Posted on 09/29/2005 4:40:58 PM PDT by ForGod'sSake
Some personal observations on Rita...
For starters, I'm on line now thanks to a newly purchased(since in a stroke of brilliance, I recently sold my 6 year old generator that I never used and only loaned out a few times) 5600W generator. I was also able to purchase the last 21,000 BTU "window" a/c from Sears in Lufkin Texas. For those unaquainted with "tropical" climates, with the temp and humidity competing for which one gets to 100 first, "uncomfortable" is an understatement. Especially for me because I would prefer to get out and work in 40 degree weather then even 70 degree plus. And yeah, I ask myself at times, WTH am I doing in east Texas? Well, it's home.
So, a couple of days before Rita is due, I check in with my daughter and son-in-law who live in mid-Jefferson county(Beamont/Port Arthur area) to get an idea of their plans(and suggest one if necessary ;^)). My daughter tells me she and the grandbabies are planning on coming to my place the next day. I "suggested" the sooner the better. They ended up leaving late that night(Thursday), heading in my direction. It took them three and a half hours to make what is normally an hour and a half trip. They arrived in downtown Chester Texas(home sweet home) in the northwest corner of Tyler county around 2:00 in the morning. BTW, son-in-law, who is an ER nurse, had to stick around; he works at Baptist hospital in Beaumont.
Since I've lived in hurricane country most of my adult life, normal and routine preparations were made(fact is, I stay "prepared" most of the time anyway). Fill jugs for drinking water(most go in the freezer), fill a bath tub(for flushing water), additional water in an outside tank(which also keeps it from going airborne), everything not tied down brought inside, etc. Send my daughter to the store for last minute non-perishables on Friday before the storm. By Friday evening, we're as ready as we can be with one exception which I'll get to later.
An aside; during this time the in-laws have not decided what they're going to do or where they're going to go. I suggested it didn't matter as long as they got out of Jefferson county. After some fits and starts, they made a last minute dash for the northwest Houston area instead of up here to the piney woods, which turned out to be a smart move since Houston was mostly spared.
So, by Friday evening it appears western Louisiana and east Texas will take the hit from this storm. I pass out the flashlights, set up a meeting area if things get really bad and we get separated. I make sure the grandkids understand what's going on and they need to get some sleep because we may need to get up early. I have set up a tent in their bedroom so it's sort of a camping thing for them.
By midnight winds begin to show some serious signs of aggression. At 1:00 A.M. we lose power. By 2:00, the moaning and whistling through the trees becomes continuous. Daughter in the Azores with other son-in-law calls to see how we're doing. We report we're doing fine under the circumstances, but it's going to get worse. Hurricane winds are hitting us by 4:00 and everything's holding together. By 6:00 we're getting wind gusts near 100 mph, and the "eye" is still approaching. At 6:30, daughter in the Azores calls again and before she hangs up my "tool shed" becomes airborne. This upsets her immensely because amongst other things, she was here during the construction phase of it. She also realizes I had it anchored down pretty well, but as it turns out, not well enough.
Daylight arrives, and actually seeing what we've been hearing all night is unsettling(but I don't let on). The gusts from this storm were just incredible. I've been through a couple other storms but they weren't like this one. Their winds were more consistent, that is, the difference between the sustained winds and the wind gusts were not as great. Rita was something to behold; at times the winds almost seemed to die down, only to be replaced by gusts stronger than the last ones. For the last few hours we've occasionally heard the cracking of limbs above the wind and the distinctive "thump" of a tree hitting the ground. And the "eye" has still not passed. These piney woods are being torn to shreds and we haven't seen the worst of it yet. I pray to God to watch over my humble abode and this small gathering.
By 10:00 or so, the eye has finally passed us; daughter in the Azores calls again, and we can report the worst is over. We're still here and no major damage to life, limb or property. She's ecstatic, and she's not the emotional one. My thoughts go to the people to the east of us. We were on the "clean" side of this storm and "news" reports notwithstanding, we received no more than three inches of rain from Rita. I can't say whether the weather station's rain gauges allow for sideways rain or not, but we got nowhere near the rain reported. The wind itself is another matter. As it turns out, we were no more than twenty miles from the center of Rita when she passed and for those that have been this close to a major storm, no explanation is needed. If you haven't been there, no explanation will suffice.
By mid afternoon the winds have died down to the point where we can venture out. We don't get far. Most, if not all the roads around here are impassable. Big trees lose to big wind every time, and they litter the roads. However, the locals, being the industrious sort, crank up the John Deere's and begin pulling trees out of the roads and pig trails in these parts. I grab my chain saw, throw it in the back of the truck and take off. Along with a few others, we're able to clear most of the debris in our little neck of the woods. Question is, where are we gonna go?
Last I heard, six counties in southeast Texas are still without power and some of us are not likely to have electricity for several more weeks. Which brings me to another point. That is, my generator, since I'm also running a window a/c on it, is using about 10 gallons of gas a day. At $3.00/gal; do the math. That's not the worst of it however. The nearest gas we've been able to find is about 25 miles away, and rationed by the station owners(the lines move faster). Most have a limit of $25 - $30 per person. That's barely enough to keep the generator going, not to mention getting there and back. Enter, pay-at-the-pump stations.......after hours. My brother and I went to Diboll Texas last night and pumped almost $200 of gas in various containers, including a 50 gallon drum left over from my Y2K stash. We're set for about three days. Some good news, a "cool" front has passed through the area and I was able to turn off the a/c. From the looks of things I shouldn't need to turn it on again til maybe day after tomorrow.
I've actually run on longer than I had anticipated, but whatever.....
I've got some pics that I'll post as soon as I get 'em sized and formatted. Daughter also took some video of the storm that might be of interest, but will not likely be uploaded on a computer any time soon since they're not even able to go home. Interesting times.....
Oh, and the one exception I mentioned earlier. My "tool shed" had an open side on it. The thought never occurred to me to seal it off with something, like plywood(which we had just laying around). If I had sealed the open side, the wind may have not been able to get in and "lift" it, and flip it over after traveling about six feet. Oh well; next time.
FGS
Best friend or worse enemy.
Texas thang.........
; < )
Yes indeedy. Since this generator has run pretty much 24/7 since starting it up, the noise almost fades into the background after a while. The cost to operate it is something else again. I had considered shutting it down tonight since we're supposed to see around 60 for a low, but I retrieved some perishables from my folks'(who hotfooted it to Lake Texoma) freezer and put it in mine. They had packed it in pretty well and it was still frozen for the most part. That brisket smells a little gamey, but what the hey, cook anything long enough.....
Indeed.
Bookmark for tomorrow. (Thank you for the great thread.)
You're most welcome. Trust all's well in your neck o' the woods???
bump^
"I've got some pics that I'll post as soon as I get 'em sized and formatted. Daughter also took some video of the storm that might be of interest, but will not likely be uploaded on a computer any time soon since they're not even able to go home. Interesting times..."
That you [can] maintain your sense of humor after reading the account of your ordeal I find simply amazing.
Wondered about you throughout all this, FGS.
Thought you'd be far enough inland the storm would lose much of its steam by the time it reached your locale.
Guess I was wrong.
Bad enough the damage, but then the heat following too.
Geshhh.
Tough bunch, Texans.
Now I've a small prayer.
...thanking our good Lord for keeping you & yours safe ;^)
I like various meats too, and I understand that there is a scarcity of fresh meat down there but I think you may be pushing the limits of good taste here by posting this kill. I hope that at least, this one was taken clean, with one shot. Please, don't have it mounted.
To be sure; she just has to be another Texan ;^) I know I've read it some where, but can't remember exactly where Nita lives. Lumberton area maybe??? Hang in there girl!
We're getting along a little better each day. Gas is becoming more plentiful(albeit still a good ways away) and a "modest" cool spell allowed me to shut down the genset for a while last night. Oops. I just found out my cooler leaks; got a wet spot in the hallway. Looks like it will be an outdoor appliance from here on out ;^)
FGS
Louisianians we ain't!
Thought you'd be far enough inland the storm would lose much of its steam by the time it reached your locale. Guess I was wrong.
You and me both buddy. However, after hearing of the carnage well inland from Katrina, I took some extra precautions for this one just in case. The extra preparation was worth it.
Bad enough the damage, but then the heat following too. Geshhh.
Tell me about it! For the life of me I can't figure out why so many people make this part of the country home. There's just something about Texas...
Tough bunch, Texans.
Necessity is the mother of invention......and perserverence???
Now I've a small prayer. ...thanking our good Lord for keeping you & yours safe ;^)
Thank you Dan. Your sentiments are truly appreciated. God be with you.
FGS
Unless I forget my Texas geography, you were driving through some of Rita weren't you? Doofus! ;^)
Lots of trees down all along the way. Lots of trees and power lines down in PA. NO MAJOR FLOODING despite what we heard on the television. Very little damage to the homes that we saw along the way. Spent the night at home and headed back to Palestine Sunday afternoon and there was very little damage overall to the area on the way out on 69 N. There were plenty of trees and power lines down all along the way so it isn't going to be an easy fix.
Yep, it seems these piney woods east Texas is known for got the worst of it.....along with the power lines. And I agree; it's going to be a while before we see "cheap" electricity again. Maybe FEMA will help out??? Right.
Catch ya'll later. Library time is about up here.
Will do. BTW, I heard on the radio today "officials" were allowing residents back into Jefferson county today! I wasn't able to determine whether or not the power's back on yet. Shades of Mayor Nagin? Gotta run again myself. Take care.
FGS
I've always been the kind of person who can't bear standing idle when other men are working, and it drives me nuts that me, my wrecker, and tools are so far away as to be useless-- I'd love to be close enough to actually do something physical, instead of pounding a keyboard.
Best of luck to you and yours.
I know just what you mean. I have a big 4x4x4 JCB 217S backhoe with a "hot rod" engine that would just love to be down there moving trees and anything else out of the way.
The rumors of Eaker's death have been greatly exaggerated.
Especially by those that want his chainsaw.
I came through that area on Mon. and it was littered with trees to say the least. I was trying to get to Jefferson Cty but they kept us blocked out and with gasoline in short supply or non existent we headed on west and wound up in Houston. I've been here all week.
I finally got into the Bmt area on Tue and to say the least it is a mess... I'll try to get some pictures online at some point. I have a tree on my roof/garage with damage into my den/kitchen. Not a nice site... More later
There is a clause in my employer's Key Man insurance policy that I cannot get killed without giving at least two weeks notice.
If I get killed the fight between TheMom and humblegunner over my chainsaw will sell more pay for view tickets than the WWE!!
I didn't mean Eaker, I meant the funny looking deer who's head he is holding.
Thar funny looking deer was my dog Gilligan. Before any of the other ping-ees jump in, I will tell you that he passed away in August. That picture is one of his good buddies helping him to enjoy one of his favorite activities - eating assuage! (or was he having steak that day?)
You didn't know, and no offense is taken.
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