It has only been two weeks

While things are nearly back to normal in our little corner of the world, there is sadness and upset all around us.  While the media turns to other big stories like the economy and the political race, there is still a lot going on post-Ike around here.

(click on the purple words to link to the news story) 

Funny tree

This tree is in our back neighbor's yard.  It is very tall and used to stand parallel to the power pole that is also pictured.  Since Ike came through it has been permanently blown to one side.  It makes me laugh for some unknown reason.

Kemah photos

So many of you who visit us inevitably end up at Kemah Boardwalk.  Here are some photos of the damage Ike caused:  

It takes all kinds...

As we were staying in Austin because we were safe and sound and did not wish to add to the strain of those trying to help those in need, people were already taking advantage...

 

Photos from our attic

A few photos from our attic.  This is where the insulation was blown back, the brick exposed, and a little bit of water got inside.

The other two photos show how the force of the wind pulled the 2x4s apart.  These gaps were not here pre-hurricane.  I wonder how much more force it would have taken for the entire roof to go flying off?

A few photos

Around the neighborhood:

The church in our neighborhood had some roof damage and the cross fell over at the top of the steeple.  Not sure what other damage might have happened inside because of the roof damage.

PC's clinic where I work:

Power to the clinic is back on as of mid-day today.  Now that C and PC have had a second, closer look at the wall, they've discovered that the damage is more extensive than they first thought.  It seems that the pressure inside slid the wall along with the very large, very heavy piece of exercise equipment (white machine) about 3-6 inches towards the middle of the room!  The wall moved back to its original position but left much damage to the wall itself that may mean replacing it.  The exercise machine is 3 inches out of place which is amazing.  C and PC are over there now trying to do repairs so that PC can open on Monday.  The insurance company has advised him to make whatever repairs he can make in order to open his doors for business.  As you can see, all of the ceiling tiles and insulation need to go back up.  However, they need to rig up a support for them in order to keep them up.  On the other side of the wall is an empty space that has not been built out yet. 

Downed power lines along Highway 3.

Of course photos can't do it all justice.  I need to get out and get more photos around the neighborhood so you can see the amazing piles of debris people are cleaning up and setting on the curb.  I'll try to do that tomorrow.

Home

As of about 8 pm last night we are all home.  Along with electricity the day before, the boil water ban was lifted yesterday so we returned to a fully functioning home last night.  That was a huge relief with all of the kids in tow.  O usually gets his own water out of the fridge dispenser so we were trying to figure out how to help him remember not to do that.  But, as it turned out, there is no need.  That helps a lot!

ZCM and CM were so kind to have dinner ready for us once we arrived home.  They had a couple of things to celebrate:  they had their power restored yesterday PLUS (and this was even better news for them) their place on Galveston Island looks to be in really good shape!  A friend of theirs was able to make it onto the island during the "look and leave" fiasco on Tuesday and was kind enough to go everywhere he could go taking photos of everyone's property that he could.  We saw the pictures last night and they were so lucky as the same type of town homes just around the corner from them had a lot of damage.

So, good news all around from our little part of the world.  We realize that there are so many people who are not doing as well and our hearts go out to them.  I can't imagine not having anything and not having any resources financially to push through it.  Probably nearly half of our subdivision is still without power.  Life as we know it won't be returning for awhile.

My school is closed until Monday because they still don't have electricity.  O's school district is holding off starting school until Monday the 29th.  C is reporting for work on Monday the 22nd.

That is where we are at this time.  I will post some photos of our area some time today.  C took many photos on Tuesday when he returned and I'm sure we'll head out at some point, if not today, then over the weekend and take the camera with us.  More later.

   

Love these stories...

From the Houstonist blog

These photos are amazing as well.

(Hint, those of you who aren't blog aware, click on the words that are a different color or underlined to go to the link)

POWER!!!!!

The boys called this morning and the power came on about 2 am!!  YAY!!  The cable is on as well.  We'll give the boys the day to finish up the work that needs to be done around the houses and have them get together a list of perishables we'll need upon our return.  T and I will gather our belongings along with the groceries we need and probably head back to Houston tomorrow.  It still looks like JSC won't open until Monday and the schools until Tuesday but if they are getting power back on in the area then they may move that up.  However, they may want to give people plenty of  time to return, clean up and settle back in before we start back to the normal routine.  Area schools and businesses are good about that.  And it being already Weds, why not just give everyone the weekend to get it all back together?

Check out Spacemama's Journaling for photos of their place.  For more dramatic photos of Gilchrist, TX click here

We'll let you know when we get back home.  Thanks so much to DH and RH and J for our Hurrication! 

The latest in updates

C took the cameras back to Houston with him to photograph the area so I'll have no more photos of our time here in Austin.  Unless, of course, he and PC get tired of living there without power and head back for the weekend!  

The latest is that JSC won't open until Monday the 22nd and CCISD won't reopen the schools until Tuesday which, they say, is subject to change.  O's school looks to have power and is in good condition after an inspection.  My school is scheduled to begin classes on Thursday evening  at this point but I doubt I will be there.  They are confident that they will have power back by then.  We'll see.

C and PC check out the clinic first.  In general (from C's explanation), the front part of the office (reception area, my massage room and PC's office) were fine.  There was obviously some wind blowing around because papers that PC had in his office were all over.  The biggest damage was towards the back of the clinic in the large PT room.  Seems the wall is bowed inward pretty badly and may have to be replaced.  Also, there was some damage to the A/C units on the roof--mostly the bank's unit located next door to us.  Still no power there.

They then ventured to our house.  There are lots of tree branches and pine cones down along with missing leaves and flowers.  Inside, there is a spot in the family room upstairs where the roof leaked a bit.  Upon further inspection (crawling up into the attic space) C and PC found that it looked like some force was working hard to pull the roof off of our house!  Many of the 2x4s were broken where the roof attaches to the house.  I'm sure C can explain it better than I can but that is how I see it when he describes it.  We may need to have some repair work done but it is certainly livable.  Still no power.  Also, the fence needs attention.

PC and TR's house had no issues except for the trees in their yard.  They lost a pair tree which landed on the fence so there will need to be some repair there.  Plus, a pine tree in the front yard lost a large part of the top portion but didn't damage anything when it came down.

LW also headed back with the guys and after checking out the clinic with them, headed off to her place and found it in great condition.  Without power, of course!  

So, in short, it could have been much, much worse.  There was some talk about TR and I heading back with the kids in the next 2 days or so.  However, now that JSC isn't opening until next week and the schools aren't in session until next week we may just take a few more days.  She had to take AMR to the doc today and came back with antibiotics.  The poor girl had a sinus infection!  Poor baby!  I hope she sleeps well tonight for both their sakes.

So, it was a bit quieter here this evening with the guys and LW gone.  OH, and they took the cats back with them as well.  We all thought they would be more comfy in familiar surroundings even though they were doing really well here in Austin.  But, with 4 cats and 2 dogs in the house all together, even though they were all doing really well, it is good to get the extras out of the house sooner than later.

Ok, it is getting late.  I need to hit the sack.  I'll update anything that I may have forgotten tomorrow.

Good night!

The plan for today

It was posted last night on the khou.com updates that our zip code can return.  There is still no electricity as far as we know and we've heard that it could come back as soon as Thursday or as late as 4 weeks from now.  That narrows it down doesn't it.

So, C, PC and LW are headed back to Houston today.  They are hoping to find a generator here in the area, pick up some groceries and supplies/gas this morning to take with them.  They will head back about mid-day so they can start clean up at our houses, help out the neighbors and help out wherever else there is need.  TR and I will stay in Austin with the kids since we are comfy here.  We don't want to head back until there is power or at least until it isn't such a scramble for people to get food, ice and gas.  No need to put the kids into that situation if we don't have to.   

ZCM and CM were at our houses yesterday and cleaned out the fridges for us before things started to rot.  Thank you so much Z & C!!  No major damage at any of our places and things look fine.  Z & C's place in Galveston may be badly damaged though but they won't know for sure until they see it for themselves.  Too many conflicting reports to draw a conclusion.  We are hoping for the best for them that it isn't too bad.

I guess that is about all the excitement here.  Yesterday we went shopping for groceries and TR, the kids and I went to the zoo for the afternoon.  We had fun.

I'll update again later when there is something more to say.  

More of things to do

AMR, TR, M and O riding the train at the zoo on Monday.

All of the excitement just got to M while she was eating a snack.
It is nice to have a buddy to cuddle with during a nap!  M and Brody snoozin'.
Here is the crew sleeping this morning.
O sleeping this morning.

Things to do

So what do evacuees do to pass the time?

Guitar Hero Marathon:

TR and LW enjoy their turn at the game.

PC and C actually stand up and get into it!
Even the kiddos are getting good at it.
See?  Miranda can play behind her head already!
Then there is always the Austin Zoo.

M feeds a deer.

More pool pics from today

Just took these photos.  They are having fun!  

Now watching live video from a news helicopter of Kemah Boardwalk.  Lots and lots of water.  It is one of our favorite places to go.  Looks like we'll have to wait a bit before we head back to play there.  I'm sure they will be up and running ASAP!

Enjoying the pool Friday

Probably fine

Just got a call from our next door neighbor, LB.  A friend of hers drove by our houses and said that everything looks fine upon drive by so that is a relief.  That report combined with what we can gather from watching the news and reading comments on various web sites makes us feel like we won't have too much to deal with upon our return.  At this point the return is more of a question as there are many routes blocked and under water.  We will be staying put until we know the way is clear.  

If you've left phone messages, we haven't gotten them as our reception is poor and we finally just turned the phones off.  We have given the number to the house to a few people in case they need to contact us.  Otherwise, we are just working on email and blog comments to keep in touch with folks.  

Thanks to all of you for your concern and comments.  The kids and daddy are in the pool right now with PC and AMR.  Some of us are napping and just laying around.  Most everyone slept well last night.  I refused to turn off the tv in case I missed something so I didn't sleep long enough or soundly enough.  I took a good nap this afternoon so am feeling better.  RH, DH and J are taking really good care of us, cooking for us and doing laundry.  It is such a big help!  We really appreciate their hospitality.

The excitement so far today was Brody (our dog) rolled in something very stinky so C and I had to give him an unplanned bath.  He took it pretty well and is much more pleasant to be around!

That is all here.  We'll keep you updated.

Nothing new

Nothing new to report here.  We are just glued to our lap tops and the tv watching and waiting for Ike to hit.  Waiting to see how bad it will get, watching all the stupid people who thought they could ride out the storm then panic and call for someone to rescue them.  THAT is another story that we've talked extensively about this evening so I won't even go there.

Anyway, we spent a nice afternoon with some of the group playing in the pool, eating hot dogs and hamburgers and enjoying our time together.  No specific plans for tomorrow.  We will just be waiting to see what the affected areas look like in the day light.  I have a feeling it will be another night with very little and disrupted sleep.  Maybe we'll just sleep tomorrow!  

Bye-bye house

This is what our house looked like when we left yesterday evening around 6:45 pm.  We made it safely to Austin & TR's mom's house around 1:45 am.  We stopped on the drive to eat and stretch our legs for roughly 1 hour.  The rest of the time was spent in the car in a lot of traffic.  Fortunately, the traffic kept moving and we rarely were at a complete stop for long periods of time.  Of course the time we spent in the car on the way to Austin last night pales in comparison to the stories we've all heard from the Rita evacuation 3 years ago where it was taking 24-36 hours to get from Houston to Austin.  It is good to have that drive behind us and we are safe, sound and very much enjoying the hospitality of DH and RH.  I have to say, it is a much more comfortable feeling watching the weather reports from our current location as opposed to watching it at our house yesterday afternoon!  Stay safe ZCM and CM!!

We chose to go to Austin because it looked like Lafayette would have more severe weather.  At any rate, we will be here until we hear that JSC is reopening their operations.  Then we'll know for sure we will be headed back to safe conditions with electricity and other utilities back in place.  No need to head back with the kiddos any sooner if we don't know what we will be encountering.  

Rest assured we have all of our hurricane party provisions ready plus the fine retail establishments in and around the Austin area to replace our consumed inventory.  We are doing well and hope all of you are as well.

Leaving

The order came across this morning for our zip code to evacuate beginning at noon today.  We will spend the morning gathering our belongings and securing our house.  The plan is to meet at TR/PC's house at 2 pm ready to go.  At that time we will check out the storm track plus the traffic situation and choose a direction.  Right now we are leaning towards Lafayette because there will be more room for us there, the flooding potential is less and the location we plan on staying is in town.  Our housing option in Austin is much further out of town and space is limited.  

So, that is the plan for now.  Thanks for all the phone calls and emails this morning.  Know that we are safe and we have a good plan.  I'll catch you all up when I can.

Big hugs all around!

Still no decision

Well, as of the 11 pm update things are not looking so good for our date with Ike.  JSC officially closes at noon tomorrow (Thursday).  The school district has officially closed for Thursday and Friday.  No mandatory evacuations have come across for us at this time so C and I have just been sitting here debating the pros and cons of sheltering in place or evacuating.  If we evacuate we would head out with TR, PC and LW who we spent the week with when we evacuated for Rita back in 2005.  We had it better than most people and really have quite fond memories of the event.  Plus we would probably add ZCM and CM with their beagle as well as AMR into the mix.  Let me tell you, if you are going to have to evacuate for a hurricane, these are the people to do it with.

So, back to the pros and cons...

Option 1

Being in 2 separate cars for multiple hours (I'm guessing at a minimum 10-12 hours if we are lucky) with 2 children, 2 cats and a 75 lb lab along with a few irreplaceable belongings to drive to Austin or Lafayette, LA......sucks.  Oh, and just for the record, both Austin and Lafayette are part of the cone that will most likely see severe weather from this storm so we will really never get away from it.

Option 2

Staying home and securing the house as best we can knowing full well that we could be stuck here for days, even weeks without electricity and all of the nastiness that would land in our front yard with the storm surge plus dealing with 2 children, 2 cats and a 75 lb lab......sucks.

So, in short, we aren't liking either of our options.  But at this point, at least we still HAVE options.  I had a sobering experience driving to class tonight (school is a 40 minute drive for me).  On the way to class I saw at LEAST 50 charter buses with full police escort heading, I'm assuming, to Galveston and areas south to evacuate those folks with special needs.  And if that wasn't eerie enough, on the way home I saw 6-8 ambulances traveling with lights and sirens at full speed northbound on 288 toward the medical center.  I'm sure they were full of seriously ill patients from hospitals south of us along the coast that needed to be evacuated to other hospitals for their continued care.  Not a pleasant thought for sure.

The bright side of the evening was that because of the hurricane situation they were waiving the tolls on Beltway 8.  Sometimes you gotta look really hard for the bright side but it is always there!  I saved 8 bucks tonight!  

We'll update you by mid-day on Thursday as to what we decide to do.  Thanks to all of our friends and family who are keeping us in their thoughts this weekend as we have our date with Ike.