Finally decided to leave

Filed under: Travel, World Events

Last night I finally decided to board a flight out of Houston to meet up with my wife in California where she is attending a conference. Taking a warm shower after nearly a week of cold showers and staying in a room which had no air conditioning really makes a big difference. I just hope that power is restored by the time I get back… So I leave you with a view from the area here. Can you guess where I am?

Day 5….no power but getting closer

Filed under: World Events

The cold front has finally arrived!  Temperatures are really cooling down around here which is helping since my home doesn’t feel like a sauna anymore.  Let’s hope that the weather keeps this way until electricity is restored to most of the city.  The “cool” in the fridge finally ran out and I trashed pretty much everything that was in there.  Trust me, it wasn’t a pleasant experience and it looks like my meal choices if I stay home will be peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, nutrigrain bars, or canned congee.  Around the city, it looks like the people who have been cooped up at home have finally decided to escape and go roam the malls, supermarkets and other public venues.  The Galleria Mall was pretty packed today.

Today I went over to one of the FEMA point of distribution sites following a call for volunteers which was broadcasted on the news websites and on the radio.  I will tell you that everyone that was in that line was really appreciative for the supplies that were distributed.  We had water, food and ice available.  For those curious about the food, they are basically meal packets which are precooked and sealed.  I assume that they were previously frozen since each box is marked with a statement about handling contents when frozen.  Some of the boxes were marked “Heaters included” which I would assume implies that the recipients of the food could have a hot meal.  There were a variety of Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) available, but we basically just dumped whatever was in the pallete into each vehicle.  I haven’t tried the MREs, nor have I asked anyone what they tasted like.  If there’s any around tomorrow, I might ask if I can sneak a packet away to try at a later date and time.

It looks like the power is slowly coming around to my neighborhood.  The street lights are back on but there is no power inside my home yet.  Today I once again heard the sound of the power coming back online via radios and TVs in the neighborhood followed shortly by a boom outside and everything going dead again…*sigh*.  I know the repair crews are working really hard to get the city back and running again so I definitely commend them for their efforts.  Keep up the good work!  Centerpoint Energy did release a statement today indicating their timelines to get 80% of the power back up for communities impacted by Ike.  The prospects for my neighborhood in zip code 77006 do not look too good right now.  We are scheduled for some point beyond Monday of next week. Without power, life and education still go on.  I am continuing to study by candlelight (sounds romantic but it really isn’t) and run my internet connection off of UPS supply which I charge in an area which does have power.

Still no power, Plea for Disaster Relief Donations

Filed under: World Events

At home, we still do not have power but it looks like Centerpoint Energy is getting really close.  There is power to the homes just half a block north of us.  FEMA came through yesterday with the delivery of supply trucks and resources to those that really need them.  However, there was some mention that kinks in the supply chain which left some points of distribution (POD) sites without resources.  I don’t know if that is absolutely true.

There are some amazing stories on the radio of the help that is going out to assist the elderly and other people in the surrounding communities.  Some neighbors are going to these POD sites on behalf of their neighbors to collect food, water and ice.  If anyone in Houston is reading this blog and wants to help out.  There is a post on the KHOU blog indicating that they need volunteers to help out.  If you want to help, just go to one of the POD sites and ask what you can do to help.

Today I needed to gas up one of the cars.  The gas prices have definitely increased.  Before the hurricane, we could get regular gas for $3.49 a gallon.  Now it is $3.89 a gallon, but this appears to be normal throughout Houston and I’m sure across the US.  The lines to get gas are very long.  This morning I was fortunate and it only took an hour to get gas for the car.  Some areas are reporting waits of 2-3 hours to get gas.  The gas station I went to also imposed a limit to the amount of gas that a person could buy.  $50 does go quite a long way in a sedan or a small SUV, but I guess the signs stating the limit did not stop the guys at the next pump station over from filling up five of their ten gallon cans (thanks guys!).

The Houston police are enforcing many of the safety laws pretty strictly and I’m glad that there are doing so.  This morning I nearly got into an accident since some vehicles are going through four way intersections without stopping.  Remember that an unlit four way intersection is just like a four way stop.  Last night, just before curfew the police were hiding in the Memorial Park area  under the cloak of darkness watching for those who did  not bother to stop at the intersection.  I assume they got ticketed and were sent on their way.

Lastly, I would like to send out a request to those reading this blog.  As you I have highlighted in my previous blog entries, there are a lot of people out there that need assistance.  The Red Cross and other organizations are doing a great job in aiding people on the ground.  Unfortunately the Red Cross and other humanitarian agencies are running out of funds.  Please consider donating what you can to the Red Cross to help with the recovery efforts of Hurricane Gustav and Ike, but also any future events.  Check with your company as well since many of them may also have an employee charity match program where they will match dollar-for-dollar or a percentage of the donation.

Red Cross Donation Site

Ike's aftermath – day 3 , still no power

Filed under: World Events

It looks like power has been restored to some areas but unfortunately ours still isn’t one of them. The city crews have cleared out a majority of the fallen trees and debris from the roads now but there is still quite a bit to be done. The cold front had finally cone in and it is providing much relief. Since the power is out, we have been relying on open windows and the occasional breeze for relief from the heat and humidity. FEMA has started sending in trailers of supplies of meals ready to eat, ice and water to point of distribution sites around town. Fuel lines are still very long with some of them wrapping around street corners. Stores with varipus supplies are letting people in a few at a time to avoid a rush on basic supplies. Yesterday, krogers was throwing away boxes of perishable goods but at least people were getting what they needed for their families.

On the bright side, things do seem to be getting back to normal. The memorial city mall seems to have power and wifi. Seems to be a pretty popular hangout spot now.

Ike's aftermath – Day 2

Filed under: World Events

It looks like some parts of Houston are starting to get power again but overall it is a mess out here. In the midtown area the streets are scattered with broken light fixtures which were blown off when the hurricane passed. The power company is working hard to get power back online. This morning the power came on for less than a minute, we heard the neighbors cheer and then a large BOOM down the street followed by darkness once again. We did find a coffee shop which was still open that provided some relief for those is us without power. The bayous here have flooded quite significantly and police have closed off roads which have underpasses. Some stores that have power are starting to reopen and sell non perishable goods only. This will definitely be a relief to those who have run out of charcoal from grilling or were not prepared. The Houston Galleria mall will reopen today as well for those that want to shop till they drop.