If you've never lived in the US gulf coast and have never had to prepare for a hurricane, consider yourself extremely blessed. We are moving into crisis mode down here in Houston, and it's a bit scary to be honest.
I lived in Illinois for a lot of my life, and let me tell you -- Even the worst Chicago snowstorm cannot compare to what it's like to go through hurricane weather. That's right -- Chicago has it EASY. At worst we would deal with a few feet of snow and a temporary inconvenience until we dug ourselves out. Here in Houston, we're wondering (a) if our homes will be blown down, (b) if our neighborhood will be flooded by the storm surge, (c) if our power grid will hold up, and (d) if our water supply will be maintained. I'd take Chicago weather any day compared to this stuff.
Went to Wal-Mart last night to buy water, flashlights, extra food. It was chaos. All the water was already sold out by the time I got there. People were hoarding canned goods. The bread aisle had already been raided. And, oh yeah, all the gas stations are sold out -- at least near our neighborhood.
Today I'm having Cheryl drive further inland, to College Station, to see if she can buy our emergency supplies up there. I'm hoping to refuel my car here in Houston tonight since the gas crisis hasn't seemed to hit in town yet.
Galveston and several coastal cities are already under mandatory evacuations, which means our freeway will soon be clogged with NW-bound traffic. School districts are beginning to close down. We're evacuating our fabrication shop in Channelview already. I heard on the radio this morning that there is only a 2% chance the storm will miss us now, and it's been upgraded to a Cat4 hurricane. I don't know if I've really ever seen 100 mph sustained winds. Here we go...
So, if you get a chance, pray for us and for the rest of coastal Texas. It's probably gonna be rough here for a few days, but hopefully we'll be able to crawl out by early next week.
greg
--- What I wouldn't give for a nice, easy blizzard... ;-)
10 comments:
Greg my new lifelong friend know that I am praying for you and your family.Maybe you can come up here to IL. untill Rita passes. category 4!
You are all in my prayers. I went through 3 hurricanes last year (I live in FL) and none of them were Cat 4 hurricanes...I was scared then, so I cannot imagine how stressed out people are with a cat 4 storm coming. Again, you all are in my prayers...my good friend lives in Houston and is evactuating
Know that I love you, and I'm praying for your safety.
Mandy
praying for you, your family and all texans.
Man! A hurricane in Texas now! I am sorry to hear that. I hope that it passes by quickly and without too much trouble. It makes me wonder what the heck is going on and when it's going to stop!
Praying for all of you down there!
Praying for all of you in the path of Rita! Stay safe!
Hon,
Earnestly praying for you, the family, and all Texas. Holding you up in prayer right now. Good thing you had all those productive years in Indian Guides so you know how to make a water purifier.
Love you, Mom and Pete
Mom, he is greg...not only does he know how to make a wter purifier, he can do it with only a coconut and some cheeze whiz, and it is more efficient than store bought! Really, Greggie, we are praying for you like crazy! I think I'll go call you...Lub!
Katie
Greg, and family I have already been praying for you all. Be safe. Hold tight to eachother. Wanna come to Colorado for a couple days? I'll keep you all safe.. I love you guys and will keep praying. Please Be safe...Let us know details of you guys being okay....love, Aunt Gail
Post a Comment