Hurricane Fatigue....I may has it....

[Bernie AKA]

Yeah, just to annoy the LOLcat haters!

No powet until next week probably, but the temps are 80's during the day and low 60's at night.  Can't wait to see the low electric bill next month!

Went through the storm fine, only to flood the next day because the damn media was so focused on Geraldo falling on his ass and how morons who didn't take this seriously didn't have no ice 'n' diapers that they FORGOT to advise that heavy rain bands were on the way and the bayou 2 miles from us had crested.  Our high slab saved us again, plus us scooping water up into buckets and throwing it our open windows for almost 2 hours - water in the utility alcove and front study (enclosed porch) which are lower than the rest of the house.  Bunch of 1970's comics ruined, plus damage to my baby book, my mom's baby book from 1927 and my grandparent's photo album from the 20's.   I may do an art project with the half-destroyed items, and try to get it shown before everyone else's project with Ike salvage does.

Alicia in 1983 started about 6 AM; eye went over around 8:30 and we were done by 11.   We started getting winds from Ike around midnight Friday, and it screamed until almost noon Saturday.  No eye.  Eddie was on the sofa and I was on the floor in the living room on the guest room futon because two huge pine trees in the neighbor's yard loom over the bedroom.   LR windows boarded up.  I don't know how he slept during part of it, but he did.  Bitch. 

The gigantic 90+ year old pecan tree in my brother's front yard fell into the street.  T'other way, and I might be attending a funeral.  Nephew got poison ivy in his eyes during cleanup and literally can't see because they're so swollen, but Apple has unlimited sick leave, so he's resting up at home, not scaring the customers.

Wore my hair up the first day back at work yesterday and got called "Sarah" twice.  Apparently dark red hair and large rectangular glasses = Palin.  Didn't say a word; just looked - both parties did what in a comic would translate to an audible *gulp* and assured me they were just kidding, so I apparently channeled Gwendal and Integra with a little Joe from Gatchaman thrown in for good measure.   

Have to admit - the benefits of being the elite associating with Those Who Are Fanatically Republican are pretty damned seductive.  In Texas, the big three Rep bedfellows are insurance (me) Big Oil (Eddie) & construction.  Amused to find that the same running election year joke is in his office as well - "Remember, 'Republican' and 'Raise' both begin with 'R'!"  Wait in line for gas?  Not us, when the owner of Eddie's company pulled strings to arrange for a 1000-gallon tanker in the parking lot!  Wait in line for ice?  Pffft...my company is having 20-lb bags delivered for us tomorrow.  All free.  Not that we'll need it for long - anyone without powet after the weekend gets a free generator from Eddie's company for as long as necessary. Also, a huge Hurricane Recovery party is being hosted Saturday afternoon (before city curfew!) at a lovely hotel this weekend for the employees and Eddie has heard that some GOP bigwig (George Sr.? SQUEAL!!!) will be on hand plus plenty of McCain/Palin material.  Forty acres....and a MULE?? 

[B E C K]

You gots connections!  Glad to see you made it through okay.  For a second though and for whatever fool reason, I thought "Hurricane Fatigue" was yet another hurricane.  Maybe it'll be one next year.

[Rama]

No powet until next week probably, but the temps are 80's during the day and low 60's at night.  Can't wait to see the low electric bill next month!

Reminds me of the big Ice storm here a few years back. We were out for a week and half....except it was Feb and around the 30s during the day. And out Electric bills was twice as much as normal cause they didn't want all the overtime they had to pay the linemen to cut into their overhead and so they passed that expense on to those of us that hadn't had powet that whole time.

And the only part we had was going to friends house that still had powet to actually take showers.

[IDE]

pffft....pFFFFFFFFFFFT...you callt that fatigue?  I was without powet for over a month after andrew in the sweltering florida summer humidity. Someone's shed was in my yard.  An entire orange grove was missing...an entire grove.  Not one orange tree to be seen...actually nothing to be seen.  Imagine walking outside your front door, looking to your left and seeing....nothing, for miles.  All these moments will be lost in time...like tears in the rain.

[Rama]

Yeah...but no one cared cause you didn't have any oil.

[Bernie AKA]

That's what Bolivar looks like, IDE.  That photo of the lone house standing is absolutely real. http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/09/18/ike.last.house.standing/index.html

My fatigues are really minor-

*neighbor next door decided they just can't stand no TV and temps going up to *gasp* the 70's, so they have a generator parked between our houses by our bedroom window.  We're back in the floor again in the living room so we don't die in our sleep.

*Can't clean up our own flood damage because it's almost dark by the time we get home - tried by lanternlight, and Eddie turned around with a utility knife and cut my leg.  We'll be in a much better mood when the house isn't stinking to high hell.

*Bitchy clients.  I can't shimmy up the pole and connect your powet.  I can't come fix your roof.  The claims reps have 72 hours to get in touch with you and no, I don't know any of them personally.  One guy is calling me 6 times a day to piss and moan because his utility sheds were blown over - by contrast, a 95-year-old client has a tree through her living room window and apologizes for bothering me. 

[The D]

You couldna handle a wee rough weather, lass? Arr, I would be havin' stared th' storm in th' eye an' rode th' devil like thar be nay next high tide'!

I be glad t' be seein' ye made 't in one piece, that me do. Perhaps some tide we can talk about our tall tales o'er some bottles o' Captain Morgan.

[Bernie AKA]

I'd have been at the top of a flagpole if I had tried to go out and stare this one down. 

Dammit - can't find any pictures of the Tremont entrance looking up ("our" hotel) but damage as follows:

The Tremont House, at 2300 Ship’s Mechanic Row in the heart of historic downtown Galveston in the 1879 Leon H. Blum Building, got several feet water in the first floor. The first floor includes the lobby, the Merchant Prince Restaurant, Toujouse Bar, sales offices and several meeting rooms and the fitness room.

So what?  Look at this picture-

http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/GLSTH/main.wnt

The Strand is about 10 feet above the waterline 3 blocks away.  Curb about 8", plus entry pavement is slanted downward into the street.  Once inside the doors, one has to climb six good-sized marble stairs to get to the first floor.  Water was several feet above that; IOW, probably almost to the top of the bottom windows.    Still, the buildings & homes from the 1800's came out as well as the new luxury condos built to current Florida windstorm standards.  I love my beautiful old island.