If you start to hear "Rockport" or the "Lamar Peninsula" on the national weather, think of us. We're just north of Corpus Christi and looking to be in the direct path of whatever Harvey develops into.
The storm having strengthened overnight, we bit the bullet and decided to put up the storm shutters. We'd waited so late that I almost didn't bother calling our window guys and asking if they could fit us into their schedule to help us with installation, but to my undying amazement, the owner answered the phone right away and in response to my tentative question hesitated, then said, "Well, I don't know. We couldn't get out there before this afternoon." This afternoon? Yeah, that would be . . . fine. (I picture Goldie Hawn's character in Overboard sniffing, "I almost had to wait.")
Having become so much more fit in the last two years, I'm not having any trouble carrying the dozens and dozens of heavy aluminum interlocking corrugated panels up from the garage to the porch on the main living floor, but it's a much trickier business getting the panels installed on the third-floor bedroom windows, which can worked on only from the shed roof over the porch 20 feet in the air. There are also approximately one million little butterfly nuts to screw in even for the windows that are easily accessible from the porch on the main living floor, so I'll be very glad of the help when they arrive.
I don't know if we're looking at a bit of a blow or a big one, or whether it will be a bit of rain or 20+ inches. For my own sake, I hope for 20 inches, but I know that will create a hardship for others in this area. For me, it would just fill up my poor pond for the first time in a couple of years.
We've nearly finished putting everything in the garage that would be likely to become a projectile: a clean sweep fore and aft. If there are high winds, we have only tree limbs to worry about, and that's as it may be. Our propane tank is full; we've tested the generator. We have 20,000 gallons of fresh water in the cistern. Despite the worsening forecasts, I expect this to be a small to medium storm, not a big monster. Nevertheless, it's starting to look like Allison, which drifted over Houston in about 2000 and wandered around for a week without major steering currents, dropping truly amazing amounts of rain. Being flat as a pancake, this area holds up well under huge rainfalls, so although some houses will inevitably take on water, at least it won't be a dangerous current.
20 comments:
Good luck. Let us know, when you can, that you came through all right.
Weather forecasts for the last 3 weeks have been rather amusing in my part of TX: "Tomorrow is forecast to be warmer than today or Today is forecast to be warmer than yesterday."
In nearly all cases in the last 3 weeks, the temperature has been about the same from day to day. Today, definitely cooler than yesterday. Weather forecast correct, for a change.
After having seen the 2010-2011 drought, rain is appreciated in any time or any amount. After the drought, we have seen as much as 10-11" rain in a day- which is about as much rain as we got in a 365 day span from 2010-2011.
I'm with Grim - let us know that you're ok.
Good luck, Tex.
We're supposed to get a little of the leftover moisture once the storm passes you, Tex. We're saturated as it is, so "little" would be just fine. Kind thoughts headed your way.
LittleRed1
If you feel like hitting the bricks, you're welcome in our house in Plano.
Eric Hines
You could never call us saturated; my pond would soon have been only a damp spot. It has room to come up ten feet vertically and spread over two acres. It's the wind that worries me. I'm going to feel pretty stupid if this thing develops into a Category 4 monster and my roof comes off. Short of that, I'm not worried about anything and would rather ride out the aftermath at home than on the road. The shore here is not particularly conducive to truly huge storm surges. Our foundation is at 17 feet of elevation, and the house is up on sturdy piers ten feet above that. Wind will be the only real danger. With rare exceptions, the only awful hurricane damage I've ever seen is from either associated tornadoes or a storm-surge debris wall. We're too far back in the woods to face a debris wall no matter how bad the storm surge got. And it's starting to look as though landfall will be to the east, putting us on the "clean" side.
Nevertheless, I guess we'll have one last chance tomorrow morning to bolt. Landfall is now expected Saturday at dawn.
Good luck!
I'll be praying, Tex.
Stay safe, Tex. We'll be praying for you.
The new FEMA head seems to be well-regarded, but he's also brand new on the job. That might be worth taking into consideration when making your final stay/go call tomorrow.
Good luck.
I'm a bit relieved to hear you're pretty confident, and of course, well prepared. Stay safe, Tex, and do let us know when you can that you're alright.
I have copied down the number you left, Tex, and deleted the original message for to protect your private number. Here's the text of the message she left without the number:
"Will do, if only I have an internet connection. We rely on a single tower down here, and I don't like the chances of a tower in a big storm. Maybe one of you can text me at XXXX and relay any news. They say texting often works when other connections fail in a big outage."
If any of you want that number for texting her, email me. grimbeornr -at- yahoo /dot/ com
Oh, man, that number is so exposed to the world already. I've had it for 20 years, I put it out freely on Facebook and all kinds of places, even car dealerships, and they're the worst. I tend not to answer any calls on it unless I recognize the number or someone leaves a message.
Your call. You're welcome to repost it if you want -- I won't take it down a second time if you do. But I also don't mind to relay for you if you'd like.
No problem, anyone who wants it can get it from you. I'll give it to Elise, too, and Cassandra.
Good luck, and let us know how it goes.
Rain has hit the Texas coast.
A good Weather Underground reporting station within a mile or two of us on this peninsula, with detailed information (if you scroll down all the way) on windspeed, etc.
https://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KTXROCKP27
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