Harvey!

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Re: Harvey!

Post by Ranch Dog »

Daboone, I hope to hear continued reports concerning your family in the Houston area. Of course, I have friends and family there as well, and I'm deeply concerned for them.
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Cat 1. 75 mph steady with gusts to 85.

I'm not a prepper, or at least what you would picture, but we live a life of being prepared for just about anything here. Some of it is related to convenience; we don't like going to town. At any time, we can go about ten days without leaving the ranch, so this is not any different in many respects.

The big thing here is electricity. It delivers the most essential, water. It also takes care of the second essential, waste management. We use an aerobic system that converts our sewer waste to clear water, treated water that is used out on a portion of the yard. So, these two things need to keep running, and the rest is easy. I have a Harbor Freight 8750/7000 Predator that powers these two needs. I have two submersible pump water wells, either can supply all three homes, and I have them fitted with a plug in electric cord for generator use rather than the complicated control boxes. Keep it simple for when things go bad. Most forget the fuel, I prep enough for ten days, with a run time of 12-hours a day; 60 gallons. I do this as soon as something targets the Texas coast. Not a real big deal as I always have 15 to 30 gallons on hand to run the various power equipment I have. I think I have like 19 small reciprocating engines!

I always wanted a diesel generator, but pound for pound, gasoline is always wins. At any time, I have 200 to 300 of farm diesel available, but a diesel generator is not a handy thing. Even considered a PTO generator now that I have a second tractor but I don't want either tractor out in a storm. Both are setup with road debris clearing equipment and filled with fuel before any tropical weather.

Despite the water well stuff, I store 10-gallons of drinking water per person. That is more than enough for a working man, outside for ten days. Another thing that I've learned that a working man needs is ice. When these storms pass, it gets hot and humid, and ice is going to keep you going. My ice machine can fill a 150-quart cooler a day, the big boat coolers, and that is what it does as the storm approaches. I want one cooler of ice for each person, and it will last ten days with the way I prep them.

I have cut plywood for each window. I aggressively prune all the trees around my home every year. I've been through every storm that has hit the coast in my life time, so I just have this mentality that it is going to happen. You build a home with that in mind. It is considered in any project build. I'm not a prepper though.

You can tell I've got cabin fever. Still blowing and raining out there!
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Re: Harvey!

Post by daboone »

Their street leading out was flooded up above the hubcaps on the Expedition and their other car had to be towed behind to get to to higher ground. The water was 6in from the front door. They and several friends are headed to San Antonio. Fortunately they have been offered lodging with members of their church up in SA. We all hope the plastic sheeting, sandbagging and bags of potting soil continues keeping Harvey from intruding.
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Re: Harvey!

Post by Ranch Dog »

I'm glad they got out and pray that the water keeps out. This storm will have a heck of an impact on the future of Houston. The pictures of water over the back of airlines sitting at Hobby Airport is almost unbelievable.
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Re: Harvey!

Post by GasGuzzler »

My wife advised me to not look at pics on the internet.

I've been out of the area for nearly 40 years but I was born in Webster and lived in League City. I can remember people using floor squeegees out of upstairs balconies for Claudette?(if memory serves) shortly before we moved to DFW.
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Re: Harvey!

Post by alphalimafoxtrot »

RD,

I finally watched some decent reporting on the Texas situation as this terrible flooding continues and all I can say is WOW. It's pretty far beyond "not good" - and although you may not get flood damage personally at your elevation, which I sincerely hope is the case Michael, everywhere the road networks and essential infrastructures are being upended and damaged.

Let's all pray for everyone's best throughout this thing - it's really just beyond what is "normal" and if I'm not mistaken, the Harvey remnants are reforming or something, and coming back over the Gulf to smack Loouisiana again? Or is this something that already happened? Dang. Too much!

RD and daboone, please keep us updated on how you (michael) and your relations (daboone) are doing as time goes forward. I'm too far away and just started the school term with another batch of third graders, so I can't physically help, but I'm planning on donating or sending money to the appropriate relief effort working out in Texas. Red Cross, etc. and I know from the news program I watched there are more ways to donate to help out.

Also I plan on working up a classroom donation lesson plan/project for my students (in both classes - I teach about 50 kids) to take on, as a civics/community lesson. This is a perfect example of a time when citizens pitch in to help not only their own during times of hardship, but others who are far away.

Sorry for the ramble - I was just thinking about this, hoping you all are still making do, and planning on helping in some way. This being from a third grade teacher in Alexandria, VA of course! +guns

Be well
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Re: Harvey!

Post by Ranch Dog »

I appreciate your post Adam, this is not good.

Here are the River pictures from yesterday morning and afternoon.
harvey_04.jpg
Dad and I went to town yesterday morning and these are the pictures from the drive in across the "Green" bridge and the US183 causeway extending into town.
harvey_05.jpg
Water is within a few feet of the bottom of the trestle.
harvey_06.jpg
Above is pasture leading down to the River. The River channel is on the other side of the tree line and typically 40 to 50 feet below the bridge.

Dad's car battery died yesterday afternoon so we went to town to replace it. Green bridge crossing was the same but the difference was that the was had started to flow backward through the creeks and drainage systems. As we pulled up to the US183/TX72 intersection, it was reduced to two lanes and water was flowing into the intersection.

This intersection was the subject of many photos in the 1998 flood. Water was up to the base of the traffic lights and a large home had floated into the middle of the intersection. That flood was not related to tropical weather but severe thunderstorms upstream and river drainage system backing up.
harvey_07.jpg
The picture above is after we turned around and heading back South as we did not want to get stuck in town. In the minutes that took, the water had risen considerably.
harvey_09.jpg
This is a channelized creek that is normally dry, it is flowing back towards town.
harvey_10.jpg
The flood plain south of the river. US183 is being widened to 4 lanes as part of the coastal Texas evacuation route system. We are 6 months into a two year plus project. During Rita, this road was choked for days from the various mandatory evacuations dictated by the various cities on the coast. That is a KENS5 TV news crew from San Antonio on the left side of the road.
harvey_11.jpg
Back in the higher country looking towards town. This is the flooding on the south side of the river, the river being on the other side of the distant tree line. My guess is the river which is normally about a 100 yards across, is now about 4 miles wide.
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Re: Harvey!

Post by Fyodor »

Wow, that is a lot of water.

I hope everyone is OK?
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Re: Harvey!

Post by Ranch Dog »

Fyodor wrote:Wow, that is a lot of water.

I hope everyone is OK?
We are good but people in the drainage system faced mandatory evacuation. I know this is not the scope of the Houston area but this is taking place along every river that flows to the coast from Corpus, in the south, to Lake Charles, LA. Unfortunately, there is not much reporting about this but there is this huge band of country from about 90 miles back from the coast. As that band encompasses the Houston area it goes much further upstream, at least doubles, back to the north.
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Re: Harvey!

Post by Old Scribe »

Thank you for the update.
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Re: Harvey!

Post by alphalimafoxtrot »

Amazing photos and report from your area, Michael - keep on keepin' on as best you and friends & family can, under these conditions!
The things that I'm concerned about right now is just how dependent people are on their routine, daily prescriptions and medications that are being disrupted by flood displacement.

We all know just how so many folks, myself included, depend on regular prescribed medications like blood pressure/heart/etc. and for many that includes insulin/etc. and more. But just think of the tens of thousands - which might be the low number really - maybe hundreds of thousands? of people displaced or simply unable to get scripts filled for who knows how long. I mean this is a great big problem - sure, you've been saved from a flooded neighborhood and maybe you are in a shelter with some water and food and clean clothes, but medical attention? This is just an amazing challenge I'm sure for folks to endure.

Take care

Adam Lee
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