post. I have always been fascinated by Hurricanes. I was reading the Houston Texans forum and those people aren't taking Ike seriously at all.

[debbiet]

With regard to big storm surges and lots of tree damage...recall the damage done on the east coast with Hurricane Isabel as a Cat 2 when it made landfall The number of trees lost was incredible and storm surge flooding was unlike most areas (especially Virginia) had seen since 1933. Power outages were widespread and for us was out 8 days; many others were without power even longer.The big problem with tons of trees uprooted in heavily forested areas is that it creates a tinder box for brush/forest fires years down the road...because there is no way to ever clean up ALL of that brush. To this day, evidence of Hurricane Isabel in Virginia can be seen nearly everywhere; it really changes (even ruins) your landscape. I certainly hope that Texas fairs better...but it doesn't look like that will be the case...especially since water levels are rising already.

[smw1981]

Another piece of bad news, Galveston only calling Vol.evacs. I'm shocked given the chance that Ike could wobble north of the NHC track and slam into that reigon as a huge major hurricane.[/quote]

Even if Ike doesn't wobble north, Galveston will still be rocked by the worst quadrant of the storm. Maybe emergency management waited too late to get everyone out, hence why they are not calling for mandatory evacs? Just a thought, but maybe a lot of people will heed the voluntary evacs. ( this last sentence is -removed-... )

[JenBayles]

Really no one should talk absolutes, not even the pro mets, simply because no one truely know how a system is going to react to something, no doubt they have a better idea but thats no absolute, thats my little piece anyway

Another piece of bad news, Galveston only calling Vol.evacs. I'm shocked given the chance that Ike could wobble north of the NHC track and slam into that reigon as a huge major hurricane.

I am also terribly shocked by that as well. I can guarantee that if I lived there, I wouldn't be there today.

On Channel 13 this morning someone was in Galveston interviewing peeps. All of West Beach (now under mandatory evac...was voluntary yesterday) was leaving or planning on leaving. They were supposed to wait to 12 noon so special needs folks could be evacuated first. They were interviewing folks on the Seawall going about their regular business. Hanging at the beach, etc. ACK!

BTW, I just saw a caravan of 5 buses go by out my window at my office. They were heading north up I-45.

ALL of Galveston Island was declared a Mandatory Evac area about an hour ago.

[vbhoutex]

Really no one should talk absolutes, not even the pro mets, simply because no one truely know how a system is going to react to something, no doubt they have a better idea but thats no absolute, thats my little piece anyway

Another piece of bad news, Galveston only calling Vol.evacs. I'm shocked given the chance that Ike could wobble north of the NHC track and slam into that reigon as a huge major hurricane.

I am also terribly shocked by that as well. I can guarantee that if I lived there, I wouldn't be there today.

On Channel 13 this morning someone was in Galveston interviewing peeps. All of West Beach (now under mandatory evac...was voluntary yesterday) was leaving or planning on leaving. They were supposed to wait to 12 noon so special needs folks could be evacuated first. They were interviewing folks on the Seawall going about their regular business. Hanging at the beach, etc. ACK!

BTW, I just saw a caravan of 5 buses go by out my window at my office. They were heading north up I-45.

INCORRECT INFORMATION!!! Galveston island is under mandatory evacuation orders as well as zones A and B in the Houton metro area.

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE YOU POST!!! THIS IS ESSENTIAL!!!

If I missed something here I apologize in advance. I am getting ready for some nasty weather!!!(Just on a break at the moment).

[haml8]

I was just at the local Home Depots and Walmarts. This is what i see.

Gas Stations are really full. Some of them have already run out of certain grades. I filled up my car yesterday at 3.64 cents for Premium grade. Long lines at local stations here on 1960 and Jones.

Hardware stores are running low on plywood. Generators are being sold very quickly.

So far i see the general mood of nervousness and uncertainty. Nobody going crazy just yet from what i saw.

I experianced the opposite here in Katy. I was supposed to get a delivery of plywood this morning (ordered it on Monday) and I just got a phone call from Home Depot in Katy (Fry Road and Grand Parkway). I will not be getting it becuase someone broke into their wood storage cage and stole all of the plywood. They have the guy on video and said that they have notified authorities. He said people are going nuts and apologized profusly.

So just an example of the poor side of the human condition in times like this...

Crazy how things are changing around here.. Hope your situation remains the same..

[Txdivermom]

HISD and Ft. Bend ISD schools closed tomorrow. Haven't heard from KISD yet.

Galveston residents go to 47th & Broadway to be bused off the island to Austin. Residents can go to any city bus stop to end up at the collection point on Broadway.

I notice that Katy, Klein, and Cy-Fair haven't closed for tomorrow. I think this is intentional as a way to encourage people in north Houston to stay and not clog the freeway. Probably a good idea, but I sure wish they'd close. I think we'll have some major rain storms tomorrow and think of all the teen drivers on the roads. (I have one)


Katy just closed. I check the TV station website before posting this, but it wasn't updated. ASAIK, Cy Fair still hasn't. We're having a football game tonight.

[WmE]

This is my 1st post. I have always been fascinated by Hurricanes. I was reading the Houston Texans forum and those people aren't taking Ike seriously at all.

I disagree.

FWIW: i'm a member there too, and to me they seem to be concerned.

[shah8]

Getting more obvious on visual that the outer eye is slowly winning sole control...Not so easy to tell on infra-red.

[jinftl]

Areas around houston....esp areas more inland...than have not seen hurricane force (esp. sustained) winds in years..or even decades...will be vulnerable for the huge tree loss even more than areas that have had recent storms...the tree canopy there has already been thinned out to some extent (but no doubt regardless of storm history, trees will come down with ike).

With regard to big storm surges and lots of tree damage...recall the damage done on the east coast with Hurricane Isabel as a Cat 2 when it made landfall The number of trees lost was incredible and storm surge flooding was unlike most areas (especially Virginia) had seen since 1933. Power outages were widespread and for us was out 8 days; many others were without power even longer.The big problem with tons of trees uprooted in heavily forested areas is that it creates a tinder box for brush/forest fires years down the road...because there is no way to ever clean up ALL of that brush. To this day, evidence of Hurricane Isabel in Virginia can be seen nearly everywhere; it really changes (even ruins) your landscape. I certainly hope that Texas fairs better...but it doesn't look like that will be the case...especially since water levels are rising already.

[pablolopez26]

This is my 1st post. I have always been fascinated by Hurricanes. I was reading the Houston Texans forum and those people aren't taking Ike seriously at all.

I think people are just tired of having all of these near-misses. So when it really comes down to 1-2 before the storm, nobody has prepared.

I mean, i remember people laughing at me when i told them that they should keep their gas tanks full just in case Ike made it here. Or me buying extra waters and batteries 3-4 days before the storm hits.

Those same people who laughed at me are now waiting 2-3 hours to pump gas and buy supplies. While im at home watching to see whats going to happen.

Needless to say, Ike should make landfall as a mid to strong Cat 3 south of Houston. I expect 80-90 mile an hour winds here in NW Houston and 2-4 inches of rain. Im more worried about the wind from this storm and the power outages than flooding.

Good luck all!