Hurricane Ike targets Subsim (Texas)

[Onkel Neal]

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

...not only did it wash on shore, it also has plants/trees neatly growing around it. Who knew?

hahha! That made me laugh!

Thanks for the notes of concern, guys, I made out fine.I didn't post this to make people worry but I thought it would be
interesting to report on the martime aspects of this event.

Well, Ike was no powderpuff but for anyone other than folks living within 5 miles of the Gulf or Galveston bay, it wasn't
terribly bad. Strong Cat 2 hurricane, first to land on Galveston Island in 25 years (since Alica, a strong Cat 3, in 1983). It's a
hurricane, we know how to handle them. If you live along the coast, within the surge tide zone, you pack up and get out. If
you live more inland (Pearland is 17 miles from Galveston Bay), you stock up on supplies, board the right windows, and
ride it out. Sure, something extraordinary and bad can possibly happen, but that's life. More people die from stupid during
a hurricane than the hurricane itself.

Of course, for houses along the shoreline, the damage was much worse, much more extensive. But, that's a given..... I'm only reporting on areas inland.

As I last reported, the power was going off and on frequently. My last few posts were done in a hurry, and I was watching
the clock, hoping to win the blackout pool. The power has to go off and stay off for at least 1 minute, to qualify as a
blackout. Brenda has chosen 2am, Richard 2:30am and me, 2:45am. We wrote the times down on slips of paper with our
names at 5PM the previous evening (so no one would select some time such as 1:30 and the other person 1:31... playing the
odds. No one knew the other persons time until we all wrote them down and turned the slips over). Ok, so naturally, when
the first 20 second power blips occured at 10pm, Richard and I were sweating, thinking Brenda was going to coast to an
easy victory. But the powe came back each time and Richard and I traded high fives Man, it was hours before 2:00 am
came and went.

But first, before the clock hit 2:16 and put Brenda out of the race, we heard a horrendous RIPPPPP like a string of
cannons--one of my back yard trees came up by the roots (the one with the treehouse ). If you've ever heard a large tree
being ripped out of the ground by 110+ mph winds, you know how that can get your attention. And remember, it's pitch
black outside, we cannot see much by the flashlights through the windows. It's also raining like hell.

Back to the blackout pool: the clock ticked to 2:28. I only need the power to last until 2:38 and then I win, because it is
closer to 2:45 and even if the power lasts until 4am or longer, I win.

The power goes off, but comes on several more times....

Then, at 2:30 on the dot, the power goes off. I hear Richard counting in the dark, VERY confident: "1, 2, 3, 4..... with nothing
but the howling wind and tree branches banging against the boarded windows as accompaniment ....

Richard gets to 45,46,47,48,49... then begins a countdown from 10, 9, 8.... Damn! Is this it?? 4,3,2,1.... OMG, he called it to
the minute


Well, after congratulating him, we resumed the grim business of staying alive (phrasing hyped up CNN style ). The wind
had knocked out the power and my satellite dish. No Internet. We tuned in the battery operated radio and tracked the
storm. The eye passed within 10 miles but did not cross us.


After 3 more hours, the wind had dropped to ~40 mph and there was some light, so I geared up and did a quick check of
the house. My neighbor's tree cracked open and was laying on Richard's car (ha!... but, there was no damage. Whew!). The
street was flooded with ~ 3 feet of water. My dish was hanging by the wire. There were 3 million three branches
everywhere and a few shingles (Not mine, thank god). I went to the back yard and got a shock--not one but two of my beloved trees were down

I waded into the flooded street and felt around for the storm drain, and began pulling the tree branches free. Richard and a neighbor helped and we cleared the drains and the water began dropping in the street.

The rain slowed down a couple hours later and soon you could hear chainsaws all over, as people began clearing their streets (government, we don't need no stinkin' government!) By afternoon Sat, most of the streets were clear and we surveyed the city. There were a lot of signs, utility poles, and fences down, and quite a few houses missing patches of shingles, but no catastrophic damage. If Ike has been a Cat 4 or 5, it would have been a much different scene.



Today with Hanne's help I cleaned my house and yard, except for my two mortally wounded trees, they will need professional removal. (Hmmm... can trees be winched back into place, doped up with tree grow fertilizer, and saved??:hmm: ) My power came back on Sun evening, I was very fortunate. With so many lines down, even working like heroes non-stop around the clock, the power company will need days, maybe weeks to get everyone's power on.

And I got a pleasant surprise today. Kpt. Lehmann is an EMT, he saves peoples lives. His company sent him and his crew to Houston Friday to help out. After two long and exhaustive days helping people in dire need, they said he could go home. He called me and took time to come by and say "howdy" before heading back to Dallas. Man, those Texans are really great....

So, that's my hurricane report. I will be going to Galveston to check on Cavalla. Hopefully no one left any hatches unsecured... Here are some pics. I'm not Horsa so pardon the sloppy photog work

The height of the storm



The morning after, trees down across the road



Common sight, minor shingle damage



Derelict house #1, still standing


as well as derelict #2 (Richard says they don't build pieces of crap shack like they used to) lol


These people have problems

[nikimcbee]

so, what you're saying is that we won't be sleeping in the tree house? glad to hear your house is okay. maybe where the trees were, you could build an RC submarine test pond? Or plant new trees.

[Onkel Neal]

A very common sight, downed lines, lights, all kinds of stuff to watch out for.



in the distance, a set of transformers down. This happens all over the area, and this takes time to fix. People get angry when they don't get their power turned on right away but this stuff takes time to fix. And downed lines means no electricity, and that means no stores are open, no stations can pump gas, and refrigerators are down. People soon discover how pampered every day life makes them.



The little cinema takes a hit: Gone with the Wind!




Another street blocked by trees



Trees snapped...



Rancho Subsim, still standing. Neighbor's tree, not so lucky (All motorcycles, alive and accounted for. Thanks Jonathan )

[JHuschke]

Glad you are alright N!

[Onkel Neal]

Nooooo!
My favorite tree, and treehouse. I built that with my own two hands


And the right flank tree... down. My back yard is going to be a lot sunnier



Even my other neighbor's tree was slaughtered.



Wow, my neighbor three houses down just came by to borrow some butter, they DON'T have power. I'm really lucky!

Neal

[Dowly]

Wow, I cant believe those two abandoned houses stood all that. :rotfl:

[nikimcbee]

The tree roots don't look too deep. How old were the trees and what kind were they?

[Onkel Neal]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

:rotfl:

That is too good to be true! What happens when 'reporters' report what they see or hear, but don't do their research!
:rotfl:

I contacted the author of the piece:

Hi,

I'm handing this off to my editors to address. My apologies, but I'm in Galveston right now and that was the info given to me by the coast guard and several long-term natives. If it's inaccurate, again, I apologize and we'll run a correction asap.

Best,

--pj

P.J. Huffstutter
Midwest Bureau Chief
Los Angeles Times
312-467-4670 (work)
312-339-8389 (cell)

From: Subsim.com
To: Huffstutter, P.J.; Zucchino, David
Sent: Mon Sep 15 15:30:00 2008
Subject: In your story Galveston, Houston flounder in wake of Ike; error


In your story Galveston, Houston flounder in wake of Ike http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...,6854926.story

There is a portion that describes the USS Cavalla submarine and Destroyer Escort USS Stewart, the two memorial vessels at Seawolf Park:

At Seawolf Park, a maritime museum, one ship was thrown completely out of the water by the storm. It was listing on a massive pile of debris from a smashed pier. A U.S. Navy submarine was moved onto land, half of its body covered in mud.

You may not be aware but the Cavalla and Stewart have been on land there for many years, Cavalla since 1971. She was brought ashore as a museum and memorial. They were not "moved onto land". I hope this helps with the accuracy of your story, thanks.

Best
Neal Stevens
USS Cavalla website: http://www.cavalla.org/

.

[Pioneer]

Originally Posted by Reporter

Hi,

I'm handing this off to my editors to address. My apologies, but I'm in Galveston right now and that was the info given to me by the coast guard and several long-term natives. If it's inaccurate, again, I apologize and we'll run a correction asap.

Best,

--pj

P.J. Huffstutter
Midwest Bureau Chief
Los Angeles Times
312-467-4670 (work)
312-339-8389 (cell)

I find it highly UNLIKELY that any coast guard or long tern natives would say that. No self respecting serviceman or Texan is going to make an error like that.

Oh wait, this guy is from the LA Times, enough said.

[bookworm_020]

Glad to hear that you camer through the storm OK there Neal! I was thinking that the server may go down for subsim again, like the fire, but I guess I was thinking that the subsim server was a magnet for trouble!

Hope all subsim member who live or were in the area are ok and damage to their homes isn't that great.

[snakeyez]

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

Today with Hanne's help I cleaned my house and yard, except for my two mortally wounded trees, they will need professional removal. (Hmmm... can trees be winched back into place, doped up with tree grow fertilizer, and saved??:hmm: )
...

Ahh, forestry is my day job. And no, your trees are doomed for firewood. Even if you could stand them back up, the fibrous roots that the tree depends on are gone and the inner structure of the tree will likely be fubar'd. We call it "ring shake" around here. The claim is MOST of the lumber created from a wind-uprooted tree will come to pieces at the growth rings once dried. That's not the kind of tree I'd want to stand back up anywhere near my home.

Nothing lasts forever, time to plant a new tree. Find a nice post oak or water oak or perhaps a live oak. Yards across America have enough darn bradford pear trees!

Over here in Mississippi, the year after Katrina many many trees that looked perfectly fine suddenly turned brown. Their roots and structure had enough damage to kill the tree that long after Katrina.

[Onkel Neal]

Thanks, Snake, that was good info. I guess I have room for that tool shed I always wanted and a water oak on the right side.

[Sailor Steve]

Nice pictures. Sorry about the trees, but at least they didn't land on your house. Imagine having the treehouse for a new coffee table.

[Overboard]

Welcome home NEAL, Glad to see your safe!!

[Oberon]

To me, this picture speaks volumes, not just about Texas, but about American spirit as a whole. I just hope that the Cavalla and Stewart are alright