How are you girls doing??????????

I was blasted out of bed 40 minutes ago by the tornado sirens. I must be so clueless, watching the projected path of this storm for days, and then not realizing how much it had grown, in terms of physical size......I really was surprised that the LA coastline would be affeced so much.

OUR schools are closed today too. We are getting the outer bands, heavy rain and winds, and of course, as always with these storms, the possibility of tornados. My parish has been under a tornado warning for the last 30+ minutes. THAT terrifies me more than actual hurricanes.

I know you guys are going to get slammed with some terrific storm surge and *really* bad weather that will only get worse as the day goes on - if you can check in, please let us know how you are????

Be safe!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Bellajoe on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 07:03 am:

last night on cnn, AC said that the NWC issued this warning " if you live in or near Galveston and houston you need to evacuate or you will face certain death.". That probably is not his exact words but I do know the words " certain death "were used. It is a monster storm , I think he said of is 600 miles across!!

Ladies down there, stay safe!!

By Mom2three1968 on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 07:20 am:

Praying for all of you down there!!!!! As Karen said be safe!!!!!!

By Karen~admin on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 08:11 am:

Patti, I just heard that too, on TWC, it was meant for a particular low lying area in/around Galveston.

This is freaky. Louisiana is evacuating low lying areas.....the storm surge is what's doing it here......

And every 40 minutes or so, another band passes over us, with high winds and heavy rain, and the darn tornado sirens go off.......I HATE that.

Kaye, Christie, others........where/how are you??

By Kernkate on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 08:30 am:

Thoughts and Prayers to everyone in IKES path.
I also heard that warning to...I just hope everyone gets out as told. It sounds like a really nasty storm!
I will keep my winters here in PA. Even driving on the snow and ice can't be as bad as some of you have it.

By Kaye on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 09:52 am:

Really I am holding tight, but well away from storm.

I think Christy stayed put, she is pretty far inland.

I don't think anyone else is close by.

karen where are you exactly?

By Tklinreston on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 10:02 am:

For all of those who will be affected by this storm you will be my prayers. I get very nervous and scared when there is tropical storm warning as we had last week here in Virginia so I would be at my wits end by now with this impending hurricane. Please do whatever it takes to be out of harm's way. God bless you all!

By Tarable on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 10:29 am:

We even have tropical storm warnings in Dallas.. But now they are saying that we shouldn't be on the east side so maybe no major tornadoes. My thoughts are with all of you to my south!

By Annie2 on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 11:11 am:

Thinking about everyone in Texas and others being hit with the outer bands. We have gusty winds here, local flooding near water and the Gulf is experiencing 10-12 foot waves at Pensacola Beach.
We aren't under any tropical storm warnings yet but that may change as the day goes on.
Stay safe everyone.

By Marcia on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 11:46 am:

Kathy, I agree. As much as I hate the snow, at least it doesn't set us into panic or evacuation mode!!
Stay safe, everyone!

By Kay on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 12:10 pm:

I live halfway between Dallas and Austin, and our county is already receiving evacuees. It's expected to hit us tomorrow with thunderstorms and possible tornadoes.

By Dramamamma on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 12:47 pm:

We are okay, lots of people in our area have boarded up and/or left but I think we are okay... My sister, her two kids, and cousin are here with us because they live in an area that floods and will get stronger winds.

The wind has picked up here already and it has sprinkled some. We were watching the news a few minutes ago and the storm surge/waves in Galveston are already just insane and it's not supposed to be here until tomorrow.

Will check in later.

By Karen~admin on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 12:56 pm:

Kaye, I am in Destrehan, it's about 20 miles west of New Orleans, on the eastbank. The low lying parts of my Parish and practically all the others on the westbank are receiving storm surge flooding, as well as other areas on the eastbank experiencing flooding from the Industrial Canal, London Ave. Canal, or water pushed from Lake Pontchartrain.

I had a Dr. appt. this morning, and driving on I-10 over the *swamp*, the area that is normally dry was under several feet of water....it was sort of scary, driving over the bridge/overpass, and the water was within 12" - 18" of the bottom of the bridge.

I can only imagine what the TX coast and low lying areas is like now, and will be before this is over! I saw on TV, the seawall along the roadway in Galveston, where water was already over it.

Everyone, be safe!!!!!!!!

By Kaye on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 01:02 pm:

Karen it is very scary. Actually seeing the pictures and KNOWING what it looked like last week, it is amazing. There is a beach, 50 yds or more completely covered. That wall is at least 10 foot tall, but places it is 14, and it already covered. This really could be scary scary.

I have driven over that interstate (on the way to disney). It was a little odd then, i can't imagine it all full of water!

We are watching the coverage and in phone contact with a couple of people.

christy, one of my closest friends lives in the heights. She said they are starting to get gusty winds at her house.

for those not from the area, the heights is North of downtown houston, so easily 100 miles inland!

By Pandamamaoo4 on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 01:38 pm:

Be SAFE everyone that lives in IKE's path..Our prayers are with all of you...It could have been us here in Fl...

By Karen~admin on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 03:01 pm:

UGH! Our tornado sirens have been going off and on all day today - and they are saying that due to Ike, conditions will be *favorable* for tornadoes to develop for a couple more days.

This just scares the heck outta me!

By Bea on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 03:39 pm:

God bless you all. Please stay safe.

By Dramamamma on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 03:43 pm:

The wind is picking up here along with scattered rain. The TV is showing constant coverage and it is just so sad, I can't believe the seawall is already flooding. So many people did NOT leave and they are pretty much on their own now. I don't understand WHY people would not leave, especially when they know how bad it's going to be.

By Dawnk777 on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 03:51 pm:

Good luck, everyone who is in Ike's path. I was just looking at some pictures from the Houston Chronicle, and amazed at how many people are standing on the seawall, watching the waves.

In WI, I only walk out to the lighthouse if it's calm. If waves are crashing, over the breakwater, we stay onshore!

By Tayjar on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 04:23 pm:

I can tell you from an insurance side of things, we have mobilized every available person to head down for site searches and cat office locations. They are dropping like flies around here. Honestly, people have their suitcases in their cars so when they are told to leave, they are heading straight for a cat vehicle or a plane.

Stay safe and be smart.

By Karen~admin on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 05:07 pm:

Dora, my friend's DH does cat claims sometimes - he actually just turned down going up to NY for all the flood claims. They're waiting to see if he is called to go to TX.

By Kaye on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 09:58 pm:

Good to know tayjar.

We actually have really good insurance. They have always taken care of us and very very quickly. So i am holding out that if we have a claim (who am i kidding...when we put in our claim) that it will go smoothly.

As of 9 pm, my house still has power (i call in).

Karen, they expect the ugly winds to last from 9-12 hours...WOW! So glad I am not there!

By Emily7 on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 12:25 am:

Christy did Peggy & Larry stay in LaPorte?
My thoughts are with you all!

By Nicki on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 12:32 am:

You are all in my prayers and thoughts.
Please take care.

By Kaye on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 04:47 am:

Well i woke at about 3:30, came to check online. My house is without power. the news reports just sound so devastating. The people posting online are obviously scared.

Christy, post if you can, but I suspect you are without power too.

So many people are going to die in this, it is so tragic.

I think what suprises me most is the reports of fire, that cannot be reached due to the storm.

By Karen~admin on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 09:04 am:

Kaye, I've been watching TWC and khoutv online for a while now..............

By Ilovetom on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 09:15 am:

Praying for all the Moms in Texas. It looks horrible.

By Kaye on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 09:59 am:

Well I have touched base with several of my friends. One just north of downtown. She said it was scary scary, but their house is fine. There is some debris and one of the signs on their garage is bent up, but other than that all is good. She spoke with someone two n'hoods from mine. He is also reporting, no flooding, just some very minor wind damage. All in all people are saying things survived, but it was a long long scary night.

However everyone is without power. So we still sit and wait, have to figure out when to head back. We will wait on the schools for an update on their plans. My hubby will call in to work and plan that out. No one really wants to go be where there isn't power, but who knows how long that will be. Could be later today, could be weeks.

I think the wind was much worse than expected, but I think the water was much less than anticipated. Maybe there aren't many deaths.

For those of you watching, those reports at the hilton in clear lake, which received much damage, it is the same one where the lady ran over her dentist husband. Can't think of their names right now.

That is very very close to me

By Annie2 on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 10:09 am:

Kaye, I'm glad things are not going to be too bad for you and your home.
Do you know where Bellville is located? I do know it is in the Austin area. Where they effected by the storm at all. I have relatives there but it's too early to call.
Thanks

By Dawnk777 on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 10:13 am:

Those people on the weather channel, Stephanie something and Mike Seidel, looked so tired this morning. I know they were both reporting, when I went to bed, around 1:30am, and both still there, when I got up around 8am. It just all looks so wet, where they are. (clute and by the Hilton).

In contrast, the studio people looked all rested and awake! LOL!

The "no power" thing would be a downer for me! I have no idea how to live a life without power, or hot water.

By Dana on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 12:23 pm:

Just dropping by to share my prayers for those of you effected by the storm. Unbelievably, the Tampa Bay area had flooding in many coastal areas, as well as area well inside the bay. I was really surpised by that. We didn't even get rain from the storm, just a surge.

By Karen~admin on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 12:27 pm:

No one really wants to go be where there isn't power, but who knows how long that will be. Could be later today, could be weeks.

EXACTLY! With both Katrina and Gustav, we stayed away until power and running water were restored.

Yes, the storm surge was not as bad as expected, the winds were pretty fierce, and even though it wasn't the *sure death experience* they predicted, there are, no doubt, many, many people whose homes were destroyed, and from what I've seen so far, the damage is still very great. And it's not done yet!

Glad to hear you fared well, Kaye.

Dana, it was surprising how many states were affected by this, wasn't it?

By Yjja123 on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 01:55 pm:

You are all in my thoughts and prayers!

Dawn said "The "no power" thing would be a downer for me! I have no idea how to live a life without power, or hot water."
This is why most people (at least here) have generators. Having gone through several hurricanes, you learn to be prepared for a long outage. Generators are a blessing!

By Karen~admin on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 01:59 pm:

You're right, Yvonne. We don't have a generator (yet - up until the last 10-12 years, I never once evacuated, nor did I ever lose power for more than a very few hours at a time), and are actually considering getting a whole-house generator. I know several people who have done that since Katrina. Do you have one of those, or a smaller one?

By Kaye on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 02:50 pm:

So my friend who wasn't too far, was going to go check out our houses. She can't get to her house, was told by officers that it was probably a total loss, standing in a foot of water. UGH! Worse than that, this is the friend that lost her new husbands home in a fire about 6 weeks ago. I just can't even imagine, she sounds so distraught.

She couldn't make it by my house, she was made to shelter in place by the officers that stopped her. She is hoping to drive by my place, but honestly I doubt she will.

There are defintely some people who will really be hurting from this.

Yvonne, no generator here either. We have now lived through a combined 8 hurricane seasons. this is the first time we have lost power for long at all. This is all the first hurricane to hit here for a long time.

By Bea on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 02:55 pm:

I'm so glad that you all seem to have made it through the night safely.

We had no power for over two weeks after Isabel and no land line phones for another week. Thankfully, it was cooler here by then, so the AC wasn't a big issue. We shared our generator with 2 other neighbors, and were able to keep our refrigerators and freezers cold. By the time power was restored, I was getting to enjoy the life style without electricity, with one exception. The generators were so loud with all our windows open. I got pretty good at cooking with Sterno on my fondue pot base. I could even make a decent slice of toast. Our natural gas grill came in very handy as there wasn't any propane to be had around here. We have a gas water heater, so that helped too, and my antique oil lamps came in handy. We have since bought a bigger generator, and our next door neighbor installed a whole house generator.

By Yjja123 on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 03:06 pm:

We have a large generator that runs most of the household. We do not have one that automatically kicks on. When we have an extra $10,000+ we will get one
My in-laws have one of those and it is great to have it kick on in any power outage.

By Kaye on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 03:13 pm:

Annie, beville should be fine. It is actually south of austin quite a ways. But really it was on the clean side of the storm. I would assume they are okay.

By Annie2 on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 05:29 pm:

Thanks, Kaye. Goodness, with all of what you are dealing with you responded to my post. I called them this am and they are okay. Alot of rain and heavy winds but nothing major.
Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.

By Kay on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 06:22 pm:

Bellville is in Austin County, not near the city of Austin (Travis County). It's about 50 miles west of Houston. There's also a city named Beeville, which is also in the danger area.

By Karen~admin on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 08:16 pm:

Yvonne, do you have any knowledge of how much return you can expect when selling a house, on a whole-house generator? Around here, people seem to believe you will get a large part of your investment back, simply due to the fact that *almost* every year, it would be put to use.

By Karen~admin on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 08:18 pm:

Kaye (and others), I hope you can find out something definitive about your home soon!!!!!!!

By Yjja123 on Sunday, September 14, 2008 - 12:28 pm:

We have been told that is is a valuable asset when selling your home.
Granted, with home prices dropping right now, we do not see it as a worthwhile investment.
If we had the $ to spend, we would buy it for piece of mind. Right now, the economy as it is, we cannot justify the expense. We have a generator that worked fine guring the 3 weeks we were out of power (wilma) so we will be covered in a power loss.

My thoughts and prayers continue for those of you effected by the storm! ((((((hugs))))))

By Kaye on Sunday, September 14, 2008 - 03:46 pm:

Okay well I got good news about my house. We only have 1 tree down. But upon quick inspection the roof even looks fine. We will definitely have that checked out professionally, but later.

Anyway...good good news for us. We are still without power and water is scarce. My kids are out of school for at least another week. So i am going to stay at my dad's until saturday. My hubby will probably fly back and get back to work soon. He will just have to rough it a little!

By Dramamamma on Monday, September 15, 2008 - 11:36 pm:

Our power went out at 9pm on Friday, even before the storm got here which was a REAL downer... We made it through the storm okay, some trees down but overall okay. The winds were TERRIFYING early Saturday morning. When we ventured out around our area several power lines down, trees down, and roofs really messed up. We were lucky with just the trees and fences in our neighborhood.

Yesterday (Sunday) we went to my dad's house in Pasadena because he had electricity. This evening B and I drove to our house around 6pm and our's was on. So we are back at home and happy to have internet, phones, satelite even, and electricity! We are VERY fortuate.

One of my closest friends lives further north and they are still without power and water, it's really hit or miss what areas have it right now.

My old neighbors in LaPorte are without power still but were VERY lucky in the damage that they did receive, they stayed for the storm and we were very worried about them but they did okay. She said that they will never stay for a mandatory evacuation again.

I took quite a bit of pics from our area and might share them if anyone wants to see.

B is out of school until Wednesday and we will see about Thursday and Friday they are saying.

Kaye -- I'd stay gone too, it's just nuts around getting any kind of food, gas, ANYTHING really. My mom sat in line today for 3.5 hours for gas and that was getting there before they opened the lines up.

By Dana on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 05:52 am:

I'm so glad you all faired so well. The news reports are just incredible. We were out of power for 7 days when those 3 hurricanes came thru FL 4 years ago. It was awful and I was pregnant at the time. We bought a generator after that.

I told my husband this weekend that I have no intentions what so ever to stay in the home if a major hurricane cames over us. We are about 5 miles from the coast so the winds will be at their worst. But really my main concern would be living in a house when there is no power anywhere in the area. Who WANTS to be there for that? I'm taking the kids and waiting for electricty to come back, how ever long that would take.

With this storm,so many people will be out for so long. I can't even imagine.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 09:16 am:

The effects of this storm were far reaching. Many communities in Ohio are with out power and they are talking at least a week with out power for many of them. The storm front came through Ohio on Sunday night. The winds were so strong, 60-70 mph. The sky looked terrible and the dust was clinging in the air..

Officials tout execution of response to Hurricane Ike remnants

Prayers going out to all of those impacted by IKE.

By Vicki on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 10:34 am:

We lost power Sunday afternoon/evening and it came back on about 4 this morning. It is a MESS around here. Our school is closed for the second day... there have been quite a few deaths as a result of the storm.... One of the reasons it is taking so long for the power to come back up to many people is they sent crews from around here to go down ahead of IKE. They have called those crews back, but it takes time for them to get back! The biggest problem was IKE hooked up with a cold front here, so that made it even worse! We lost a tree and have some roof damage. Our neighbors lost a huge willow tree and there is a lot of damage all around us.

After seeing what I was Sunday afternoon/evening, there is no way I would ever ride out a hurricane. I can't begin to imagine it.

By Dana on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 05:04 pm:

I was watching WGN last night, and I was shocked at the floods up in IL. They were showing how Ike and the front met each other dropping so much rain.

Honestly, from my childhood until the last 3 yrs, I have never given a second thought to hurricanes. Bad yes, some areas got hit badly, but it was over by the next year with everything repaired. I guess Hurricane Elena, was it, that hit ALL of Southern FL was the first really really bad storm I saw (from a distance and TV only). And then we had several mild summers, but WOW the last few seasons have really changed the way a hurricane hits and changes the communities. So much more damage.

Honestly, a cat 2? I would have stayed at home for a cat 2, except for the surge areas. Not any more, if it is coming straight at me. If it was not headon, I would probably stay home if I thought power would be back within a couple days at worst.

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 12:43 am:

I'll take just one day of rain, but no other convenience. By the time the storms get as far north as me, they usually aren't a big deal. Without the cold front that met Ike, the midwest would have probably just gotten rain from Ike and it wouldn't have been so bad.

ONe of my co-workers was going to go camping last Friday. They opted to camp in the yard instead. They still had their food treats, slept out in the the tent in the yard, and came in the house for a big breakfast, in the morning. She said they still had fun.