<p>I haven’t read the whole thread, so I don’t know what has been said:</p>
<p>It is good to gather everyone in one room, especially as it gets dark.
Gather some buckets and pots of various sizes and put them somewhere handy for roof leaks after the power goes out. if you know you have spots that occasionally leak, just leave the pot there - those WILL leak. The heaviest wind and rain for you guys will be coming out of the east, sort of southeast, I guess - for us it is northeast. So rooms on the east side of the house are most vulernable to the rain and wind. Bathrooms and chimneys are the worst, the water gets up under the flashing.
Also check the dampers in fireplace flues, be sure they are locked down. The wind makes an awful banging noise in the fireplace anyway, no use making it worse.
Check the swimming pool occasionally, the water can actually get behind the liner if it gets too high - I’ve had to go out in a trop storm and purge the pool a couple of times.</p>
<p>As Lindz, said if you aren’t in an evacuation area, you should be fine, keep your weather radio handy because it will work when the power is out. The real danger to people who are outside flood zones is falling trees and tornadoes, so you want to take the same precautions that you would in a bad thunder storm.</p>
<p>1) The power may be out longer than you think because so many, many areas will be without power, and so many lines and poles are down, streets are blocked.
2) The power company has a priority list for power recovery - obviously they try to do hospitals and emergency workers - fire, police first - but those guys also have generators, so occasionally the PC may appear to bypass a single fire station, for example, and do something else first. They go next for where they can get the most bang for their buck repairing substations, etc. The last thing they do is areas with lots of downed trees, and there they go central to peripheral.
3) To give some perspective, friends in Pensacola living in an upper middle class neighborhood with lots of mature trees (bad thing in this situation) and minimal underground utilities during Ivan. Several pines down in the neighborhood, but not devastated, no roofs off, etc. Two neighborhoods over a small tornado went through and whole houses had to be rebuilt. They are probably 5 blocks from the large above ground truck power lines. They went 2.5 weeks in Ivan without power.</p>
<p>Just read a fairly balanced article on FoxNews about the decisions the Houston officials have been faced with. It discusses the decision to shelter Houston in place. I’m not sure they had many choices, given how much the forecast has moved up and down the Tx coast. But it truly is safer in your home if you are in a non-evacuation area that it is on the road.
[FOXNews.com</a> - Weather Service Warns of ‘Certain Death’ From Ike - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News](<a href=“http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,421302,00.html]FOXNews.com”>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,421302,00.html)</p>
<p>Last time I was in Galveston, there were scores of feral cats who lived along the sea wall. Is that still the case? Do they “know” to move to higher ground, did someone try to catch them, or will there be no Galveston cats in a day or so?</p>
<p>Keeping all of you in Texas in my prayers. My cousin’s dau just transferred from Tulane to Rice. Now she is hunkered down in the dorm, to ride out the storm. From one hurricane spot to another! Best of luck to all of you.</p>
<p>Son is worried about his girlfriend at Stephen F. Austin…looks like they’ll get lots of rain and wind. I told him that she’s got it made…they’ll keep them safe and if there’s glass and debris to clean up, there’s staff to do that (as opposed to the myriad homeowners who will have to clean up themselves.)</p>
<p>As of this morning, water is crashing over the seawall (15 feet) in Galveston. They are predicting that all of Galveston will be underwater, given a 22 foot surge. UTMB was evacuated yesterday, including all patients. </p>
<p>In central Houston, it is eerily quiet with a strange sunlight. The calm before the storm. Just about to go outside and pull in the lawnchairs and smaller potted plants. Will fill the bathtub with water after my shower and settle in. Have candles and one flashlight. Will probably take a nap this afternoon so I can stay up during the night. Will pull the cars into the driveway, they can’t fit into the overstuffed garage. Have peanut butter, bread and my all time favorite- Spaghettio’s. I don’t expect power to go out, although one never knows. We live close to Braes bayou, so there may be street flooding if it backs up.</p>
<p>I visited the UTMB several months ago, met a number of great, hard-working people there. We, as visitors from another hurricane area, discussed their vulnerability right on the water.</p>
<p>They have also shut down all stores, including grocery stores, from about 10 miles south of Houston to Galveston. Most businesses closed yesterday and certainly today. Gas is plentiful and the freeways are clear. The Mayor is urging any of the last holders on from the mandatory evacuation areas to get out. And still we see the lookie loos on the seawall taking pictures.</p>
<p>As someone said on another board, if you stay, please write your name on your arm with permanent marker. That sounds a bit flip, though. I know it would be SO hard to leave your home, having a good idea that it might not be there when you got back.</p>
<p>We filled our gas tanks last night, got new batteries, more bottled water and snacks as well as a hand crank flashlight, found the weather radio that was packed (we just moved) and took in the patio furniture and small plants.</p>
<p>The crystal clear blue skies from an hour ago are already starting to fill with widely scattered clouds. Still hoping to be able to go to see our favorite local HS football team play a big rival tonite…hope we don’t need an Ark.</p>
<p>Be safe ldmom, pipmom, missypie and others…</p>
<p>The storm has lost a lot of its power. Galveston will still get hammered, and Houston won’t be pretty, but we’ll all be okay. Things aren’t as bad in Houston as people say they’ll be… I think it’s going to be like Tropical Storm Allison, but not like Katrina.</p>
<p>Sense of normalcy still remains around here… I’m doing laundry, and we’re eating a package of ravioli for lunch so we can save the sandwich stuff for later.</p>
<p>Solar powered yard lights can usually be removed from their stakes and used as lights inside your house. They will burn all night and recharge the next time the sun comes out if you put them outside. They don’t use up your batteries. </p>
<p>BTW, this is very helpful in the winter during ice storms. Once the storm passes you’ll often have beautiful sunny days and the solar lights can be used daily until power is restored. I think everyone should have a box of them in their garage.</p>
<p>The latest update we received predicts 85mph sustained across Harris County starting tonight and continuing into Saturday. Gusts over 100 mph. The storm surge at Galveston Island is record breaking with the West End, Kemah and Seabrook almost cut off. Crazy lunatics not honoring the mandatory at Bolivar Peninsula…sigh, what are they thinking?</p>
<p>They expect the eye of the storm to pass through a heavily populated part of Houston about 7-8 miles east of our location. Thank goodness, so far, the expected last minute strengthening has not yet occurred. Dallas, they look for you to be a direct hit as well.</p>
<p>We just finished boarding our SE and NW facing doors…mainly because they are almost exclusively leaded glass and tend to stress and leak in strong winds. I think everything will be fine…just a major pita dealing with cleanup and no A/C. My fil is on his way with a generator we purchased in SA…we’ll at least have a few outlets worth of power. Yea…hair dryer power!</p>
<p>My internet is really slow and iffy…so best to you all! Stay safe.</p>
<p>MaryTN, that is a great idea about the yard lights, I will pass that on to DH, our hurricane preparedness guru!</p>
<p>Stay safe Idmom and others. Don’t forget -NO GENERATORS IN CLOSED SPACES, watch out for the fallen power lines, and be aware of the dangers of overexertion afterward - heart attack and heat stroke - as well as those darn chain saws!
Heard from SIL, she and the toddlers have evacuated, but from what Idmom says it will be going right over her house - my prayers are with all of you!</p>
<p>ldmom, I read your post above and went “Huh? She bought a generator in Sinners Alley?” Then I smacked myself in the head when I realized you meant San Antonio :D:</p>