Thursday 11 September 2008

Batten down the hatches! - for real this time

Well, the only topic of conversation here is Hurricane Ike...


Originally tipped to make landfall further to the south of us, we're now expecting pretty much a direct hit. Galveston (on the coast) is under mandatory evacuation, as are parts of Houston (though not us at present), and the Houston ISD (Independent School District) has closed all schools for tomorrow (Friday), which means most of the businesses in the area are following suit. There's talk of putting the freeways into contra-flow, meaning that the only traffic would be OUT of the city, on both sides of the road, and we're all being advised to buy up gas, food and water... I'm not seriously worried about the winds, though they may be unpleasant (and I'm a bit concerned that the junky old tree in the front yard might take this opportunity to make a better acquaintance with our windows!), but we could be hit with some flooding, and if we lose power the weekend could be interesting...

It's a weird thing to sit and wait for something like this; the weather is normal right now, sunny and still for the most part, and yet I keep looking out at the garden and at our neighbours' homes and wondering what it's all going to look like in a few days' time... if you want to track the hurricane, CNN has a map here.

Anyway, we're remaining calm about it, and hope to weather this with minimal damage! Even so, your prayers would be appreciated.

I'll check in again after the storm is over!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have been watching this link that you sent with some trepidation ....

When we were in Darwin we saw an exhibition at the museum about Cyclone Tracey including being in a soundbooth listening to the noise of the winds on that terrible night. It was the most horrible, LOUD roaring sound punctuated by regular crashes as sheets of corrugated iron were torn off roofs and thrown against anything left standing. I surely am praying that you both will come through this safe and sound with no damage.Bring everything inside that you can and please let us know what happens ...

Anonymous said...

we too are watching and prayers are with you both and the rest of houston.

Anonymous said...

well, it's a good thing I decided not to visit around this time of the year :P

Seriously, I hope you both stay safe and I hope you don't have too much damage...

You can always come up to Michigan if you need to evacuate ;)

SexyIrishLeprechaun said...

Stay safe this weekend! Regular contact is mandatory!

Anonymous said...

how is it all going?