Ike

[agogoboots]

My thoughts with you all in Texas during this storm.

Thinking of you toyranch if you still read here.

[tekobari]

Mine, too. It looks bad.

My uncle boarded up his house and moved to his summer house. My cousin stayed. Don't know what the result is.

[Meya]

That damned storm caused havoc all over the country. High winds made it all the way to the Ohio Valley causing huge power outages. We lost power for 49 hours, most of Louisville KY is still down since Sunday afternoon. At least 50,000 in our area are still down, with twice that in KY. Our power companies had sent about 40% of our crews to TX & LA and they had to call them back.

I can't imagine what it must be like to be in the worst hit areas in TX & LA. It was a huge lesson in humility for us.

[VocalVixen]

Well, I got power back yesterday.

Some rude insurance adjuster called yesterday asking about damage.

I'm lucky. I have a fence down, my central a/c units were blown off the foundation, my roof has damage and my outbuilding is destroyed.

I have friends who have lost everything. As we had generator power and now electricity, people are coming and going as they need to. I have opened my home to others who are worse off than we are at this moment.

FEMA is nowhere to be found. Not even with their little blue tarps.

Most of my friends are having to apply for food stamps and disaster unemployment. These proud people have never had to ask for a handout in their lives. I see them sit and cry in shame. My heart hurts for them.

After something like this, the best and worst do come out in people. It took my family 2 years to overcome the financial and emotional strain that Hurricane Rita left behind in 2005. I don't know what Ike will do to us in the long run. I'm just happy that we are a family, with good friends and a somewhat damaged home that we can offer to others.

[BrainChemicals]

I had no difficulty getting Operation Blue Roof support for many of my neighbors. We signed up in a parking lot in Pasadena on Monday and yesterday they were installed.

FEMA has just released information about the "blue roof" program for Hurricane Ike victims:

AUSTIN, Texas - Hurricane Ike has left many Texas homeowners with damaged roofs. Repairs to these roofs can take time. In order to mitigate additional damage that could result from rain, homeowners can have plastic sheeting installed over the damaged area by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractors, in a program provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The toll-free BLUE ROOF hotline number is 1-888-ROOF-BLU or 1-888-766-3258.

In anticipation of a temporary roofing mission, the Corps has established two mobile Right of Entry collection sites. Anyone needing a temporary roof can go to the City of Webster Civic Center, 101 Pennsylvania St., or to the intersection of Red Bluff Road and Spencer Highway in Deer Park to fill out a right of entry form. Hours of operation will be daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Corps expects to set up at least eight more ROE collection sites within a week.

Here are some facts about Operation BLUE ROOF:

• To qualify for BLUE ROOF services, damage to the roof must be less than 50 percent and the area to be covered must be structurally sound for a crew to work on.
• In order to have plastic sheeting placed on their roofs, homeowners must complete a right-of-entry form to allow government and contract employees on their property. Right of Entry (ROE) centers for affected counties are staffed by Corps of Engineers employees. For the center location in your county, call toll free 1-888-766-3258.
• The Corps is covering roofs in the hardest hit counties first. Be patient. The Corps will respond to every person who has completed a ROE as quickly as possible.
• In some instances, there may be a slowdown in installing plastic sheeting because of a national shortage.
• Homeowners may also cover their roofs with free tarps provided by FEMA and issued through their local governments. Residents need to monitor the media for information on where to pick up the tarps.
• The plastic covering and the tarps are temporary fixes designed to provide protection from the elements until the homeowner can make permanent repairs with a qualified professional.

The BLUE ROOF program is provided by FEMA through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in all counties that have been declared by FEMA for the Individual Assistance program. The need for Blue Roof services is undetermined because the survey is not complete. More information is available online at www.fema.gov or www.swf.usace.army.mil.

FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

The Fort Worth District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was established in 1950. The District is responsible for water resources development in two-thirds of Texas, and military design and construction in Texas and parts of Louisiana and New Mexico. Visit the Fort Worth District web site at: www.swf.usace.army.mil.

[VocalVixen]

Thanks for the info Brain.

Unfortunately, we are rural...it takes a loooooooong time here.

Good news, though. The national guard is finally here with water and MRE's.

[Flutterbees]

Glad you made it through VV & are sharing what you have with folks who have less. We all need to do that!

[Meya]

I've not seen much news the past 5 days. We went to KY to visit the boys, and 2 of them were without power from Sunday the 14th about Noon until late Friday night. DS#1 had power, and we were staying with them along with DS#3, his wife, and their 7 month old. Internet was spotty, and they don't have cable, so our news was limited. DS#2 and his wife slept in their apartment, and came over to use the shower. Most apartments in Louisville are all electric, so they couldn't cook or have hot water.

The city (Louisville) was a mess. Trees down everywhere...one just up the road from DS's apartment. Home owners got together on Saturday and cut the tree up to free the road on Saturday, 6 days after the wind storm. When we left on Monday the 22nd, there were still areas without power. At the beginning there were well over 300,000 without power according to local reports. Many grocery stores, gas stations, and other businesses were down for 3-9 days. The local Kroger had some power after 2 days, but no frig or freezer stuff until Saturday the 20th.

Our area in Ohio didn't restore power to everyone until today, which has to be a record for here. 9 days, and most here are just not prepared at all for that long of an outage. People were whining and complaining in the local paper. I wonder how they would feel if they lived in TX or LA. Some of the comments totally pissed me off, horrible comments about the power companies and so on. Spoiled.

I feel so bad for those who lost entire homes, businesses etc. I can't even imagine what that must be like. At least our kids had options, friends with freezers and showers etc. To lose everything would be beyond comprehensioin.

[Hepburn]

Where ya at Terri? Miss ya!