Sunday, September 14, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
More Damage
I finally got a good look around campus this afternoon. The police were out in full force making sure everyone was safe and not going into any buildings. There are downed fences and shingles from roofs everywhere. One of the things I love about UH is that there are so many trees, some of them very old. We definitely lost a lot this weekend. More to come tomorrow when there's some more light.
First Photos
First of all, I don't know where this tree came from. I couldn't find the hole that it belonged to.
You can get a better idea of the size of the thing by looking at the man in the yellow jacket.
Entry to the courtyard is littered with leaves, but there's no real damage.
The little tree is still there, but definitely slimmer.Morning
10am: The University of Houston still has electricity and internet. Everything is fine here as I look out the windows. The area is carpeted with leaves and limbs rather than grass, but that's about the most extensive damage I can find right now.
Nearly all of southeast Texas has lost power. Here at UH and over at the Texas Medical Center are the only areas I know of that still have electricty.
We've been advised to only use bottled water at this time. It's only a precaution, so I'm not sure what the status of water and wastewater systems are in Houston.
I'll be checking on some nearby structures soon, but it's still too dangerous to be outside for now.
Nearly all of southeast Texas has lost power. Here at UH and over at the Texas Medical Center are the only areas I know of that still have electricty.
We've been advised to only use bottled water at this time. It's only a precaution, so I'm not sure what the status of water and wastewater systems are in Houston.
I'll be checking on some nearby structures soon, but it's still too dangerous to be outside for now.
I made it 1 minute
This video doesn't do what I just experienced justice, but it's the best I could get. Imagine yourself being in a large, cold, windy, automatic carwash filled with projectiles.
All you can hear over the wind and rain as of now are transformers blowing here and there.
In the interest of safety, this will be the last time I go outside.
Taub is looking more and more like a fortress. Everyone here is safe and comfortable.
I'm going to get some sleep soon. It looks like there will be plenty of photos to take in the morning.
All you can hear over the wind and rain as of now are transformers blowing here and there.
In the interest of safety, this will be the last time I go outside.
Taub is looking more and more like a fortress. Everyone here is safe and comfortable.
I'm going to get some sleep soon. It looks like there will be plenty of photos to take in the morning.
(Maybe) The Worst
2:30am: I tried to sleep but the eye wall is right upon UH and it's getting pretty noisy outside. Earlier I was just hearing the wind gusts from inside the dorms but now a constant roar is coming from outside of the building.
The area power companies are reporting outages affecting as much as 800,000 homes, but UH seems pretty stable. No more than an occasional flicker here and there. I'm impressed that I still have cable tv and internet access.
The windows are so splattered with horizontal sheets of rain that I can scarcely see the limbs falling outside.
I was expecting something like heavy thunderstorms on a grand scale, but so far all I've seen and heard includes only massive amounts of wind and rain. The sky lights up every once in awhile, but the wind is so loud that the thunder doesn't stand a chance. No tornadoes yet.
Latest unnerving fact: 6 feet of water in the Galveston county court house.
That, and my little tree in the courtyard looks pretty weary...
Videos to come if I'm brave.
The area power companies are reporting outages affecting as much as 800,000 homes, but UH seems pretty stable. No more than an occasional flicker here and there. I'm impressed that I still have cable tv and internet access.
The windows are so splattered with horizontal sheets of rain that I can scarcely see the limbs falling outside.
I was expecting something like heavy thunderstorms on a grand scale, but so far all I've seen and heard includes only massive amounts of wind and rain. The sky lights up every once in awhile, but the wind is so loud that the thunder doesn't stand a chance. No tornadoes yet.
Latest unnerving fact: 6 feet of water in the Galveston county court house.
That, and my little tree in the courtyard looks pretty weary...
Videos to come if I'm brave.
How are you doing?
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Friday, September 12, 2008
And the rain rolls in...
Sorry for the bad quality, but you get the idea. Rain is heavy, especially behind the force of the wind. Electricity is still running around the UH campus and the surrounding neighborhoods. Police are still patrolling as well.
Galveston, League City, Dickinson, and Texas City are all without power.
Updates
Looks like Ike is going right up I-45...strengthening, but only slightly. The winds are gusting outside, but UH is still rain-free. We've still got a solid 2-3 hours before things get busy.
At that point, I'm probably going to try and sneak outside the doors and get some video of the Quadrangle courtyard. I may be able to get some okay shots from the 4th floor of Taub as well.
I'm going to go see if that Hurricane Party is spoke of is going on. Next update will likely be in the midnight hour, or earlier if necessary.
On a side note, the brownies that the school gave us look like little charcoal briquettes.
At that point, I'm probably going to try and sneak outside the doors and get some video of the Quadrangle courtyard. I may be able to get some okay shots from the 4th floor of Taub as well.
I'm going to go see if that Hurricane Party is spoke of is going on. Next update will likely be in the midnight hour, or earlier if necessary.
On a side note, the brownies that the school gave us look like little charcoal briquettes.
Currently...
No rain yet. Plenty of wind. Six hours from landfall and much of Galveston is under water. 200,000 people in Harris county already lost power. The power is still on in Angleton, my hometown; there's a reporter from KHOU at our Walmart, struggling to stand up straight. Weather is looking pretty bad. Many others in Brazoria county are without power.
Reports are coming in of outages in Pearland and in some Houston neighborhoods.
All of this before landfall.
More to come.
Reports are coming in of outages in Pearland and in some Houston neighborhoods.
All of this before landfall.
More to come.
The Last of the Light
Postings will probably get a little less visual after this one. This is the last photo I took before I made it inside.
First Destruction of the Evening.
Take note, this photo was taken before the storm even made landfall.
It's windy out there. This particular tree was pretty rotten, but it did well to get me in the hurricane spirit.
It's windy out there. This particular tree was pretty rotten, but it did well to get me in the hurricane spirit.
Hurricane Food
I learned something kinda cool today. Give the University of Houston administration an emergency task to protect its students, and they'll do it.
But, what you get from them might be overkill. This is supposed to be enough food to last each individual resident until Saturday evening when the dining hall reopens. If I ate all of this by then I'd be sufficiently gorged.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. If by chance the dining halls are out of commission, I'd say this was a good call. At any rate, it was free :)
But, what you get from them might be overkill. This is supposed to be enough food to last each individual resident until Saturday evening when the dining hall reopens. If I ate all of this by then I'd be sufficiently gorged.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. If by chance the dining halls are out of commission, I'd say this was a good call. At any rate, it was free :)
Some "Before" Pictures
If I snag any destruction photos tomorrow morning, I've gotta have something to compare them to, eh?
The drive in front of PGH was eerily quiet, even for a Friday afternoon.
View from the top of Agnes Arnold Hall. That's Roberston Stadium and the Medical Center in the background.
The Urban Forest. You can't tell from the shot, but I could hardly keep the camera straight because of the wind.
The Religion Center. Lots of windows--I'm curious to see this in the next 12 hours.
My favorite little tree in the Taub courtyard. Stay strong little buddy.
The drive in front of PGH was eerily quiet, even for a Friday afternoon.
View from the top of Agnes Arnold Hall. That's Roberston Stadium and the Medical Center in the background.
The Urban Forest. You can't tell from the shot, but I could hardly keep the camera straight because of the wind.
The Religion Center. Lots of windows--I'm curious to see this in the next 12 hours.
My favorite little tree in the Taub courtyard. Stay strong little buddy.For Those Interested...
I'm in Taub Hall at the University of Houston where I'll be "sheltering in place" for the storm. Instead of homework, which is about the most productive thing I could do right now, I'll be updating this blog throughout the apparent calamity that the area is about to endure. I can't really tell what the situation will be for the UH main campus, but they're saying it's going to be really really bad for the coast. I'll have pictures and video until nightfall, but from then on it'll likely be text. We'll probably see the most action after midnight, and I'll get some video if I can. Otherwise, I'll have to stretch my writing skills a bit to keep this somewhat entertaining.
Of course, if there's a crazy hurricane dorm party, there will be plenty to share throughout the night.
Stay tuned!
Of course, if there's a crazy hurricane dorm party, there will be plenty to share throughout the night.
Stay tuned!
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