Sassy Dreams Awake

After losing power at 1:11 AM, our electricity finally came back on at 9:15 PM. The people sleeping on their balconies gave a big ol Texas WHOOP! when their lights and A/C units flickered back to life.

Tomorrow I will blog more about our adventure, but tonight, I’m just too tired. The sun came out this afternoon and by evening time, it was about 92 degrees upstairs. Heat really sucks the life out of me.

Time to go reunite the food we evacuated from the fridge back to the coolers back to the fridge…

It’s nearly 11 PM and we still have power and have yet to see any significant rainfall amounts. We’ve had wind, though, but we are so glad we secured the satellite dish with the bungee cord. It has not moved, even with the wind gusts.

We’ve got about four more hours until Rita makes landfall. After she moves through, I’ll feel a lot better, because the worst is still yet to come… but so far a lot less worse than it could have been.

I will blog more later about our day. You can check out Roomie’s The Tour De Tape on her blog from our morning walk.

I’m going to take a nap. It would be wonderful if the weather didn’t wake me up, but Jene’ assures me it will, she guestimates about 3 AM… either that or when she gets up to bake, the smell of warm bread will lure me downstairs.

Good night!

…so far.

Just went out for a walk. The sky is blue with a few intermittent white clouds and a cool breeze has replaced the 100 degree eerily still air.

EVERYTHING is closed. A few stragglers are pulling up to Kroger’s and the gas stations and pulling away in disbelief. One guy even thought the 24-hour Fitness would be open! We got a chuckle out of that.

The streets are practically bare and it’s rush hour. We walked past many taped windows and overflowing garbage dumpsters (Thursday is trash pick up day in this neighborhood). If people have stayed, they are staying indoors and it’s a shame. It’s a beautiful day… so far.

We don’t anticipate any rain until late this afternoon. The “eye” of Rita is expected to go east of us, sparing us the highest winds, so now we are hoping for the best — not losing power.

Rain, however, is another story… Rita is slowing down and Allison did that as well. Still, we did not flood then, but we may not be able to get out of the neighborhood quickly if we get a lot of rain.

That’s the update for now. I will try to update later this afternoon if I get the chance.

People have spent a good chunk of the evening criticizing the traffic conditions of the Houston exodus. Finally, Dr. Neil Frank, an authority on Hurricanes from KHOU NEWS, explained the evacuation plan as such: He said the evacuation plan was made to evacuate those on the coast and in flood prone, low lying areas (the now famous zones on the maps: A, B and C). The evacuation plan was made to evacuate these two million people, not the entire population of the Houston metroplex.

The problem is, he said, is that about half of the four million people not in the evacuation areas decided to evacuate as well. That’s where the breakdown occurred. So yes, many things went wrong because of that. He did say, however, that all in all, after watching the death and destruction of Katrina on tv for two weeks, people who would have normally stayed put panicked and decided to leave. Most, if not all, people on the roads right now should be able to get out of harm’s way before Rita’s landfall.

Not that he blames them, but the extra surge of people during the evacuation led to the traffic jams on the freeways. That’s the best explanation I’ve heard all day.

The best newspaper report on the Houston Exodus comes from across the pond in London.

From the Times Online: Exodus is “breathtaking in size.”

The exodus from the Texas coast, and 60 miles north through Houston, was breathtaking in size. In essence, a coastal suburban area of two million people was being ordered to evacuate through the Houston metropolitan area of four million.

Highways leading inland out of Houston were gridlocked, with traffic bumper-to-bumper. Petrol stations were running out of fuel. Police cruised along the queue with petrol for drivers running low. Shoppers emptied supermarkets of food and water.

Breathtaking in size. I love that.

Going to bed now to get a good night’s sleep because I doubt I get much sleep tomorrow night.

Personally, I’m more worried about all the rain we are going to get for the next five days. I’m glad I know how to swim.

Good night.

The Roomie took these pics and posted them on her blog.

We first went down to Walgreen’s for batteries, but they were closed. We walked past Starbuck’s on the way to Kroger and it was also closed. She posted signs in windows and empty shelves at the grocery store. You have to see it to believe it.

By the way, I am listed as the “Reluctant Roommate.” Walking around in 100 degree heat wasn’t my idea of a good time, but I did work off a lot of nervous energy.

In about 20 hours, we should see the first of Rita’s outer bands of rain, so first thing tomorrow morning, we will start moving things away from the windows and secure the satellite dish.

I will post updates as long as technology allows.

The church closed until Monday to give people the opportunity to leave town if they had to, but I’m not leaving town.

Reason #1: My roommate is a nurse so ethically, she has to stick around until there is a mandatory evacuation of Houston. She is an honorable person, so leaving until then is not an option.

The last time there was a mandatory evacuation of Houston was over twenty years ago during Hurricane Alicia. So many people were trying to leave, traffic was at a standstill. People were stuck in their CARS during a hurricane as a result. People are definitely safer in their houses, so we don’t see a mandatory evacuation of the rest of the city. Houston, by the way, is now the fourth largest city in the US and for that reason, logistically, I don’t see Houston being evacuated.

Reason #2: My car is not running right, especially when I’m sitting in traffic. So, with the freeways backed up I am staying put. Though Roomie has offered me her car, I would rather wait until both of us could drive out together.

Reason #3: I live on one of the few streets that did not flood during Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. That flood was what they consider a 500 year flood and I don’t forsee that sort of damage. Therefore, unless this thing dumps over 38 inches of rain in a few hours, I will be okay. I also have a two story townhome, so I have “higher ground.”

The only worry we have is high winds and loss of electricity for more than a few days. We have ice, canned food, plenty of water, and a plan. The back porch is clear of any possible flying projectiles. I notice that many of my neighbors have left and also left their plants and deck chairs outside as well. That should be fun.

So, I’m not leaving. I thought about it all day long as the church became a ghost town (we were technically dismissed at three) and Roomie said it was okay to go, that she could take care of herself, etc.

She said, “this would be your first hurricane, and really, it’s not a good one to start off with.” I laughed. She is right, but I would be more worried sitting in Austin wondering how she was than I will sitting with her in the middle of all this.

So, I’m staying.

Prayers are appreciated.

We have plenty of ice, bottled water, canned food, tape for the windows, trash bags (to cover our beds in case the windows break) and like I said, Roomie is a nurse.

If (big IF) there is a mandatory evacuation, I’ll be checking in from Austin.

Last night I went to the grocery store as usual. It was so crowded, it felt like the night before Thanksgiving and everybody was rushing around to find the last can of cranberries. Usually, there are 6-10 people in the checkout lines while I am there (before 5:30). Last night, there were no less than 60.

After Katrina, Rita is causing a subtle, but noticeable panic among Houstonians. Those who remember Hurricane Alicia from the early 80’s are particularly on edge. Alicia left Houston without power for two weeks. The promise of vast amounts of rain have many who endured Tropical Storm Allison’s great flood in 2001 on edge as well.

Apparently, Houston is in the “danger zone.” If the storm hits south near Matagorda, Houston will get tropical storm winds (75 mph-ish) and a lot of rain (which we need some, but not flooding). If the storm hits Galveston head on, the forecasters say, “think Alicia,” which means that much more wind damage (100 mph +) and rain.

The Convention Center has been evacuated because the Red Cross doesn’t keep major shelters open in “danger zones.” The closest shelter is being set up about an hour north of Houston in Huntsville. I really feel for those Katrina evacuees who were placed in apartments in Galveston. Galveston is currently under a voluntary evacuation and will announce a mandatory one tomorrow morning.

All school systems south of Houston are closed until Monday. My roommate’s job is even on notice and may close Friday night. Roomie, the calm one, the one who doesn’t panic made a suggestion to get some ice on the way home Thursday if I can find any by then. This should be interesting.

I don’t anticipate anything but stormy weather, but you never know. We have plenty of everything, so I know we’ll be okay. I’ll keep you posted.

Operation Compassion changed the workdate again, moving it up to this weekend. After all the moving around and the numbers of people falling below 500 by yesterday, I decided to look for other ways to help as some evacuees settle into life here in Houston. I’ll keep you posted.