HURRICANE RITA - We are getting hit right now
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HURRICANE RITA - We are getting hit right now
Well, we are getting it. The eye is right below us over Lake Charles right now. The weather is awful. Our siding is coming loose, our gutter blew off the house. We just got someones siding blown into our backyard. Trees and signs are blowing down. The winds are blowing so hard it's crazy. And we haven't even gotten the worst of it yet. We are under Tornado warning right now.
You may be wondering how I'm online, lol. Well, my mom had a generator that she was going to use to power her house in Kenner (New Orleans area) while they did cleanup after Katrina. So we hooked it up here and we are powering the computer, fridge, some lamps, and the TV.
I hope everything is okay after this is over.
Out of all the places it could have gone...
I guess it's just our BAD luck again, lol. This is ridiculous.
I am speechless... I don't know what to say...
We are thinking of you Amy.
You'll all be in my prayers. {{{HUGS}}}
{{{Amy and Family}}} In my thoughts and prayers.
{{{{Hugs}}} and prayers for your and your family. Please keep us updated when you can.
Amy, Pam and families, please stay safe! You're all in my prayers!
Amy and Pam, my prayers are with all of you.
Amy, do you have a carbon monoxide detector? Battery operated? If not, please pay careful attention to the generator and how it is ventilated. It gives off carbon monoxide, which is a very insidious threat because it has no odor.
Amy!!!!!!!!! I thought you guys left!!!!! When I spoke with Mike, he said you guys were going to evacuate!
I spent what *I* thought was the night from h***, and our weather was NOTHING compared to where this storm went in and to what you just went through, and I was scared to death! I stayed up watching TV until the storm was onshore, parts of trees and stuff were blowing onto the house and my Morgan bldg. the noise was incredible. Then I fell asleep for a couple of hours, then the wind woke me up again and we lost power. It JUST came back on. I now know why I wanted to go to my friend Tami's house - NOT TO BE ALONE! Weather frightens me a LOT and the wind was terrifying to me. And it's STILL incredibly windy here, stuff blowing all over the place.
But it's daylight and I can see, the power is back on now, I made COFFEE!!!!!! Those last hours I was sitting here awake, all I could think of was I CAN'T MAKE COFFEE! LOL
From what I have seen of some areas in the few minutes my TV has been back on, I'm reminded of Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte in FL last year. Very sad. But we are OK.
If you guys have phone service, or cell service, please call me today, I have NOT been able to get through to Pam's cell phone EVER, and I can't get through to your house.
What city is Amy in?
We have been pouring over news reports all morning...we have relatives who didn't leave in Westlake, DeRidder and Reeves. All the news reports on the major networks are staying in Beaumont, Houston, etc. right now. Just trying to get a feel to see how awful it is there.
Thanks for any input from anyone.
Amy is in Ft. Polk, on the army base.
Wow, Karen. I can't imagine living through a hurricane. I lived through one tornado, when I was 4, but tornadoes are over with quickly.
Keeping everyone in my prayers.
We found out that our relatives in Reeves area have significant damage, but are all doing fine!
We are still waiting on word from a couple more in Lake Charles & Westlake.
Well the worst is over. We are still out of power. We still
do have some gusty winds, but nothing too bad.
We took a ride around post to see what damages Rita caused.
There were lots of trees that were either uprooted or snapped,
lots of large limbs, debris. A lot of homes have siding and
shingles that were ripped off. Some carports didn't fare too
well. Something happened at the main gate, hubby said the
little building where the gate guards are was destroyed. I saw
a couple of vehicles damaged from falling trees. Didn't see
any broken windows, but I wouldn't doubt it if there were
some. Today there were a lot of people outside of their homes,
hanging out and enjoying the cool winds.
We ended up having siding and shingles ripped off our house,
someone elses siding flew into our backyard, our gutters are
gone, lots of trash cans in the street in our neighborhood. It
looks pretty bad out here. No tornadoes on fort polk that I
know of...
Have no idea when we will get power back.
Hope this helps some of you get an idea of the situation here
at Fort Polk.
Kate - DeRidder is right next to Fort Polk, about 15 minutes away. I have no info per se on Deridder, but I'm assuming the situation is similar. Your relatives should be okay.
Ginny -
I know, I am a little nervous about the generator, but it is well ventilated. We have it outside with the cord coming through the window. The window is down almost all the way, with a towel shoved in around the small space open b/c of the cord. We are only using it for a few hours here and there, and sleeping in shifts so that someone is always awake in case of a fire...
We fared fine last night and today, so I'm assuming it will be okay.
Amy, didn't the winds scare you at all?????? I must be a wuss!
Yes, the winds did scare me. Sometimes I thought our house was going to fall down! I heard the siding and gutters being ripped off, things slamming into the house, winds howling through the woods right behind our house - it was very frightening. But, I'll be completely honest, though it was very scary, and lots of trees fell, etc...it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be...
We are still out of power, they say it will be a week or two until it comes back up, which SUCKS, b/c its so hot!!!!! I MEAN HOTTTTTTT! I took a shower - cold water b/c no water heater - and it was like HEAVEN. I hated to get out...
Also, we cannot drink the water, but I have like 15 gallons of water so we should be okay. My stepdad came up and brought us 15 gallons of gas for the generator, and we will be going to Alexandria (an hour away but the closest place to find gas) to stock up on some gas tomorrow. This is crazy living, but I'm definitely thankful for the generator. We are running it 3 hours and then shutting it off for an hour - need to keep the food cold in the fridge and deep freeze. We are turning it off at night now.
Can't wait till this is over... 
Well I am glad you and your family are ok..Just hang in there! I will keep you in my prayers.
Amy, I'm glad you are okay. I would hate the hot weather and not being even able to run a fan. Ugh.
Amy, are the schools closed as well? I feel like a chicken next to you - "it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be...
"
I don't think I could ever stay here for a direct hit, or even as close as you guys were to a direct hit. The older I get, the more it terrifies me - a few years ago, I would have stayed, but not now.
It's great that your mom had the generator though, it keeps food in the house, and lets you enjoy a few of life's luxuries - like coming online! LOL
What does George say about your mom's house????? What are the plans there??? What about Gary & Fran's houses??? What are they going to do?
Amy, just a bit of encouragement...with Katrina they were telling everyone in BR 5-10 days before power was restored and most of us had power back within 2-4 days. A few friends in outlying areas had to wait 5-7 days, but no one longer than a week. They give you the worst case scenario so you won't feel neglected if it takes them too long. I'll be that you have power in a couple more days though. In the meantime, it will hot as Hades today, but a cold front is coming through for the weekend and it will drop into the upper 50s. Woohoo!! Hang in there!
After Isabel we lost power for two + weeks and phone service for three. We had a generator, which we shared with neighbors. We ran it an hour each, in turn, to keep refrigerators and freezers from thawing. TG it was September, so it wasn't too hot. I was a little sad when the power came back. By then I was used to using oil lamps and cooking on the grill. I missed the phone the most, as we had dial up then. Hang in there. At least you have us. LOL
My moms house has mold growing everywhere - behind furniture, in cabinets, etc and undoubtedly in the walls. They are buying a camper today, will park it in front of the house and live out of it until the house is livable. Mr George is going to have to cut out the walls, clean them, etc, replace the floors... they are going to have to buy all new furniture and supplies and they just found out that their flood insurance only covers the house structure itself, not the contents. So they are pretty bad off right now.
My grandpa's house had no flooding, no damage. So he's clear. My grandma's house did have flooding, but I haven't been in contact with her lately so I don't know whats going on.
Pam - I hope you're right about the power. My husband is driving an hour to Alexandria right now to try and get a bunch of gas to power the generator for another week.
In other news, my grandfather on my dad's side is on his death bed at the moment. Heart attack, and was without oxygen too long before the paramedics reached him. Severe brain damage and kidneys are failing. They expect him to pass today.
Sissy's dad????? I'm sorry. 
Will Pam's homeowner's not cover the furniture, etc??
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