Wednesday – Take a Hike, Ike

[ninanevermore]

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One of the managers on my floor, Gerry, called us all in this morning. Such meetings have a way of making me nervous, since the last one I went to a year and a half ago resulted in everyone in the room getting laid off. Fortunately, that didn't happen today. This meeting wasn't about packing up our desks and going home, it was about staying home later this week should the need arise.

"We don't know what this hurricane is going to do," Gerry said to the group assembled in his office. "I know we're all watching this thing. If you have things you need to take care of around your house or with your families, don't even think about coming in on Thursday or Friday. Stay home and do what you need to do."

The truth is, if the city evacuates there is no way any of us could come to work. Those driving in from the south would be stuck in a gridlock that the authorities would not allow to exit the highway until about 100 miles north of Houston. Those us who drive in from the north would be able to make it in okay, but we would have no way to get home again.

Everyone nodded at what Gerry said and began speculating about the path this storm will take. It will make landfall on Saturday. Currently the thing seems to be headed toward the city of Corpus Christie, but we're all still nervous. The last few storms headed for Houston have veered off toward Beaumont at the last moment (I like to think because I told them to). Well, Houston is to Corpus what Beaumont is to Houston. It feels like I've called in all my favors, and that a more powerful weather witch than me is right now sitting in Corpus saying, "Leave us alone; go to Houston, I hate that town."

Fair enough; turn about is fair play.

Damn her, anyway.



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Comments

Damn her, anyway.

[regatomic.livejournal.com]

heh,.. well you could always cancel your hurricane subscription,..o.0

Re: Damn her, anyway.

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

I live on the Gulf Coast; you don't have to subscribe to hurricanes here. Like the AARP magazine you start getting after your 50th birthday, they arrive without you ever asking for them.

[hermes-wade.livejournal.com]

Yeah, either way the storm goes, it's bad news for me. If it hits Corpus, then not only does it cancel my beach trip, but it's predicted to be strong enough to drop some severe weather on US too. If it goes your way, my family and friends are in danger. I'm stuck either way.

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

Even if Corpus gets a hit (and I'm not wishing it on them; unlike Beaumont, it's not a bad place), Houston will be on the dirty side of the storm and get some fallout. Usually, my instinct tells me not to worry. This time, my instinct is telling to go ahead and do just that.

[basketcaselady.livejournal.com]

We don't do hurricanes out here in California. I'll stick with the earthquakes, wildfires, droughts and floods :)

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

We get floods and droughts here, too, and west Texas has seen it's share of wildfires (not like you get, though). At least hurricanes come with warnings, which I don't think earthquakes really do.

I guess every kind of natural has it's pros and cons. At least with earthquakes, you don't get moron reporters standing out in the wind and rain, shouting into their microphones to show how intense the weather is. The gale-force winds are bad enough without the gale-force theatrics by the media. :P

[basketcaselady.livejournal.com]

Though I do have a healthy respect for earthquakes, most of the time the damage, if any, is minor. Usually it happens and a split second after you are asking yourself, *did we just have an earthquake?*

I have seen news reports featuring the idiot newsmen standing in rain and wind, remaining after everyone has been ordered to evacuate. I have wondered about them. I guess it takes a special kind of stupid to be a hurricane news reporter.

On the other hand, we have our own special kind of stupids. They call the POLICE to report they have felt an earthquake. Why? I can't answer that. But the police can predict the epicenter and the strength of the quake by the number it calls it generates. Of course they also block the lines for legitimate emergency calls. I'm not sure what they expect the police to do. Arrest Mother Nature?

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

Even if they did arrest Mother Nature, the case would be tied up in the California courts for years (if not decades). You guys kind of have a reputation for that kind of thing, as well as earthquakes. ;)

[basketcaselady.livejournal.com]

What can I say? Guilty as charged. Though I will point out that Scott Peterson received a speedy trial.

[creactivity.livejournal.com]

We get moron reporters heading into wildfire areas, wandering through people's burnt homes and picking up their possessions to hold them up to the camera for prime exploitation - long before those people are allowed to enter the area and see the damage for themselves. It's sickening.

I never get why they allow reporters in an area that has mandatory evacuation orders. Those wind/rain ones in the hurricanes drive me bonkers.

Are you evacuating?

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

Nah, I'm far enough inland that I'm ordered to "hunker down" and not clog up the traffic for people fleeing the storm surge zones. I'll get wind and rain and maybe the odd tornado up where I am.

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

Wait a second; you're planning a beach trip this weekend, when a hurricane is destine to hit somewhere (anywhere) on the Texas coast? Boy, if you were close by right now, I'd hit on the back of the head to knock some sense into you.

[hermes-wade.livejournal.com]

This trip was planned MONTHS ago; it's just bad luck that Ike is hitting the coast this weekend. Gustav almost disrupted some plans too; stupid hurricane season.

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

Time to make other plans, I think.

[noblwish.livejournal.com]

Corpus being closer to the border, they do have some powerful witches, and probably more than Houston... per capita, anyway.

And I was gonna visit my grandparents this weekend... oh, darn.

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

I'd put that trip off for another week if I were you.

[captainschlumpy.livejournal.com]

I can honestly say I do not miss hurricane prep or hurricane clean up! I hope it doesn't head your way!

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping so, too. You probably remember that no one is ever sure where these storms are going to make landfall until the moment they make landfall. Until then, there are a lot of nervous people in towns all up and down the Texas coast this week.

[jenelycam.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the weather. Y'all are in my thoughts and prayers. Greg's ruing this hurricane. It's causing rain in Iowa and may interfere with the big Iowa v. Iowa State game.... Boys....

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Sorry about Greg's game; I live in football country, so I know what a big deal it is to some (other) people. :)

[jenelycam.livejournal.com]

I'm sure it's still going to happen, but we just may not be able to tailgate. :P I'm okay with that, I'll just go to the mall and get something. :P

[ithoughtsheknew.livejournal.com]

Don't blow it toward Beaumont, please. My parents are there and are in no mood to evacuate for the second time in 3 weeks.
Man...we just heard on report on a Houston station saying Corpus then read online Houston/Galveston. No one has any idea what's going on. Mark even said that one area in Louisiana is already under mandatory evacuation. 0_o

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

Ike is messing with all of our heads, man!

Every time I check, they are warning a different area. Most of them just put the whole Texas coast (which is a huge area) on alert. I don't think Mexico and Louisiana have much to worry about; this one seems to have his eye set on the Loan Star State.

[simplecity2htwn.livejournal.com]

I have total and complete faith in your ability to keep us out of danger. Don't let me down!!!

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

I'm trying, but it may be out of my hands. I've kept hurricanes out of this town for 25 years straight; the rules are that one has to be allowed to slip in once in awhile.

I'm sorry. You may want to go out tomorrow and pick up some plywood for your windows.

[l-l-u-w-d.livejournal.com]

Hey! Quit steering those damned thing toward my in-laws! LOL I mean, I love them, and all, but I have no desire to have them end up moving up here and in with us because their house washed away! Again. LOL If you must, steer them toward the WEST, not the EAST!

I do hope you the best, and that you weather the storm, should it come your way, well, though. Take care, and do what you have to do.

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

Here is something you have to understand about hurricanes: they are like volleyballs. When they come at you from above, you put your hands together in a fist and hit them back up over you so they don't hit you in the head. Beaumont is up from me. It's nothing personal. Your in-laws really need to find a better city. If Beaumont were a nicer place, I would hesitate to send the storms there. I can't hit knock them higher than Beaumont, because they would hit Lake Charles then, and I kind of like Lake Charles.

This storm is coming from below me, and the best I can do is try to jump out of it's way. The weather witches in Corpus Christie are latinas and therefore of the Santeria variety of weather witch; seeing how this thing keeps moving north away from them, they are way better at this kind of thing than I am. I admit it: I'm beat.