192 replies to this topic

[WreckWench]

Sorry Sonny - quick trip in to see mom/brother/nieces. got there Tues evening - astro game on Wed - and evacuated on Thurs. Staying with some friends - we have a flight out on Sun. My son is supposed to drive up - that's still in question! Next trip - promise to let you know when we are headed to Houston!!!

Actually that goes for MANY of us! Your coming to town is a PERFECT excuse for a SD PARTEE!!!!!

[WreckWench]

Well my office is officially closed tomorrow. I'll be in my apartment praying that I don't get too bored. If the power stays on, I'm golden, I've got plenty of work for the weekend. Otherwise, I may be playing solitaire by candlelight.

I hope all goes well for you & everyone else. Please be careful of candles. If you need to use them (hopefully not) try to save them until after there isn't any wind- remember at the time of strong winds batteries will be your better friend!

Good advice. Sounds like you are a pro at these things!

[DiverBabs]

Everyone please be safe... I'll be keeping all in Ike's path in my thoughts and prayers.


Just a few "hurricane hints" that may or may not be something you've already thought of...

Make sure both your RX and your pets Rx are filled. You may not be able to get them for a while after the storm.

Cash is King as ATMs and Credit Cards will not work without power

Talk with family prior to the storm and set up a system to get in touch after. If we split up, we always contact my brother out of state. That way he knows and he gets the scoop on everyone else too.

Purchase some heavy work gloves and some work masks... you may need them for clean-up.

Purchase a couple of throw away cameras to record damage prior to clean-up. Digitals are only good as long as you can charge the battery. Insurance will want pre-cleanup pics.

Remember to take with you everything you cannot replace such as family photos and keepsakes, back ups of your computer info etc.

Make sure you take all of your insurance policies with you including home, auto, life & health. What you can’t take put in Rubbermaid boxes and put in an interior room of the house on the 1st floor.

Pack any open space in your freezer with bottles of water. Not only will they taste good later but they will also help keep things frozen longer.

Insect repellant is a must as is gel hand sanitizer.

if you are leaving your home and will have no clue how long you lost power... place a glass of water in the freezer and let it freeze completely. Then, place a penny on top. If you come home and the penny is at the bottom of the glass.... best to toss everything in the freezer!!


Be Safe!

[Cold_H2O]

Thanks everyone for the best get out of The Woodlands routes...
Unfortunately I am not allowed to leave town. Going into lock down mode tomorrow.
Bags are packed, dog is with friends.
I don't know what sort of internet access I will have till this is all done.

Will post when I can. I should be fine. Will be working out of the Emergency Operations Center.

Everyone stay safe... Looks like things could be rough for a little while.

[diverdeb]

Babs had some great tips. Another is to fill up your bathtubs and any large containers (plastic tubs, trash cans) with water. You probably won't have any for a while and when you do get it, you'll be under a "boil water" alert for a while. You might not be able to take a bath, but you can use the water to brush your teeth, wash your hair, cook with, flush the toilet when you just can't stand it any more (even though you're not really supposed to do that).

If you have a generator, please be very careful and DO NOT run in indoors. I know that seems like a no-brainer, but . . . lots of houses were lost here AFTER Ivan because of that very thing.

You might be from Florida if . . . you have lots of hurricane tips!

[shadragon]

If you have a generator, please be very careful and DO NOT run in indoors. I know that seems like a no-brainer, but . . . lots of houses were lost here AFTER Ivan because of that very thing.

They pulled them inside after a pile of them were stolen. Very few people prepare properly and the ones who don't get desperate.

Best of luck to all affected.

[Mermaid Lady]

Well I am dug in here in Houston for better or worse. I've got my car secure on the third floor of a protected parking garage. My unit is on the second floor. Got plenty of non-perishable food, water, arms, petty cash, batteries, camping gear, waterless hygeine items, bug repellent, books, crank powered radio and lights.

I expect to go offline late this evening. Will check in with periodic updates as long as I have internet access.

Edited by Mermaid Lady, 12 September 2008 - 08:16 AM.

[Scubatooth]

ok well i havent been deployed but that doesnt mean i wont be shot out of the gate at a minutes notice. Right now im working cover shifts for personel that are down south so i have been up for 30 hours straight so far as with all of these patients coming in from all over(via land and air) we are getting hammered with a load 3x our normally daily load of calls. I made 4 airport runs to pick up flight crews yesterday in a 5 hour span between 10am and 3pm, and we had other trucks at the airport(both DFW and DAL) as well waiting for teams to come in. Also the storms have been causing a number of babies to be born in the past couple of days so our Neonate transport teams have been active so we have been shuttling those teams around as well. It adds up to alot of work; those not on deployment are being asked to work as much OT as they can without getting to worn out so either way Im getting plenty of OT .

We did send one 3 man crew yesteraday at 6am and they where told to run code 3 from Dallas to Houston, and it still took them a while because of contra flow on 45. I talked to one of the guys for a minute on a radio relay patch and they have been running non-stop getting patients out of houston and taking them to San Antiono and Austin. There running on shifts so on each call one is driving, one is with the patient in the back and the third is asleep so to be ready for the next call. you got to love it when a plan comes together.

Our air division also has our fixed wing and one helicopter down there doing moves of critical patients so if you see a blue, white and neon orange twin prop and one helicopter thats the company i work for (tail numbers are N146CF - Augusta A109 Helicopter, and N149CF King Air 90).

you can track there missions here
http://flightaware.c...e/flight/N146CF - Helicopter

http://flightaware.c...e/flight/N149CF - Fixed wing

Simon as for the generators i thing deb was refering to people getting CO posioning from running them inside, that or fires being started from them running inside and burning the house down!

WW - did someone mention a party, how about a HH at Dukes in addision this sat? Huricane party? I would be up for that If im still in the area this weekend.

To those digging in you please take care and make sure someone knows where your at just in case they need to come for you.

Sorry for the long post but i have hit my 4th wind as the caffine has kicked back in and im getting a quick break while our truck gets the oil changed and washed.

On high alert, ready and willing to serve my community, and to make a difference in the lives of the people (I/We) encounter during the course of our duties.

Tooth

Edited by Scubatooth, 12 September 2008 - 09:43 AM.

[Mermaid Lady]

On high alert, ready and willing to serve my community, and to make a difference in the lives of the people (I/We) encounter during the course of our duties.

Tooth

Thanks!

PS how do I get a job like yours???

[georoc01]

On high alert, ready and willing to serve my community, and to make a difference in the lives of the people (I/We) encounter during the course of our duties.

Tooth

Thanks!

PS how do I get a job like yours???

As long as you can pass the psych test, are willing to work days at a time at just over minimum wage income, I am sure they have a position for you.

I have quite a bit of respect for these guys who work the kind of hours they do in a very high stress enviroment for the income that they earn.

[WreckWench]

First off...

WOW! Babs! That was the most comprehensive readyiness list I've seen in a long time. It sure shows a lot of "been there done that" to it.

Deb more great suggestions.

I think the storm is been downgraded to a cat2 which would be a blessing. However it is now aimed at Galveston which is NOT good. We will keep praying!

For anyone in Dallas I'm up for a HH in Addison. Just say the word and we'll get it going. kamala

[Dive_Girl]

if you are leaving your home and will have no clue how long you lost power... place a glass of water in the freezer and let it freeze completely. Then, place a penny on top. If you come home and the penny is at the bottom of the glass.... best to toss everything in the freezer!!

Wow, that is an interesting piece of advice I had not seen before, thank you. When living in Atlanta, Hurricane Opal shut us down for about a week, including no power for 5+ days and I lived in Buckhead, which is not far from downtown. Then there was that Tornado that touched down 1.5 blocks from my townhouse in Dunwoody in Spring 1998.

I haven't had to weather being in the direct path of a hurricane or tornado (thankfully), so my thoughts are with the Texas and Louisiana crew. Take care and let us know how things are going as you are able.

Stay safe.

[Racer184]

My friend that had to evacuate dropped off her two dogs so

This is rare, but it does happen .....
The storm may be many hours of horrendous noises of things hitting your house. Dogs have been known to go crazy. Be sure you have the ability to keep them in seperate rooms, or at least a room seperate from you.

There are many roofers that will not do the roof work if there are dogs in the house.

I would like to emphasize some of the hurricane preps mentioned elsewhere.

• Bug repellent !
• Toilet paper and paper towels.
• Cash.
• non-electric can openers.
• first aid kit
• alchohol (if you dont need it for cuts, scrapes, or cleaning your fork, you can drink it.)
• Do not even think of running a generator on a balcony, in a carport, or in a garage, even if the door is open. Here in the Florida hurricanes, Frances, Jean, Wilma, most deaths were due to generators.
• If you are not leaving, put your irreplaceables like photographs into a "pickle bucket"... you know those 5 gallon plastic buckets with snap on lids. Sometimes you buy paint or even laundry detergent in them. These are water proof and will float when snapped shut well.
• Clothes pins. You might have water to wash your clothes in the bathtub, but without electricity you will be hanging them up to dry.
• strike-anywhere matches
• Duct tape

Also, keep in mind that during and after a hurricane (earthquake etc); "very small problems" become very "HUGE problems". A bad cut, a broken finger, something in your eye, burns, food poisining. You won't be able to get to the hospital and if you do, you will find people there are many people much worse off than you and you will be waiting a very long uncomfortable time.

Best advice after 3 hurricanes here (fortunately did not lose water, but lost electricity 2 weeks each storm). Try to relax whenever you can, be aware that it is likely that you will try to over exert yourself helping your neighbors and friends.

And no matter how much your kids complain, do not let them play in the flood waters....

Edited by Racer184, 12 September 2008 - 02:59 PM.

[diverdeb]

I'm home and hunkered down. I got some extra peanut butter and bread this morning. My dive lights are ready to go with extra batteries, my bathtub is full along with any other containers I could find, and my radio/CD player has batteries in it.

My friend that had to evacuate dropped off her two dogs so they are keeping me company and my neighbor across the hall is sticking it out as well. I've got plenty of company and praying for the best. Stay safe!

Be careful using a dive light as a flashlight. They're made to be used in water and the bulb can get too hot and damage the light.