725,000 customers without power now according to Floyd LeBlanc of CenterPoint Energy on local channel 11. He said that 750,000 was the power outage total for Hurricane Rita. They are expecting over 1 million in this storm.
The power surges and outages have stopped here at my hotel.
The rain has started coming down. Still it's not as strong as anticipated. The eye is about only an hour from Galveston. The rain is coming down in sheets and blowing diagonally.
The streets are empty now. I see an occasional car go by but now it's mostly emergency vehicles. The cop that was in the Zone D'erotica parking lot left. He was out there for at least six hours. Either that or they put a car there just for looks.
From my room it's pretty hard to judge how hard the wind really is blowing. I was expecting blinding rain and a heavy down pour. Instead it's a steady rain and lots of wind but not bad. I've been in thunderstorms that were a lot worse. I thought about going downstairs and looking outside see if I can get a better feel for the storm but I've decided to stay put.
A Galveston official was on TV saying that calls are calling in for rescue. The answer is no. They were told to leave because the entire island was going to be under water. There is no way they can get to them. People just are to freaking stupid and stubborn. They are the first to cry to when the you know what hits the fan.
I'm probably going to stay up for a few more hours and see how things progress. I don't think it's going to get any worse than lots of wind and rain. Of course, there is still the danger of tornadoes.
I'll probably post one more before I go to sleep.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
One hour to go
According to the news it will be another hour before the area I'm at will start to get rain. They cut away to Baytown and it's getting hit hard. The reporter was at a hotel right down the street from where I live. I know where I'm at will get hit just as hard but I just feel better where I'm at. At the very least there are people around and if we have to hunker down in the ballroom it won't be lonely. I can't imagine sitting through this in my apartment alone. I wonder if power is out.
I unplugged everything at home to prevent any power surges from burning up.
The count down continues. Galleria area gets hit in 45 minutes. It's two minutes until 11:00 p.m.
I unplugged everything at home to prevent any power surges from burning up.
The count down continues. Galleria area gets hit in 45 minutes. It's two minutes until 11:00 p.m.
Ike's Getting Closer
It's starting to lightning. Still no rain. Odd since Galveston is already getting pounded. The news showed the reporting just getting pelted.
Looking out my window I see exactly six cars driving around. When was the last time Westheimer was that empty? I see plenty of cops driving around. One has been sitting in the same spot in the Zone D'erotica parking lot. I thought maybe someone was riding the storm out there since a car was in the lot for hours. I saw a tow trucking hauling it off and the cop has been parked there ever since.
CVS was going to stay open through the store. The only ones they were going to close were the ones in the evacuated areas. I guess they changed their minds since the one across the street is closed.
In some weird twisted way this is exciting. I know how dangerous the storm is and how much damage it's going to cause but I'm getting some kind of cheap thrill sitting through it.
Just in: 315,000 homes without electricity according to CenterPoint Energy.
I expect the hotel power will go out soon. We keep getting brief outages. A memo was passed out saying if power goes out they have emergency power but it will be minimal power. Rooms will be in the dark and the air conditioning will be out. Power will only light the hallways and operate one elevator. They are also setting up one of the meeting rooms as a "shelter in place" in case people have problems with their rooms.
If power is still on later I'll post more.
Looking out my window I see exactly six cars driving around. When was the last time Westheimer was that empty? I see plenty of cops driving around. One has been sitting in the same spot in the Zone D'erotica parking lot. I thought maybe someone was riding the storm out there since a car was in the lot for hours. I saw a tow trucking hauling it off and the cop has been parked there ever since.
CVS was going to stay open through the store. The only ones they were going to close were the ones in the evacuated areas. I guess they changed their minds since the one across the street is closed.
In some weird twisted way this is exciting. I know how dangerous the storm is and how much damage it's going to cause but I'm getting some kind of cheap thrill sitting through it.
Just in: 315,000 homes without electricity according to CenterPoint Energy.
I expect the hotel power will go out soon. We keep getting brief outages. A memo was passed out saying if power goes out they have emergency power but it will be minimal power. Rooms will be in the dark and the air conditioning will be out. Power will only light the hallways and operate one elevator. They are also setting up one of the meeting rooms as a "shelter in place" in case people have problems with their rooms.
If power is still on later I'll post more.
I just had dinner in one of the hotel ballrooms. Sat with three couples. The elderly couple that sat with us was from Baytown. Just my luck I come into Houston and I meet people from Baytown. The man was telling us about his previous hurricane experiences. We told us the worse one was in the 1930s back before they used to name storms. The next was Carla in 1961. It was nice to meet a World War II veteran. He served in the navy during the war.
Even though the storm hasn't hit places are already starting to lose power. The Houston Chronicle is reporting up to 160,000 homes are out of electricity. My hotel had a brief outage.
These are my last pictures for the night. It looks more like someone nuked Katy but it's the sunset. Amazing since it's been cloudy all day.
Even though the storm hasn't hit places are already starting to lose power. The Houston Chronicle is reporting up to 160,000 homes are out of electricity. My hotel had a brief outage.
These are my last pictures for the night. It looks more like someone nuked Katy but it's the sunset. Amazing since it's been cloudy all day.
I like Ike
No, I really don't like Ike. He screwed up my weekend plans. It was all football weekend starting with Houston Cougars vs. Air Force and then Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens. The college game moved to Dallas and the Texans game will be played Monday evening. I hope to still go to the Texans game if I don't have to report back to work.
As far as the weather, it is getting cloudy and the wind has definitely kicked up. I was just outside and I can feel the wind but looking out my window I don't see the tree swaying. Strange. I'm also surprised it still hasn't rained. Landfall is less than eight hours out.
People I can tell are getting restless already. I went downstairs and the lobby was full. People were just sitting around talking and reading. The bar was full. They closed the hotel restaurant but they will be serving a buffet from 7-9 p.m. Good. I have supplies to get me through the weekend but you can't beat a good solid hot meal.
The latest pictures from my window:
As far as the weather, it is getting cloudy and the wind has definitely kicked up. I was just outside and I can feel the wind but looking out my window I don't see the tree swaying. Strange. I'm also surprised it still hasn't rained. Landfall is less than eight hours out.
People I can tell are getting restless already. I went downstairs and the lobby was full. People were just sitting around talking and reading. The bar was full. They closed the hotel restaurant but they will be serving a buffet from 7-9 p.m. Good. I have supplies to get me through the weekend but you can't beat a good solid hot meal.
The latest pictures from my window:
Blogging Hurrican Ike
Hello all out there. I'm here holed up in the luxurious Hotel Detriech.
Right now is the calm before the storm. The first clouds are coming in right on time like predicted. I'll give the weathermen credit for getting it right.
Things are pretty quiet now that folks have either evacuated or holed in. Of course there are several idiots that are going to try and ride out the storm surge predicted at up to 20 feet.
These pictures are the view from my hotel room. They were taken about 12:30 p.m. Be safe and I'll post more later.
Right now is the calm before the storm. The first clouds are coming in right on time like predicted. I'll give the weathermen credit for getting it right.
Things are pretty quiet now that folks have either evacuated or holed in. Of course there are several idiots that are going to try and ride out the storm surge predicted at up to 20 feet.
These pictures are the view from my hotel room. They were taken about 12:30 p.m. Be safe and I'll post more later.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Good-bye Amy Winehouse
Sometimes is just best to let someone go down the path of destruction they've chosen. I'm all for giving second, third and fourth chances. As long as a person is making a genuine effort to turn things around I have no problem helping him out. When that person repeatedly continues to behave in a self destructive way and each episode is worse than the last, it is time to let go. In my opinion Amy Winehouse has reached that point. It's not really the amount of times she's drugged up and overdose that would turn me away from her if she were a friend or relative. It's actual amount of drugs and the increasing amount that she's allegedly taking. The latest news reports indicate that Winehouse went on a 36 hour marijuana binge.
Reports state that as a result of her latest binge she may have brain damage. Allegedly she's had two overdoses in the last year. Judging from the reports it appears that her problems are only getting worse and her attempts fail.
I know each case is different but the effort just doesn't seem to be there. Winehouse doesn't appear to be making any effort to try and rehab and stay sober. Of course, if the reports are true that she's brain damaged then it may be too late regardless of her efforts. She just might not be in her right mind to make the decisions to stay clean anymore. No matter what effort she puts in the capacity to think straight and make rational decisions may be gone.
What's a friend or relative do? It must be hard and heart breaking to see someone so close and that is loved to destroy herself like this. Evidently her father has put in a herculean effort to help her but so far all for naught. I have to wonder if there will be a point where raises his hands and gives up. I sincerely doubt it. The only way I see him giving up is if she is beyond reach mentally. I think she'd have to reach a near vegetative state for him to give up. And judging from reports, she just may be there now or very close.
It's sad to see someone with such talent waste away. I personally don't like her music.
I ask myself what would I do if I had a friend or relative in her shoes? I think at this point I'd have to let them go down their chosen path. If repeated efforts fail miserably and the amounts of drugs or alcohol are increasing, I'd just have to walk away. It would break my heart to do it but sometimes the effort isn't there or the desire to remain sober lacks. Why put myself through the emotional and physical exertion if the person isn't willing to help herself? All I would do is point them to a hospital or rehab center and go my own way. I would turn my back not out of lack of caring but because I care. If I put in all my time and effort to help someone and they can't put in the effort it would eventually take a toll on me. It would wear me down. It would make no sense for me to keep hitting my head against the wall. Also it would bring me down emotionally and I just couldn't bear to watch someone I love destroy themselves. It would be a defense mechanism to walk away. The addiction cuts both ways. It hurts the user and those around them. I just would have to protect myself and my well being by going in a different direction than the addict. It's sad but it's the truth.
Reports state that as a result of her latest binge she may have brain damage. Allegedly she's had two overdoses in the last year. Judging from the reports it appears that her problems are only getting worse and her attempts fail.
I know each case is different but the effort just doesn't seem to be there. Winehouse doesn't appear to be making any effort to try and rehab and stay sober. Of course, if the reports are true that she's brain damaged then it may be too late regardless of her efforts. She just might not be in her right mind to make the decisions to stay clean anymore. No matter what effort she puts in the capacity to think straight and make rational decisions may be gone.
What's a friend or relative do? It must be hard and heart breaking to see someone so close and that is loved to destroy herself like this. Evidently her father has put in a herculean effort to help her but so far all for naught. I have to wonder if there will be a point where raises his hands and gives up. I sincerely doubt it. The only way I see him giving up is if she is beyond reach mentally. I think she'd have to reach a near vegetative state for him to give up. And judging from reports, she just may be there now or very close.
It's sad to see someone with such talent waste away. I personally don't like her music.
I ask myself what would I do if I had a friend or relative in her shoes? I think at this point I'd have to let them go down their chosen path. If repeated efforts fail miserably and the amounts of drugs or alcohol are increasing, I'd just have to walk away. It would break my heart to do it but sometimes the effort isn't there or the desire to remain sober lacks. Why put myself through the emotional and physical exertion if the person isn't willing to help herself? All I would do is point them to a hospital or rehab center and go my own way. I would turn my back not out of lack of caring but because I care. If I put in all my time and effort to help someone and they can't put in the effort it would eventually take a toll on me. It would wear me down. It would make no sense for me to keep hitting my head against the wall. Also it would bring me down emotionally and I just couldn't bear to watch someone I love destroy themselves. It would be a defense mechanism to walk away. The addiction cuts both ways. It hurts the user and those around them. I just would have to protect myself and my well being by going in a different direction than the addict. It's sad but it's the truth.
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