Archive for September, 2008So you think only Philippines has lots of mosquitoes? Think again. Mosquitoes here are worse and American-sized! There are so many mosquitoes outside our house and they’re almost as big as the big flies (lagong) since the hurricane. We were outside cleaning the yard when big mosquitoes started attacking us. Mosquito repellants don’t work. They’re out even on broad daylight. Guess our yard is just gonna have to stay messy until our next party– when I will be FORCED to really clean haha.. My sweet husband cried the other night when he found out that we were supposed to book a table at least 2 months in advance to be able to have our anniversary dinner at Le Jules Verne, the restaurant located on the second level of the Eiffel Tower. We only have a little over 2 weeks left until our trip. He was very disappointed. He said he wanted our anniversary date to be very memorable and romantic esp. for me. I told him not to worry, it’s still gonna be memorable even if we just eat at McDonald’s so long as we’re in another country haha.. Nah, I said it’s the thought that matters… the thought that he was really wanting our anniversary to be a very special one. I already bought my “couture” dress for our date from BCBG but now I’m not so sure anymore if I will be able to wear it or not. The dress is meant for fine dining, not McDonald’s dining! haha.. I don’t have my birthday dress yet… still don’t know what to wear.. arrghh! It was a very interesting experience. We didn’t think we would feel that much from the storm from over where we live. Our house is about 70 miles from the coast (around 1 1/2 hrs drive). It was kind of exciting at first, Brian enjoyed standing outside for awhile, until we realized how powerful it was. We started hearing bangings on our windows, tree branches snapping, and the eerie sound of the wind Friday evening, Sept. 12, ‘08 . By 2 AM we lost our power. Somehow, I was able to sleep despite all the ruckus outside. I woke up at 8:00 AM and the wind and rain were still very strong. I saw that our yard was a total mess– volleyball net ruined, grill down, plants ruined, and some water puddle. There was debris everywhere.
Then I went to look at our front and saw that our neighbor’s tree had fallen on their front porch. Luckily, it only ruined a small portion of their house and nobody was hurt.
Many of our neighbors had their trees down. We were very fortunate that none of our trees were toppled by the monster storm. Our house was intact and we were all safe and sound. We had no electricity for four days, but we had water and gas for our stoves. There were long lines outside of the grocery stores of people waiting to get in and shop for their much needed supplies, even 3 days after the storm. Store shelves were becoming empty. Good thing I was able to stock up on supplies days before the hurricane arrived, a real advantage to have a husband that monitors the weather 24-7. As soon as he saw that Hurricane Ike was gonna come our way for sure (3 days before), he immediately called me and asked to prepare and buy things that we would need during and after the storm like bottled water, food, and batteries, and to fill my car’s tank with gas. Stores were calm then. It was only the day after when the goverment issued the hurricane warning to the public and so people started panicking and crowded the grocery stores and gas stations. We drove around our neighborhood and we couldn’t believe how much damage was done eventhough we were this far away inland. Just imagine the damage to properties close to the coast. The hurricane was only a Catergory 2 at 110 mph, just one point short of being a Category 3 (111 mph is Cat 3), but its size was very big and it was gaining strength as it was approaching land. Here’s a before and after picture of Crystal Beach, Texas:
AFTER and another one of Bolivar Peninsula:
OK, i’m now tired of talking/typing….. Be safe everyone! Ike still looks on target to hit near Galveston tonight. Satellite pictures show that the storm is trying to get better organized, and while still a category 2 storm, it could still go to a 3 very easily before hitting if this current trend of organization continues. The track looks to bring the worst of the storm along and east of I-45, though obviously, unless it wobbles at the last minute, everyone will see rain and strong winds. As long as you don’t have too many tall, old trees around, I would probably ride out the storm if I was on the western side of town (Katy, Sugar Land, etc). I’d be a little more nervous, and getting a solid plan to leave together if possible, just in case, if I was on eastern side (Pasadena, Deer Park, Baytown, etc), especially if this goes to a category 3. The next couple of hours will tell me more about that possibility. Current track would bring a threat for 80-100 mph winds there, especially if it is getting stronger as it comes ashore. Big issues everywhere are to, again, watch the large, especially older trees, be sure to pick up EVERYTHING from your yard, and make sure neighbors do as well if possible, and of course we all have to prepare to do without power. If you do stay, avoid windows when winds get strong in case of flying objects. Worst time looks like it will be somewhere from 1AM to 5AM late tonight / early tomorrow morning. More later.
Brian
Ike is still a category 2 hurricane, with latest track still close to or over the Houston area, but the track is a little farther east than it was this morning. I still don’t think I would evacuate right now unless I was near the water though because the track still has a chance to shift east a little more, which would mean it’s not as big of a deal, and also, it is uncertain whether or not it will get stronger. It may get stronger, but if it doesn’t, a category 2 storm in my opinion isn’t worth evacuating Houston for, again unless you live near the coast. You would still need to secure everything in your yard, and it could get quite windy, but most homes would stand up to that. Power loss would be the main issue.
Final decision time to me is early tomorrow morning. If you wake up and it is forecast to head right over you and has strengthened to a cat 3 or 4 storm, which IS still possible, then it would be time to go stay with a friend in Cypress to ride out the storm :D
So everyone still needs to prepare for the worst just in case, because it’s not “all clear” by any means, but unless I’m near the water, I wouldn’t flee the city until early tomorrow morning, if it is necessary at that time. That is how I would play it, at least.
Brian
click on article for a larger view and read with feelings :D
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