Post #225,676
9/20/05 11:26:33 PM
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Hey Spice, I hope Rita doesn't ruin your weekend. :-(
[link|http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aDTYs110PfWc&refer=top_world_news|Bloomberg]: ``Rita will likely become a Category 3 or major hurricane'' tomorrow, the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory on its Web site. The storm is forecast to hit land ``sometime late Friday,'' Colan McAdie, a meteorologist with the center, said in a telephone interview.
Rita, a so-called Category 2 storm with 105 mph (180 kph) winds, is moving in the Gulf's southeastern waters. Katrina was a Category 4 storm with 140 mph winds when it slammed Louisiana three weeks earlier.
``If this becomes a Category 4 or 5 storm, we can expect the same type of damage in this area'' as with Katrina, said Frank Gutierrez, the homeland security coordinator for Harris County, Texas, where Houston is located. Even with less flooding, ``we could have just as much damage here.''
Insured losses resulting from Katrina may reach as much as $60 billion, making it the most costly disaster ever, storm modeler Risk Management Solutions Inc. earlier this month.
Texas Prepares
While Rita is forecast to land anywhere from Corpus Christi to Galveston, Texas, it may veer east and strike Louisiana's coast, the hurricane center said. The threat to the region devastated by Katrina prompted New Orleans's mayor to halt plans for residents to return and Texas officials to call for some evacuations.
[...]
[New Orleans's] levees are weak and can't handle more than 9 inches of rain or a 3-foot storm surge, Nagin said yesterday during a briefing. Buses will be available to help remove residents who are in New Orleans, though most people in the city have a way out, Nagin said today on CNN.
Beginning tomorrow, southeastern Louisiana will probably have tides about 8 feet above normal near the shore and as much as 12 feet further out, according to a FEMA report. The latest 5 day track prediction for Rita from NOAA is [link|http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at3+shtml/023954.shtml?5day?large|here]. Sustained winds are 110 mph at the moment. :-( Cheers, Scott.
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Post #225,677
9/21/05 12:15:09 AM
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(Are we seeing a physics answer to, "Guns? or Butter?")
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Post #225,707
9/21/05 8:41:08 AM
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Rita now a Cat 4.
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Post #225,713
9/21/05 9:03:42 AM
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You don't know the half of it!
Once she starts spinning out of control...it can get ugly!
If you push something hard enough, it will fall over. Fudd's First Law of Opposition
[link|mailto:bepatient@aol.com|BePatient]
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Post #225,716
9/21/05 9:08:24 AM
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Just be glad she's not reading over your shoulder...
Tee-hee!
[link|http://www.runningworks.com|
] Imric's Tips for Living
- Paranoia Is a Survival Trait
- Pessimists are never disappointed - but sometimes, if they are very lucky, they can be pleasantly surprised...
- Even though everyone is out to get you, it doesn't matter unless you let them win.
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Nothing is as simple as it seems in the beginning,
As hopeless as it seems in the middle,
Or as finished as it seems in the end.
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Post #225,718
9/21/05 9:20:58 AM
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Oh, you di'n't just say "tee-hee"
===
Purveyor of Doc Hope's [link|http://DocHope.com|fresh-baked dog biscuits and pet treats].
[link|http://DocHope.com|http://DocHope.com]
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Post #225,723
9/21/05 9:40:51 AM
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You know she would agree.
And then she would deck me.
If you push something hard enough, it will fall over. Fudd's First Law of Opposition
[link|mailto:bepatient@aol.com|BePatient]
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Post #225,778
9/21/05 4:22:06 PM
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A good history of Galveston floods, plus pix
As Rita heads toward Texas,
[link|http://www.gthcenter.org/exhibits/storms/|http://www.gthcenter.../exhibits/storms/]
"In recovering from this cataclysm, Galveston transformed itself through political and technological changes. It pioneered the commission form of local government in 1901, undertook the construction of the initial portion of the Seawall (1902-04), raised the city's grade (1904-10), and opened the new causeway (1912). These improvements meant that Galveston was much better prepared to cope with an even more severe hurricane in August 1915."
...raised the city's grade...10 feet!
Lots of great photos of the seawall and other things.
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Post #225,816
9/21/05 7:23:49 PM
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Just on NPR, too -
A recap from a historian (maybe with some direct connection with survivors too; missed intro) Clara Barton was there with 8 people initially; she was so universally respected that people all over began sending $$ to her.
(Dunno if this was the first significant Red Cross founding/funding activity or not?)
She managed to get local middle-class white women on the oversight boards (for the first time) - by pointing out that they'd always been doing this sort of work in any emergency, anyway.
Fingers crossed for those poor bastards - gather that Max Elevation on the island is +9 feet!
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Post #225,728
9/21/05 10:22:40 AM
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He's planning on heading to Bandera
That's west of San Antonio - out of harm's way.
I, on the otherhand, will probably stay and ride it out. My new employer hasn't decided if they'll close the office this coming Friday. By then, trying to get out of Houston will be pretty much impossible. And I'm in no position to say, "I ain't coming in Thursday and Friday; see you later." That'll just put me back onto the unemployment line.
lincoln
"Chicago to my mind was the only place to be. ... I above all liked the city because it was filled with people all a-bustle, and the clatter of hooves and carriages, and with delivery wagons and drays and peddlers and the boom and clank of freight trains. And when those black clouds came sailing in from the west, pouring thunderstorms upon us so that you couldn't hear the cries or curses of humankind, I liked that best of all. Chicago could stand up to the worst God had to offer. I understood why it was built--a place for trade, of course, with railroads and ships and so on, but mostly to give all of us a magnitude of defiance that is not provided by one house on the plains. And the plains is where those storms come from." -- E.L. Doctorow
Never apply a Star Trek solution to a Babylon 5 problem.
[link|mailto:bconnors@ev1.net|contact me]
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Post #225,730
9/21/05 10:28:14 AM
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Be careful.
I lost track of you. I thought you were still in ChiTown. :-)
At the moment they're predicting that the eye will come ashore sometime after 2:00 AM on Saturday.
Be careful and best of luck!
Cheers,
Scott.
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Post #225,731
9/21/05 11:05:03 AM
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Get someplace solid & high.
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Post #225,749
9/21/05 1:43:57 PM
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s/someplace solid & //
Good luck, Linc!
jb4
shrub●bish (Am., from shrub + rubbish, after the derisive name for America's 43 president; 2003) n. 1. a form of nonsensical political doubletalk wherein the speaker attempts to defend the indefensible by lying, obfuscation, or otherwise misstating the facts; GIBBERISH. 2. any of a collection of utterances from America's putative 43rd president. cf. BULLSHIT
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Post #225,761
9/21/05 2:52:01 PM
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Solid is needed
To avoid getting hit by blown debris, or becoming debris oneself.
When somebody asks you to trade your security for freedom, it isn't your freedom they're talking about.
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Post #225,763
9/21/05 3:03:05 PM
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inthane.miss(joke);
I have come to believe that idealism without discipline is a quick road to disaster, while discipline without idealism is pointless. -- Aaron Ward (my brother)
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Post #225,764
9/21/05 3:15:40 PM
9/21/05 3:15:51 PM
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Bah. :P
I blame my long years at Evergreen State College. :D
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Post #225,740
9/21/05 12:29:16 PM
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Stay safe!
That's west of San Antonio - out of harm's way. I, on the otherhand, will probably stay and ride it out. My new employer hasn't decided if they'll close the office this coming Friday. By then, trying to get out of Houston will be pretty much impossible. And I'm in no position to say, "I ain't coming in Thursday and Friday; see you later." That'll just put me back onto the unemployment line. Be careful and stay safe! My cousins & their families are evacuating from Cleveland, TX to Trinity, I hope they all make it okay. They are planning to leave Friday morning, I wish they would go sooner. That's a total of 14 people evacuating to Trinity. I can't remember who all we have on IWT that is in Texas, but all of you out there be careful and stay safe, ok? And everybody check in as soon as you can and tell us you're okay! Brenda
"Excel is to math what a Microwave Oven is to cooking!"
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Post #225,747
9/21/05 1:28:36 PM
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Keep a log
post it here - after you ride it out safe & sound that is...
[link|http://www.runningworks.com|
] Imric's Tips for Living
- Paranoia Is a Survival Trait
- Pessimists are never disappointed - but sometimes, if they are very lucky, they can be pleasantly surprised...
- Even though everyone is out to get you, it doesn't matter unless you let them win.
|
Nothing is as simple as it seems in the beginning,
As hopeless as it seems in the middle,
Or as finished as it seems in the end.
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Post #225,758
9/21/05 2:43:02 PM
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My sister is riding it out, too.
I just spoke with her. She lives in Pasadena (about 40 miles inland from Galveston) and plans to go stay with a friend in NW Houston, which I guess is better than nothing. It makes me very uneasy that she's not going further inland, but those are her plans.
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Post #225,770
9/21/05 3:27:09 PM
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Best wishes
-----------------------------------------
George W. Bush and his PNAC handlers sent the US into Iraq with lies. I find myself rethinking my opposition to the death penalty.
--Donald Dean Richards Jr.
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Post #225,775
9/21/05 3:52:13 PM
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From past experience
NW Houston should be fine - I wouldn't be leaving if I still lived in that part of town.
Pasadena is in the evacuation zone for category 4-5.
Darrell Spice, Jr. [link|http://spiceware.org/gallery/ArtisticOverpass|Artistic Overpass]\n[link|http://www.spiceware.org/|SpiceWare] - We don't do Windows, it's too much of a chore
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Post #225,786
9/21/05 4:47:13 PM
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Oh Good. She should be okay then.
Thanks for letting me know that.
She bought a shower curtain to cover up her TV and electronics to keep them dry. That's my sister's big hurricane plan- a shower curtain. God love that little nitwit. At least she's taking all her important papers with her. I dont think she's been through a major hurricane before. She's been in TX about 5 years.
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Post #225,805
9/21/05 5:51:10 PM
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I'll keep her in my prayers too
Meanwhile, I have great news! My cousins decided to leave TODAY rather than wait till Friday morning. I'm so glad. There are 13 of them in 2 cars and they are on their way to Trinity. I hope it's far enough north, I haven't had a chance to look at the evacuation maps.
Brenda
"Excel is to math what a Microwave Oven is to cooking!"
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Post #226,013
9/22/05 7:01:33 PM
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I ended up in NW Houston
I left my house at 4am this morning. Around 10am I was on 99 almost to I-10 (normally a 30 minute drive to get there) when traffic just stopped moving. I reevaluated my options after sitting there an hour. Temp was almost 100, but I hadn't been running the AC to conserve fuel as well as turning off the car for long stops. I was down to 1/3 a tank (stop and don't go = bad mileage - I normally get a little over 200 miles per tank), so knew I couldn't make it to Bandera, and everyplace is out of fuel. I contacted a friend in NW Houston (near 1960/249) I knew had planned to stay. He directed me on how to get here on back roads. I made it here a couple hours later with less than 1/4 tank left.
Darrell Spice, Jr. [link|http://spiceware.org/gallery/ArtisticOverpass|Artistic Overpass]\n[link|http://www.spiceware.org/|SpiceWare] - We don't do Windows, it's too much of a chore
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Post #226,014
9/22/05 7:22:58 PM
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Good to have friends in *all kinds* of places
===
Purveyor of Doc Hope's [link|http://DocHope.com|fresh-baked dog biscuits and pet treats].
[link|http://DocHope.com|http://DocHope.com]
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Post #226,018
9/22/05 7:38:47 PM
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I'm glad you were able to get out.
Stay safe, ya hear!
Hugs,
Amy
Pray for surviving Rita.
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Post #226,019
9/22/05 7:40:00 PM
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Ditto. Quirks and Crits and Lincs too. :-)
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Post #226,082
9/23/05 2:32:34 AM
9/23/05 2:33:34 AM
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I'm glad you're safe too!
The 13 person caravan of my cousins got the last two cases of bottled water left in town, and left early this am from Cleveland, TX It took them 2 hours to drive 18 miles, just to get out of town, I heard, and they had to go around 150 miles total.
They arrived at their sister's home in Trinity, only to be told that they had to evacuate again, this time with their sister and another of my cousins, to a Red Cross Shelter somewhere in Trinity farther from the river. The sister who lives in Trinity lives on the river banks. So far, so good... I'm praying they will all be allright, and the shelter won't take any serious damage.
But man, this is scary, especially after seeing what all happened in New Orleans, you just don't know what "safe" is, really after all that.
Brenda
"Excel is to math what a Microwave Oven is to cooking!"
Edited by Nightowl
Sept. 23, 2005, 02:33:34 AM EDT
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Post #226,117
9/23/05 9:37:16 AM
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My sister ditched her NW Houston haven
and decided to drive to San Antonio to stay with a friend.
It took her 22 hours.
Damn. What a mess out there.
It's agonizing to sit and wait. I cant imagine what it must be like to live in the impacted area. Like a sitting duck. I'm hoping for the best for all.
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Post #226,118
9/23/05 9:39:22 AM
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Uh, da-yamn!
It took her 22 hours. Houston-San Antonio is normally a 3-4 hour drive (IIRC). Straight shot west on IH-10. That's infuckingsane. -YendorMike
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin, 1759 Historical Review of Pennsylvania
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Post #226,174
9/23/05 1:52:50 PM
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Good news, Spice!
Keep your head down, and much good luck. Try and post as soon as you can after the storm passes to let the rest of us know you're all right (and that goes for you two, too, Amy & Cris)
jb4
shrub●bish (Am., from shrub + rubbish, after the derisive name for America's 43 president; 2003) n. 1. a form of nonsensical political doubletalk wherein the speaker attempts to defend the indefensible by lying, obfuscation, or otherwise misstating the facts; GIBBERISH. 2. any of a collection of utterances from America's putative 43rd president. cf. BULLSHIT
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Post #226,182
9/23/05 2:10:57 PM
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Roger that!
So far, I have been pretty pro-active. Still need to trim a few tree branches and clean up the back yard (those Tiki torches can become javelins in a storm.)
We probably won't get flooding in the house, (although there could be some flash-flooding in the streets,) but am more worried about the wind and possible spin-off tornadoes.
At any rate, will check in with y'all as much as possible.
Peace, for now,
Amy
Pray for surviving Rita.
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Post #226,198
9/23/05 2:53:47 PM
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Stockpile Water
Fill up pitchers, jugs, buckets, and the bath tubs. Ya never know and most forget until the tap stops working.
"Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect" --Mark Twain
"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." --Albert Einstein
"This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses." --George W. Bush
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Post #226,224
9/23/05 7:02:52 PM
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Righty-O
Pray for surviving Rita.
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Post #226,228
9/23/05 7:30:17 PM
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Given that it is a hurricane...
Just stick out a bucket and plenty will fall in.
Just be sure to nail down the bucket. ;-)
Ben
I have come to believe that idealism without discipline is a quick road to disaster, while discipline without idealism is pointless. -- Aaron Ward (my brother)
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Post #226,192
9/23/05 2:41:36 PM
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Thanx!
Will do. I'm feeling a lot less stressed out. It was very depressing Wednesday when I was taking photos of everything in my house because I didn't expect it to survive. At that point Rita was a 5 with a heading that would have put the eye of the storm directly over my house.
We're getting ready to board up my friend's windows, then we're going to take my car to his mom's and put it in her garage. She doesn't drive and has lots of room.
Darrell Spice, Jr. [link|http://spiceware.org/gallery/ArtisticOverpass|Artistic Overpass]\n[link|http://www.spiceware.org/|SpiceWare] - We don't do Windows, it's too much of a chore
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Post #226,250
9/23/05 9:57:48 PM
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Hey, good luck man
Look on the bright side, you're not staring down the barrel at Winter. It was a warm weekend for November in Toronto:)
--\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca *\n* [link|http://consultron.ca|http://consultron.ca] [link|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] *\n* Kingston Ontario Canada [link|news://news.consultron.ca|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
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Post #225,746
9/21/05 1:16:16 PM
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Going to visit my grandparents
I'm not in a mandatory evacuation zone([link|http://images.chron.com/content/news/photos/05/09/21/evac_hcoem.gif|evac map]), but I'm close enough that I'm not going to chance it. I'm located on the right edge of Fort Bend county where Texas 6 crosses into Brazoria county.
My subdivision is in an area not prone to flooding, plus they built large depressions to hold excess water. You can see a large one north-west of, and a smaller one north of [link|http://maps.google.com/maps?q=4606+Nealwood+Court,+Fresno+TX+77545&ll=29.520704,-95.471395&spn=0.006980,0.009255&t=k&hl=en|my house]. They were less than half full after Allison hit in 2001. I am concerned about wind damage.
Darrell Spice, Jr. [link|http://spiceware.org/gallery/ArtisticOverpass|Artistic Overpass]\n[link|http://www.spiceware.org/|SpiceWare] - We don't do Windows, it's too much of a chore
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Post #225,871
9/21/05 11:07:36 PM
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Dallas isn't out of the clear
We are bracing for 60 mph winds and flash flooding. Now that the C-man is home, he can rest whilst the kids and I trim our trees of any suspicious branches that might snap off in those winds. Also, starting to stock water in the 3 five gallon containers that I used to have for my milk co op. Will fill the bathtubs too for flushing water. Now all that's left is to get some cash, gas and non-perishables.
Feels like Y2K all over again!
Love,
Amy
Pray for the survivors of Bush.
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Post #225,872
9/21/05 11:08:48 PM
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I hope Rita's gentle to you. Get a good night's sleep. :-)
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Post #225,969
9/22/05 2:30:03 PM
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Thank you :-*
Praying we survive Rita.
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Post #225,909
9/22/05 1:47:50 AM
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be safe
Have fun,
Carl Forde
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Post #225,970
9/22/05 2:31:10 PM
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will do our best. :-*
Praying we survive Rita.
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Post #226,010
9/22/05 6:39:13 PM
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Appendages crossed!
jb4
shrub●bish (Am., from shrub + rubbish, after the derisive name for America's 43 president; 2003) n. 1. a form of nonsensical political doubletalk wherein the speaker attempts to defend the indefensible by lying, obfuscation, or otherwise misstating the facts; GIBBERISH. 2. any of a collection of utterances from America's putative 43rd president. cf. BULLSHIT
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Post #226,170
9/23/05 1:40:41 PM
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Most appreciated.
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Post #225,874
9/21/05 11:14:38 PM
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175 mph sustained winds at 10 PM CDT. 897 mbar. :-(
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Post #225,941
9/22/05 11:11:54 AM
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10 AM CDT 5 day prediction cone moving slightly East.
[link|http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at3+shtml/085837.shtml?5day?large|Map].
The edge of the cone is getting close to New Orleans...
:-(
Cheers,
Scott.
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