Even with Ike, you gotta love Texas

[sm]

*sad*

springmom and Archerandshooter,

I am so sorry to hear about this.
Sending my best, along with hugs and handshakes.


Steve

 

[Drgong]

Sorry to hear about that Springmom and Archershooter

Rep. John Culbertson, who was encouraging those of us who are watching this 500-mile freight train bearing down on us from here. He cheerily said, "Well, you know, all you really need is enough food and drink and ammo, as we say here in Texas, and you're good".

He Just pulled that line on MSNBC in a interview with Chris Jansing.

 

[Mrs. Armoredman]

Macadore thank you.

 

[macadore]

Macadore thank you.

Glad to help. Galveston used to be an interesting place. We’ll see how this goes.

 

[Rio Laxas]

Springmom and ArcherandShooter, I am sorry to hear about your house. My parents aren't too far from you in Conroe and they had 6 big trees come down on their wrought iron fence. It sounds like it got pretty hairy up there.

We didn't do as badly here in Katy, but we have sections of fence down and some big trees down. Power just came back on a half our ago.

 

[distra]

Springmom and ArcherandShooter, sorry to hear about the house damage, but glad you are both ok. Wife and I lived in northwest Houston by Jersey Village from '97-'00 and did a lot of bike riding in the Spring area. As you know it's a nice area of south east Texas. I wish you the best and hope your home is repaired soon.

 

[Monkeybear]

Glad to hear that everyone is ok. Lights went out over here for about three hours. They flickered a bit here and there and then finally quit at about 3am only to come back on about 6am. Not sure who was working on the electric lines during the hurricane but I sure do appreciate it. Only thing not up is the cell phones.

No damage around here except for the tree branches strewn about and some sign damage to one of the gas stations. Street lights have been down all day but driving around safely is still pretty easy as everyone is treating every intersection like a stop sign. I was driving around early this morning picking people up to come and bask in the air conditioning and generally checking up on people that I couldn't reach by phone.

I feel pretty fortunate as I live prettty close to I-45.

 

[The_Shootist]

Ha!

They are talking "weeks" before power restored. Texas City residents can't return until Tues...and Galveston is off limits until further notice....whatever that means!

After seeing all the the damage on the Island, I feel like a traitor for bugging out all the way to Dallas. I know it was the right thing to do, but I just have this uncomfortable feeling being away from all the action.

 

[TehK1w1]

Archer and Springmom, I feel your pain. I got a call from my mother at 10AM saying that a tree took out my parent's room and my little brother's room Fortunately, they were huddled in the reinforced hallway of our house(NW Houston) and are unharmed. I'm feeling kinda guilty right now at being off in college while my family needs me, though.

 

[Steve Raacke]

They are talking "weeks" before power restored. Texas City residents can't return until Tues...and Galveston is off limits until further notice....whatever that means!

Heck, we still have places around Baton Rouge without power after Gustav. Some towns south of us will probably be without power until October. It takes time to clean up after a mess like this.

 

[ThomasT]

Sorry to hear about everyones damage from the storm.

I'm a catasthophe insurance adjuster and will be heading down to the Houston area on wednesday or thursday. I hope I can get a hotel.

I hope the power is on soon for you guys. I will post when I get there. That is if the nets up and running.

 

[BAT1]

Sorry to hear about your home. Hope that person has insurance. Full replacement value at that. Since it destroyed your favorite chair, HD TV, all your gun collection, and caused mental suffering... take pictures and tell your insurance to go after their insurance. Some people just don't take care of their property, but after this they might. Make sure the contractors do the job right, don't sign off until pleased. bowl 443, Crystal beach was wiped clean. The pictures on TV aren't good. Channel 11 in Houston is covering it now. 361 on DTV. I cleaned up for three days and not one drop of rain. I'm praying for a fast recovery for all the people affected. Watch out here comes FEMA. Since you have structural damage, they will visit to make sure you are not trapped in wreckage. Meet them eating food with a bottle of water in your hand.

 

[springmom]

I'm borrowing Archerandshooter's computer for a moment just to say thank you to all who have sent kind wishes. We have a place to stay for tonight and so will not be sleeping in the Mold Soup that the back of our house is becoming. A&S's company will put us up for 7 nights (although finding a place is another issue). We are not, for now, going to the ranch... it's too far away to be dealing with daily stuff here. I may go later, but our insurance is saying they will pay for a place for us to live HERE until our house is repaired.

Oldest Son, who's in construction in Austin, says a likely 6 months for repairs, as so many people will need contractors and builders. It is heartwrenching to have to segue from "my brother in law is coming in and A&S is going elk hunting" to "where are we sleeping tomorrow night?"

We are blessed with good neighbors (I've written about them before, so won't repeat myself, but they're super folks) and a good insurance company that appears to really want to do this right. That said, it's going to be a long, torturous process. I threw out all the extra stuff in the fridge today, and we're going to have a block party cookout to eat our venison up tonight. We cannot run power even once it comes back, due to the water damage through the roof..and we cannot get the generator fixed because nobody's working (of course).

God bless all who have been ravaged by this thing. We will not be a victim, though; not even to some miserable hurricane. We'll get through it because that's what Texans do.

Blessings to all, and we'll check in when we can,

Springmom

 

[ThomasT]

The neighbors insurance isn't responable for the tree falling. The best you can hope for would be to sue the homeowner for the deductible of the claim.

And if there is any other damage besides the tree a settlement would only be a partial one. I doubt that you could sue for it anyway.

 

[IllHunter]

Hold on, I'm coming...

Hey Ratshooter, maybe see you down there. I am planning to be in Houston on tues if all goes acording to Hoyle. Again, spring and co., and others, pm me with insurance questions. If you have documents from your requests to your neighbor and your insurance company wants you to sign a subrogation agreement, be sure you are included with any settlements as you are entitled to be re-imbursed dedictuble etc. before they recover one cent. Don't bring this up until they do as it may sour your working relationship with your company. Certainly never sign a subro agreement until they have coughed up american dollars. Good luck.

 

[Rouguerunner]

Sorry about the house but glad you both are OK

springmom and Archerandshooter.
Sorry about the house but glad you are both are OK. I am just able to get a signal through my wireless card just now. Still no power here in Atascosita but was very fortunate and only had a couple of branches down at my house. At least we still have running water. Fm 1960 was lined with downed trees and the neighborhoods (i.e. Walden, Eagle Springs) where the builders didn't clear the trees are a wreck.
Mother nature has decided to be gentle after her wrath and a cool front has come through and will linger around for a couple of days giving relief to the many of us without power and AC. Saw pictures of everything in an around Gavleston and it is just jawdropping. Listening to the descriptions on the radio for the past day could not even come close.

God Bless everyone deeply affected by Ike.

 

[arthurcw]

Springmom and Archerandshooter,

Glad you are OK. Having good family and good neighbors is priceless.

We had a tree take out our power but missed the house. Thank God. All our Humans are OK so it's a win for our side. Don't have much Laptop Juice left so I have to go. But I hope you guys in Houston fared as will with You and Yours.

God bless all. Will have more later. A couple of gun related musings when I have more power.

 

[Catherine]

I am glad that you could post here, Spring Mom.

Most good insurance policies will pay for 'housing' while your house is being fixed and/or repaired. I am glad that you have that coverage.

I missed that part about your GENERATOR not working. Ugh. We had 2 in our rural, blizzard, tornado, high water sometimes country when we lived in my late husband's Great Lakes home state.

Good friends, neighbors and family, if you have them which you do, will help one another ALWAYS. I was raised where one hand washes another... same as you.

Most places and some parts of the country get hit and have hard times and the 'news' barely, if ever, reports it. Especially weather and economy issues. I am glad that coverage of your area and other parts of the country are getting media attention.

Alternative and regular media is talking about bad weather and flooding all over the place - all of the way up north due to this storm. Power outages and BIG time flooding and not just in RURAL areas where I used to live back east.

Prayers are being sent to you and to others.

Hugs and blessings.

Catherine

 

[paul]

Things remain okay in northern Brazoria county...
Truly self-sufficient folks in these parts...
Power probably out 'til Thanksgiving...

Looks like the areas east of Galveston took the worst hit...
No more Bolivar penninsula...

Hang in springmom, et. al....
Helps a'comin...
Should see our presidential candidates soon...
p


"Where's my FEMA check???"

 

[wally]

I had troubles starting both of my generators, but got them going in time to save the freezer food. Once it was clear we would be without power for along time, I was as able to barter the use of my spare to my neighbor in exchange for him foraging for 60 gallons of Diesel fuel -- took him about 8 hours to find it!

Near miracle how so many downed trees and limbs mostly failed to hit anything more than cars left outside, or do serious damage. A house under construction totaly collapsed doing some minor collateral damage to the sides of the adjacent houses.

Its an old neighborhood about three miles west of Reliant Stadium. Locally in my immediate area about the same damage as from Alica in '83. The idiots who didn't trim their trees out of the power right of way then didn't do it for this one either so I'm once again on a stub that will be out once the neighborhood comes back on

Springmom, sorry to hear you took structural damage, but from what I see on the news the loss of life and limb was minimal given the extent of the serious damage on the coast and inland. I'd have to say the evacuation worked.

So far I'm very proud of Houston for actually having had less crime than normal these past three days. Although my alert level is up a couple of notches as the envy and frustrations of the unprepared builds. The cool front that came through was a real blessing, and I'm sure a big factor.

So far the only use I've had for my ammo stash is to use the cans to elevate my generators to change the oil Hopefully it stays this way!

--wally.

 

[Quoheleth]

Got online this morning when a neighbor let me tap his generator for a little bit. I'm NE Harris county, Lake Houston area. Thank God, my house is OK - a couple shingles ripped off, deck screwed up, but nothing major. My church had a big chunk of shingles & tar paper ripped off, so we had pretty serious internal water damage from Sunday's rain. Only one of my members has serious home damage; all others spared.

My neighborhood is the new supplier for the Diamond matchstick & toothpick company. Trees down everywhere...many homes unliveable because of damage. I'm not up on what makes a house "destroyed" but some of these have to be pretty close...

A friend on Crystal Beach lost everything - the only possession they now have is their lot, the two cars they drove off of the island, and their two suitcases of clothes. That's more than some, but their loss is catastrophic.

My "sympathies" for those who chose to stay in Galveston during the storm are pretty thin. My friends who are firefighters, EMS, and police have to risk their necks to save people who made really stupid choices. There were FREE bus rides inland, for pete's sake - why not take it? Pride? Afraid of having to spend a few nights in a shelter? good grief...

My wife & kids left sunday morning and went to austin. I can work better without them, and I'll eat just about anything where they want better fare that might be able to be provided. Even in Austin, gas, gas cans, generators, tarps are all in short supply. I'm convinced that if the end of the world SHTF scenario does come, 1/2 the population wouldn't make the first week because of how dumb some people are.

Am rambling now...time to get back to work...
Good luck, all of SE Texas & western LA.

Q

 

[peyton]

Thanks for the updates, I am in Baghdad and am concerned about my daughters home. She went to San Antonio but is worried about the house.

 

[Catherine]

Please keep the news coming.

Stay safe. Are all of your guns dry and/or safe? Damage to them? Ammunition is safe and easy to get to? This is to anyone who wants to contribute to this thread. Did you mainly keep your self defense guns and/or a rifle/shotgun near you? I am sure that most GUN people already did those things! (I read somewhere on here that someone had their guns ruined too.)

Prayers sent to all of you.

God speed.

Catherine

 

[peyton]

GRRR, daughter just got home from San Antonio, garage door destroyed but car in garage OK. The house is in good shape. I reminded her not to leave the guns in car they drove to San Antonio. She says "Oh, we forgot to get the guns out of the closet before we WENT to San Antonio!! I tried to calmly remind her that self defense normally requires a firearm!! Anyway, insurance guys will be contacted. Oh, her next door neighbor's roof blew off, ceiling fell in from rain. What a mess!!!

 

[Quoheleth]

Peyton, glad your daughter is OK and the house is not damaged too badly. My community will be doing a booming contract business with the Diamond matchstick & toothpick company - LOTS of trees wiped out.

Have guns stashed around the house, just in case. Sleep with one nearby. Don't carry one on my person - no holster, and with all the bending, stooping, and moving around, I don't want to drop it or, worse, lose it. Plus, I don't want to accidentally "flash" or print while carrying trash out to the curb. Most of my neighbors are cool, but last thing I need is the un-cool ones calling the cops and me get in deep doo-doo because I was 6' out in the street with a tree branch.

If I get my yard finished this afternoon, I may spend a little time before the sun goes down rolling a batch of 9mm. I had the press all set up for it, powder weights checked, and ready to roll...and then Ike decided to drop by.

As a side note, I just heard this morning almost 50 people died from this storm, and the vast majority of those (I think 35-40) were OUTSIDE of Texas!!!

While part of me craves to watch the news or read a paper and know whats going on in the world, part of me is reveling in the ignorance.

By the way...if any of you, your family or friends have property on Galveston or the Bolivar Peninsula, DO NOT TRY TO GO ON THE ISLAND TODAY. They have revoked the day-pass permits and the islands are closed indefinitely. If you want to see what there is to see, I understand google satelite has excellent pictures - good enough you can identify your home and get a pretty good top-down view of your property.

Time to shut the power off and get to work.

Q