Houston area people...check in if you can

[Ivey]

Well, the Barker Reservoir has overflowed and Ds22 is helping to evacuate people from our neighborhood. Expecting at least 4 feet of water, Ds says there's about 2 feet on the roads right now, still drivable in his truck. The roads flooded quickly and earlier than residents had been warned it was likely to happen, so anyone without a large vehicle has to be evacuated by truck. They have boats ready to continue evacuations once the water gets too deep. The photos are incredible to begin with, but knowing that the exact same thing his happening on my street right now is still a little surreal. 

 

Dh, Ds18, and Ds20 left two hours ago to pick up friends who've been evacuated, and I'm on the phone trying to arrange places for them to sleep tonight. A grocery run is next up. 

[Lanny]

We continue to send good thoughts, to keep our fingers crossed, and to pray, for everyone affected by Harvey.  I lived in Texas for 28 years and I know they have a stronger Building Code in S.E. Texas, but that has to do with Wind, and nothing to do with Flooding.  Flooding is the worst thing that can hit a property.

 

I am hoping there might be some way they can help the people whose homes were destroyed by Flooding, to Rebuild, but I don't think normally changes to laws are Retroactive.  I think I read that about 52% of the properties affected do not have Flood Insurance, so that is catastrophic for the owners of those uninsured properties.

 

Warning:  After a major disaster like this, there are, almost always, tons of fly by night contractors who move into the area to make a lot of money from people who are desperate. Do not deal with them.  

 

One of my friends, he lives in South Florida, is an Independent Insurance Adjuster.  People who've had fires, etc., on their property often hire him to help with their insurance claim.  I'm not sure if people pay him up front, or by the hour, or that he gets a percentage of what the Homeowners Insurance pays on their claim. He's been doing that all of his life.  I think possibly he is also licensed in Texas, and if he is, this will keep him very busy for a very long time, if he goes to Texas. 

 

If, when it comes time to file a Claim on your Homeowners Insurance policy, they try to screw you around, consider hiring someone like my friend to help you.

 

The ramifications of "Harvey" on businesses are going to be staggering.  I am contemplating buying 2 textbooks for DD from an eBay Seller very close to Houston.  I wonder if they are OK.  I will put it off for a week and see if they answer the eBay Message I sent to them last night. They may not have Power or Internet and possibly have been flooded out. That is one extremely tiny example of the impact "Harvey" will have on the economy of the Houston area.

[TheReader]

Aggie96, just to update, the projections for the Brazos River (and I presume, but do not know, also for the other major rivers) have actually gone DOWN today. Yesterday's forecast/prediction was that the Brazos would crest at 59 feet, by 6 p.m. today (Tues, 8/29); the current prediction is that it will actually crest at "only" 57.5 feet, and not until Thursday afternoon sometime. I know this changes the outlook for at least one of the subdivisions that was asked to evacuate, not sure for the others (those affected this year, that weren't last year). Hopefully for your in-laws this is good news.

 

In other news, we've had ZERO rain today (well, it is sprinkling at the moment, but that is literally the first rain we've had since daybreak today, which feels like a miracle at this point) and we have seen slivers of blue sky a few times, and all the world rejoiced. Stores & businesses are opening, though most are still out of bread, milk and eggs. People in my neighborhood are already gathering things for the shelters and dropping off donations, as we are one of the few in no danger of flooding right now. 

 

Continuing to pray, but just wanted to share some good news. 

[PinkTulip]

So proud of my sister and her family. Their house is essentially an island - they haven't flooded and never lost power, but they can't get anywhere due to flooded access roads. So they have spent the day making cookies and chili to take to nearby shelters, and meeting with their neighbors to pool resources and assemble sack lunches for the first responders. You gotta love Texas and the way people are coming together!

[Sk8ermaiden]

. I'm not sure that's quite right, Liberty is pretty rural. I think I remember it being about 45 minutes to the outskirts of Houston from there.

 

I am sorry, I meant in general. Most people might think that the areas outside the city are sparsely populated, but Katy, Sugarland, Cypress, Woodlands, Kingwood, Humble are all at the far reaches of the map. MOST of the metro is densely populated. The northeast/far east side might be the least populated, though they are also experiencing catastrophic flooding.

[iamonlyone]

Aggie96, just to update, the projections for the Brazos River (and I presume, but do not know, also for the other major rivers) have actually gone DOWN today. Yesterday's forecast/prediction was that the Brazos would crest at 59 feet, by 6 p.m. today (Tues, 8/29); the current prediction is that it will actually crest at "only" 57.5 feet, and not until Thursday afternoon sometime. I know this changes the outlook for at least one of the subdivisions that was asked to evacuate, not sure for the others (those affected this year, that weren't last year). Hopefully for your in-laws this is good news.

 

 

Thank you for sharing that! My brother and family are in a voluntary evacuation area in Sugar Land, and I have been searching for updated news about the Brazos.

[TheReader]

Thank you for sharing that! My brother and family are in a voluntary evacuation area in Sugar Land, and I have been searching for updated news about the Brazos.

 

Here is the link; people can put in other rivers also at this link and check whichever river is of concern. The info at top will show how long until it refreshes (the page updates often), so if it isn't counting down, refresh the page. 

 

https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=hgx&gage=rmot2&refresh=true

[TheReader]

Thank you for sharing that! My brother and family are in a voluntary evacuation area in Sugar Land, and I have been searching for updated news about the Brazos.

 

Also, if they are in a voluntary evac area, it is very likely they'll be okay; the authorities seem to be pretty good at which areas to make mandatory (they have engineers/are consulting the engineers for each individual levee neighborhood, etc, as they decide the designation for each neighborhood). He'll just mostly end up blocked off from going other places (i.e., his neighborhood dry-ish, but the roads in/out flooded). Not that I am an authority, but that's the scenario for the voluntary vs. mandatory places by me (opposite side of the Brazos from Sugar Land). 

[medawyn]

 

As soon as I see some local places to send items from places far away, I'll post on WTM.  I encourage others do the same for those that prefer to donate items instead of cash.  Right now, they are asking for help at shelters, but you have to be able to get it to them directly.  Non-perishable food, pillows, blankets, shoes, socks, baby staples, wheel chairs, hot meals, backpacks, clothing in all shapes and sizes, undergarments.

 

I know it's in San Antonio, but the Texas Diaper Bank is accepting donations for diapers to deliver to Houston area shelters.  If you search Amazon lists under "Texas Diaper Bank", they have a disaster relief wish list, so it's easy to send diapers from your Amazon account.

 

~ signed, a mom who had three in diapers last year and has a lot of empathy for moms trying hard to make do with little to none

[Chelli]

Harvey is finally over for us. No rain today, still some wind, and sunny skies off and on. The kids and I all went out to walk around the neighborhood because we'd been inside for so long.

 

Our biggest issue happens on Thursday though when the river here in town finally crests. The projections for how high it will crest has dropped a bit since the initial projection, but it will still be the second highest recorded flooding of the Colorado River ever. 

 

 

[extendedforecast]

Here's another good link for perspective.

 

http://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/as-if-you-needed-it-further-proof-that-houston-is-so-much-bigger-than-most-cities/

 

This one superimposes Houston on other cities.

 

 

ETA: Picture of Houston area with Connecticut superimposed.

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/houston/comments/3l3g38/the_size_of_houston_compared_to_the_state_of/

This is so helpful in explaining to non-Texans how large the metro area really is.

[aggie96]

Well, the Barker Reservoir has overflowed and Ds22 is helping to evacuate people from our neighborhood. Expecting at least 4 feet of water, Ds says there's about 2 feet on the roads right now, still drivable in his truck. The roads flooded quickly and earlier than residents had been warned it was likely to happen, so anyone without a large vehicle has to be evacuated by truck. They have boats ready to continue evacuations once the water gets too deep. The photos are incredible to begin with, but knowing that the exact same thing his happening on my street right now is still a little surreal. 

 

Dh, Ds18, and Ds20 left two hours ago to pick up friends who've been evacuated, and I'm on the phone trying to arrange places for them to sleep tonight. A grocery run is next up.

 

 

I am so very sorry.  :(

[aggie96]

Aggie96, just to update, the projections for the Brazos River (and I presume, but do not know, also for the other major rivers) have actually gone DOWN today. Yesterday's forecast/prediction was that the Brazos would crest at 59 feet, by 6 p.m. today (Tues, 8/29); the current prediction is that it will actually crest at "only" 57.5 feet, and not until Thursday afternoon sometime. I know this changes the outlook for at least one of the subdivisions that was asked to evacuate, not sure for the others (those affected this year, that weren't last year). Hopefully for your in-laws this is good news.

 

In other news, we've had ZERO rain today (well, it is sprinkling at the moment, but that is literally the first rain we've had since daybreak today, which feels like a miracle at this point) and we have seen slivers of blue sky a few times, and all the world rejoiced. Stores & businesses are opening, though most are still out of bread, milk and eggs. People in my neighborhood are already gathering things for the shelters and dropping off donations, as we are one of the few in no danger of flooding right now. 

 

Continuing to pray, but just wanted to share some good news. 

 

 

Thank you so much for the update!

[aggie96]

Just saw this stat on TV (I think from Twitter):

 

Harvey dumped enough water on Harris county to run Niagara Falls for 15 days.  1 trillion gallons

 

Wow!

[aggie96]

Well that was a bust.  We pulled all the barely worn shoes and socks that have been outgrown as well as brand new casual/comfy wear stuff for plus size ladies with lots of brand new toiletries I had stashed that family didn't like particular flavor.  All 5 donation locations/shelters near me aren't taking anything.  Just cash.   Grrrrr.

 

Wish I could get to the GRB.  They seem to be taking anything that can help immediately.   :(

 

 

Guess I'll meander next door for the "Goodbye Harvey" block party.  Just feels wrong.   :glare:  

Edited August 29, 2017 by aggie96

[luuknam]

The city limits contain 2-3 million people. The greater houston metropolitan area, which includes all our suburbs, numbers around 6 million. Not every person is affected, obviously, but some neighborhoods in EVERY suburb have had to be emergency evacuated. So yes, you would have to had evacuate all 6 million people in the Houston metro to avoid what you are seeing now. 

 

 

Um, no. They have maps with 100 year and 500 year flood plains. They could've evacuated the people from those places. Yes, there are areas that were not in those flood plains that flooded, but it's my understanding that *none* of Houston was given evacuation orders before the storm. Evacuating the 100 (and possibly the 500) year flood plains would've made the problem smaller (also, it is possible to at least somewhat predict what areas are mostly likely to flood after the 500 year zones, and put those next on the evacuation list). That said, I do understand that if you give evacuation orders for part of Houston, plenty of people not in those parts will likely decide to evacuate too, clogging up the roads, so I'm not saying that this is a simple decision - just that it's not accurate to say that you'd either have to evacuate all 6 million or none.

Edited August 29, 2017 by luuknam

[Guest]

THE SUN HAS COME OUT! At least over us in Tomball. My sister just went to check out a house they were going to buy. The house is dry but all roads in or out are under 4ft of water. All residents were rescued yesterday by boat. They are backing out of the deal.

[emzhengjiu]

Well that was a bust.  We pulled all the barely worn shoes and socks that have been outgrown as well as brand new casual/comfy wear stuff for plus size ladies with lots of brand new toiletries I had stashed that family didn't like particular flavor.  All 5 donation locations/shelters near me aren't taking anything.  Just cash.   Grrrrr.

 

Wish I could get to the GRB.  They seem to be taking anything that can help immediately.   :(

 

 

Guess I'll meander next door for the "Goodbye Harvey" block party.  Just feels wrong.   :glare:  

 

I used to feel this way about donations of items rather than cash, but volunteering at a donation center almost immediately after a cat. 4 tornado hit our area taught me a lot.  It takes a lot of volunteers to sort & handle donations.  Not to mention the storage area that's needed.  For every person who donated nice, gently used clothes, there were so many that donated nasty dirty things.  Cash really is much better during a crisis or the donation of specifically requested items.

[Rachel]

I am sorry, I meant in general. Most people might think that the areas outside the city are sparsely populated, but Katy, Sugarland, Cypress, Woodlands, Kingwood, Humble are all at the far reaches of the map. MOST of the metro is densely populated. The northeast/far east side might be the least populated, though they are also experiencing catastrophic flooding.

Very true!

 

Dayton is just across the river from Liberty, as of yesterday they had just shy of 40" of rain from Harvey. For comparison my state averages 45" of rainfall per year.

[gardenmom5]

 

 

Warning:  After a major disaster like this, there are, almost always, tons of fly by night contractors who move into the area to make a lot of money from people who are desperate. Do not deal with them. 

 

this reminded me:

 

beware of used cars in the months after a flooding episode - especially the size of this one.

unscrupulous "dealers" will buy a flooded car, clean up what you see, and sell it as a good used car.  look under the carpet, beware they are out there.

[Ivey]

I used to feel this way about donations of items rather than cash, but volunteering at a donation center almost immediately after a cat. 4 tornado hit our area taught me a lot.  It takes a lot of volunteers to sort & handle donations.  Not to mention the storage area that's needed.  For every person who donated nice, gently used clothes, there were so many that donated nasty dirty things.  Cash really is much better during a crisis or the donation of specifically requested items.

This has been my experience as well. They've requested that diapers be dropped off in San Antonio, but I haven't heard of any other items that are needed right now. Along with cash, they are in desperate need of foster homes for animals, and of course blood donations.

 

Ds22 did take his video games and systems to one of the shelters in Katy, where they're being well used.  :)

[Alessandra]

I don't live in Houston, but I have family there and I'm getting updates. It depends upon what area of the Heights. Near Yale and 1-10, the bayou overflowed and flooded the intersection. Heights Blvd is flooded but I haven't heard if water is in any homes..

  

My brother is in the Heights (less than half a mile west of the flooded I-45) and, as of yesterday evening, his yard was soaked but the house is fine, and he still had power. His Direct TV was out, so he couldn't watch the news. I was filling him in on what I was seeing/reading. We have another relative in the same neighborhood, 6 blocks west of my brother, and his place is also ok.

 

I talked to my relatives today. Two different locations in the Heights, both ok, no flooding, power has been on. I was relieved after seeing all the flooding on tv. I just can't comprehend that much water and so many people displaced. And those who have died. Recovery will take a long, long time. My heart goes out to everyone there, or who knows someone there.

[aggie96]

I would like to say thank you for lending your ear, your support, and your sympathy for my home. Given that Harvey is finally done, I'm going back to the regularly scheduled program. Proud that every house on my block participated in 30 rescues and made/prepared donations. It may not be much, but from our edge of the nightmare, we tried.

 

From our block's families and extended families we had houses flooded, evacuees, flooded storage, and near misses at the coast and inland...in Houston. We also had family in the direct path of Harvey who escaped with very little damage (miraculous).

 

We will have a very long road to recovery. It is still heartbreaking and heart warming. It will take time, time, and more time. We will continue to support our community in every way we can. I encourage you to support this amazing community if you can.

 

Again, thank you WTM. I thank you for the safe place to process this nightmare.

 

Thank you.

 

--Amy

American

Texan

Mom/Wife/Daughter/Sister/Friend

Aggie

Longtime WTM member

Human

[Rachel]

My aunt, uncle, cousin, and his family were rescued by boat last night. They are in SE TX, safe in a shelter but shaken up. The rain should stop this afternoon.

 

It was my cousin's second evacuation.

[GinaPagnato]

Isn't there a boardie whose daughter is a student at Rice University in Houston?

 

Anyone heard from her?

[chiguirre]

The San Jacinto crested finally and the water should start to recede in Kingwood today. We got hit hard. Our commercial center flooded and will take a couple of months to reopen. That's just flat out depressing to think about. Parts of my subdivision flooded. There are cars floating in cul de sacs four blocks from my house. I had never noticed that those streets were so sharply inclined but the last two houses on each cul de sac are flooded while their next door neighbors are fine. Obviously, the home owners didn't know either or they would have parked up the street (ouch, that's just painful to think about!) Our local elementary is a shelter and we could donate towels, toiletries and dry clothes there yesterday. Now, we're waiting for the water to go down so that we can start cleaning up. I'm guessing that there will be a lot of volunteer opportunities next week.

[sassenach]

Well that was a bust.  We pulled all the barely worn shoes and socks that have been outgrown as well as brand new casual/comfy wear stuff for plus size ladies with lots of brand new toiletries I had stashed that family didn't like particular flavor.  All 5 donation locations/shelters near me aren't taking anything.  Just cash.   Grrrrr.

 

Wish I could get to the GRB.  They seem to be taking anything that can help immediately.   :(

 

 

Guess I'll meander next door for the "Goodbye Harvey" block party.  Just feels wrong.   :glare:  

Our experience with disaster relief, specifically Katrina, is that clothing and goods donations become an absolute nightmare to deal with. We literally saw an entire warehouse full of clothing 2 feet deep. Some people dump the nastiest crap in the form of "donation." Dirty underwear, stuff caked with mud. I'm not joking. Sorting out the usable stuff from the crap steals man-hours from the teams.

 

My suggestion for clothing and goods donations is to keep your eyes peeled on social media and out in the community for specific families that you can help. If you want to donate to shelters, ours welcomed bulk food (think those GIANT costco cans of food), but the biggest help was to donate man-hours and money. 

[Lanny]

<snip>

 

I wonder how many people in Houston had flood insurance. I don't think homeowner's insurance will cover any of the losses. (Correct me if I'm mistaken.) 

 

I think I read that approximately 50% of those affected have Flood Insurance. Normal Homeowners Insurance policies do not cover Flooding. I believe the only "insurance company" that writes Flood Insurance coverage, is the U.S. Government?

 

This is a disaster of unprecedented proportions and there will be a lot of people looking for a place to live.

[frugalmamatx]

I think I read that approximately 50% of those affected have Flood Insurance. Normal Homeowners Insurance policies do not cover Flooding. I believe the only "insurance company" that writes Flood Insurance coverage, is the U.S. Government?

 

This is a disaster of unprecedented proportions and there will be a lot of people looking for a place to live.

 

That. I was talking with a friend yesterday, and we both agreed - just as with Katrina in New Orleans, many many people will simply move away. 

 

 

I am so incredibly thankful that it missed us here in San Antonio. We could have easily been where Houston is now and it would have been catastrophic for myself and my daughter. I would have chosen to start over somewhere new. 

[Lanny]

I am so very sorry.   :(

 

Awesome what her DS22 and so many thousands of others are doing to help. God bless him and them!   Someone posted something on my Facebook this morning, about the news channels spending so much time on Melania's high heels.  He wrote that they should instead spend that time explaining how the people of Dickinson TX have come together. He wrote that the population of Dickinson is about 1/3 White, 1/3 Black and 1/3 Hispanic.  White people helping Black people, Black people helping White people and Hispanics helping people of all races.  

 

This is an example of the good in so many Americans, of all colors, religions, political parties, etc.

 

Awhile ago, on the Home Page of FoxNews.com they had a photo of a woman who looked to be 90 or 100 years, old, in a Wheelchair, being evacuated..  Many many people were evacuated with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.

 

Another example of the good in Americans is the man who owns a Furniture store on an Interstate or Expressway in the Houston area. Days ago, he said they had food and water and mattresses and anyone who needed a place to stay could come to his furniture store.  

 

So many wonderful examples coming from S.E. Texas in the aftermath of "Harvey"

[Lanny]

this reminded me:

 

beware of used cars in the months after a flooding episode - especially the size of this one.

unscrupulous "dealers" will buy a flooded car, clean up what you see, and sell it as a good used car.  look under the carpet, beware they are out there.

 

Oh yes....   There are Networks of people who are Slime who do that.    I don't know about the current laws in the various states, but many states will put on the Title of a Car that was Totaled, or in a Flood or Fire, something like "Salvage" on the Tittle.

 

Years ago, these Networks would take those cars to another state, TN for example, fix them up, get a "Clean"  Title on them, and then ship them back to another state, to be sold to unsuspecting victims.

[Lanny]

Warning: This article explains about Fake DHS agents telling people to leave their homes, so they can then rob their homes. Here's the URL:

 

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/08/30/houston-dhs-officials-warn-residents-fake-agents.html

[TheReader]

I don't know if Chellie will check in again, and I don't know her "in real life" but if anyone does and can contact her.....her town (if I'm putting pieces together properly from what little she's mentioned) had a LOT of rescues by boat last night, due to the river flooding. I know she said in one post she's only 6 blocks from the river normally, and the flooding usually stops before it reaches her, but she wasn't sure with the higher levels what it would do. 

 

Not trying to alarm, and I could be wrong, but wanted folks to know to pray for her in particular and her town, as well as still Aggie96's in laws, as I'm not certain if their area is going to flood from their river or not (2 different rivers for these 2 folks). 

 

Anyone else watching the river levels, know we're praying here. 

[Spryte]

Very concerned about Beaumont.  Any news about status there?

[Rachel]

Very concerned about Beaumont. Any news about status there?

It finally stopped raining yesterday and the skies are clear today. My grandparents are still dry and have power but no water. They have several days of water on hand though. They are very positive!

 

Rest of my family is slightly east of there. One cousin completely lost his home. One cousin took on water but evacuated so they don't know they extent of the damage. My aunt had 3' of water when she evacuated via boat Tuesday night. They spent yesterday in a shelter and were able to get to a family members house last night.

 

I talked to a third cousin this morning. He was making the rounds checking on people. They have no water or power but the house is fine. Which is good because his brothers will need a place to live when they rebuild. He is in good spirits too, though he would like to find bananas for his 1 year old. 😊

 

Some stores have been open but with limited hours. Walmart and Kroger had long lines and are only letting in a couple people at a time.

[Guest2]

If this had to happen, I am glad to have weathered the storm here. We didn't quite flood, but the whole community is so great. Biggest frustration In my neighborhood is that there is nowhere to volunteer. Shelters have three times as many volunteers and people staying. Too many donations of food. People just want to do something to help. We all know people involved in rescues, but without a boat, not much we can do.

I think as people can get back into their homes, we will be doing a lot of sheetrock removal,carpet removal and the like. Most of the people that flooded aren't in a flood plane and didn't have insurance. This is going to be rough. The community has already been suffering with so many layoffs due to decreased gas prices.

On the bright side, stores are starting to have longer hours, but are having trouble restocking. Water is receeding.

[chiguirre]

The water receded quite a bit and our main intersection is no longer a boat way!!! Clean up has started. The houses 4 blocks away already have piles of sheetrock and insulation in front. 

[Violet Crown]

This morning, lots of large military helicopters - one assumes National Guard - flying over Austin, headed east.

[vonfirmath]

We decided to head west to Brenham to restock supplies and just get out of the house.  290 all the way to Brenham was clear and just past Navasota had gasoline.  Brenham HEB was stocked.  Lots of wheat bread, some white bread, about half-stocked milk of all kinds.  Lots of water and everything else.

 

But you know the best thing they had...BLUE SKIES!  DH and I got teary just seeing some blue sky again.  It was like all the stress and anxiety came rushing out.  It was hard to fight the feeling of not wanting to go home.  But we did of course and feel just the tiniest bit recharged.  Someone commented that this is what Noah must have felt like.

 

Now, we start clearing out clothes, shoes, food, and toiletries to donate tomorrow to the couple of shelters we can get reach.

 

Our Houston families are still pinned at home due to street flooding.  But they have food and electricity so they are in good shape.  Haven't seen reports that Brazos levee near Richmond has been breached which gives us hope their home will be spared.

 

There is very, very light sprinkling here.  They are forecasting that almost all of Greater Houston will be out of the rain by late tomorrow.  That doesn't change flooding or anything, but at least there won't be MORE water.  We really need the storm to get away from Galveston/Bolivar area so the inland water can flow out.

 

The news stories are surreal.  I think I'll step away from them today (checking in for how to help and forecasts) to start taking some action.

 

As soon as I see some local places to send items from places far away, I'll post on WTM.  I encourage others do the same for those that prefer to donate items instead of cash.  Right now, they are asking for help at shelters, but you have to be able to get it to them directly.  Non-perishable food, pillows, blankets, shoes, socks, baby staples, wheel chairs, hot meals, backpacks, clothing in all shapes and sizes, undergarments.

 

Just an FYI, the JJ Watt donation efforts (see Facebook or Google) are monetary but will go to Harvey efforts in Houston (rather than the bigger orgs that use "leftovers" for other stuff).  American Redcross right now is getting tens of thousands of pillows and blankets to the GRB which now has 9000+ evacuees.

 

Stay safe.

 

Wow. That is a new way to think of it. If I thought rain for 4 days was depressing, what about rain for 40? And knowing for sure noone you knew is going to survive.

 

I am in the Austin area and was at HEB last night.  We still have half bare shelves in some areas because of the food they are pulling before they even get to the stores to send to shelters, Houston, etc.  The one thing in particular we can't find (at all. Have checked 4 different HEBs since Monday) are the HEB tortillas. But last night I noticed bread was also in short supply, as well as HEB diapers, batteries and the water shelves.  I expected to see peanut butter short but it seemed stocked well enough.

[Chelli]

I don't know if Chellie will check in again, and I don't know her "in real life" but if anyone does and can contact her.....her town (if I'm putting pieces together properly from what little she's mentioned) had a LOT of rescues by boat last night, due to the river flooding. I know she said in one post she's only 6 blocks from the river normally, and the flooding usually stops before it reaches her, but she wasn't sure with the higher levels what it would do. 

 

Not trying to alarm, and I could be wrong, but wanted folks to know to pray for her in particular and her town, as well as still Aggie96's in laws, as I'm not certain if their area is going to flood from their river or not (2 different rivers for these 2 folks). 

 

Anyone else watching the river levels, know we're praying here. 

 

I'm here!!!

 

We're still dry, but by luck only. You are right about my town. It's the one with all the boat rescues.

 

The river absolutely flooded as much as was expected, but it flooded just a bit north of where it usually floods which led to all the water spilling into the north and west parts of our town instead of the west and south parts of town. In some places the flood came up 4-5 feet in 30 minutes leaving many people trapped on second floors and roofs. The river actually came up through a manhole cover in our neighborhood because there was no where else for the water to go. It's not going to flood us, but I am looking at river water right now as I type this out in the street. From all I can tell, about 2/3 of our town is under water at this point with about three neighborhoods in town being safe. There are currently no ways into or out of our town that aren't flooded so everyone is stuck. Food supplies are running low because our local HEB can't restock and the Wal-Mart is under water. My daughters and I went today to volunteer at the local Red Cross shelter and it was humbling and sobering how many people no longer have homes that they can return to.

 

Overall I feel blessed to have electricity and a dry home. I'm spending all my time trying to plan what our church and our family will do to help when all of this recedes. It will be months and months of recovery. I have no idea when the public schools will be able to open.

 

Here's a video link that shows just a small part of the flooding that has happened in our town thanks to Harvey: https://www.facebook.com/ryan.ashcraft.5/posts/1794978073850367?pnref=story

[Mama Geek]

Beaumont area is bad, they are just recently able to get 18 wheelers in and they are currently without water until the Neches River goes down.  It still has a couple of days before it is expected to crest.  They are evacuating people that have been in shelters in the area out to Dallas or Austin.  They are also evacuating at least 1 hospital.  A friend of ours described the different cities there as archipelagos.

[StaceyinLA]

My SIL is in Katy, and her streets are flooded but houses are OK as far as we can tell in Cinco Ranch.

 

I feel for your relatives further south. It isn't good. I hope your grandma stays safe.

I'm coming in a little late on this because I've been traveling, but did your SIL fare okay? My niece is in Katy very near Cinco Ranch, and they had to evacuate very early Monday morning (thankfully there was a lull in the rain, and the water drained enough for them to walk through pulling kayaks with some personal belongings and stuff for their babies); their house took on water Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning.

[aggie96]

I'm coming in a little late on this because I've been traveling, but did your SIL fare okay? My niece is in Katy very near Cinco Ranch, and they had to evacuate very early Monday morning (thankfully there was a lull in the rain, and the water drained enough for them to walk through pulling kayaks with some personal belongings and stuff for their babies); their house took on water Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning.

 

 

I'm so sorry to hear about your niece. :(

 

My SIL fared well.  Streets were flooded for a while but that was the worst of it.  Thankful.

 

ETA:  My first post made no sense. Oops.  :)

Edited September 1, 2017 by aggie96

[aggie96]

For those sending prayers and good thoughts for my FIL/MIL.

 

They are still camped out in Katy at SIL house.  Their house in Richmond remains under the mandatory evac order.  We are pretty sure their house is not damaged in any way.  We are still waiting to see what the Brazos River does in Fort Bend County.  They are being told they should be able to return no later than Mon/Tues.  They are chomping at the bit to return early because some people are doing just that since the water in the area has signs of receding, but they are minding the rules.

 

My parents have 3 storage units that ended up with about 2ft of water in them.  One also looks like it leaked from the ceiling.  Most of the stuff was sentimental but the baby pictures were in there.  Plastic totes filled with water.  Almost all furniture pieces were ruined (stuff made of real wood fared pretty well).  My siblings and I were not near as upset about the losses as Mom was, but we were not as attached.  With a little time to process, I think she won't miss the "stuff".  They worked on restoring/saving pictures today.  While you can tell there was water damage, the pics were in relatively good shape.  The pics lost were stuff in frames that were printed on new, cheap paper that were originally digital so no loss there.  My mom has saved tons of our old school papers, posters, etc.  She had already forced asked me to take my boxes a few years ago. I think my siblings were secretly happy they didn't have to take their boxes.   :)  She is very upset today, but some therapy by way of a bubbly spa, whiskey, and a good cry will help with recovery.  Monetary value of the loss was <$500 (if that).

 

ETA: My SIL's sister's house was a complete loss.  5-6ft water in house  They have a huge family (born and raised with deep/wide ties in community) here with many capable skills to recover, so they will be OK sooner rather than later.

Edited September 1, 2017 by aggie96

[Sk8ermaiden]

Um, no. They have maps with 100 year and 500 year flood plains. They could've evacuated the people from those places. Yes, there are areas that were not in those flood plains that flooded, but it's my understanding that *none* of Houston was given evacuation orders before the storm. Evacuating the 100 (and possibly the 500) year flood plains would've made the problem smaller (also, it is possible to at least somewhat predict what areas are mostly likely to flood after the 500 year zones, and put those next on the evacuation list). That said, I do understand that if you give evacuation orders for part of Houston, plenty of people not in those parts will likely decide to evacuate too, clogging up the roads, so I'm not saying that this is a simple decision - just that it's not accurate to say that you'd either have to evacuate all 6 million or none.

 

As an above poster said - most who flooded were not in floodplains. Of the people I know who flooded (which was a lot of people) only two were in a floodplain - they back up to the Addicks Reservoir. When rain is coming down at 5 inches an hour, it doesn't matter if you're in a floodplain or not; if you're in a super flat city, you're going to flood. Most of the suburbs that had to be mandatory evaced by boat are not in the floodplain! The hardest hit neighborhoods in my part of town had chest deep water and were not in 100 or 500 year floodplains!  I think to say they could have just evacuated the people in the floodplains is trying to make this sound simple, when the amount of water that fell on the city is unfathomable. And how bad you flooded depended mostly on how hard the rain was falling in your part of town. We have had multiple 100+ (and even 500+) year rain events in the last few years (thanks climate change!), but what we heard over and over in rescues was that the neighborhood had never flooded before. 

 

In the Tax Day Flood, which hit my part of town even harder than Harvey (less rain, but came down faster), virtually no one who flooded was in a floodplain - hence why none of them thought they needed flood insurance. When a city is THIS flat - the floodplain is not very useful. (There are politics involved in the drawing of the floodplains too.)

 

Also? The Rita evacuation was "only" 2.5-3 million people and the traffic jam lasted 24 hours and 100 died on the roads. I can not IMAGINE the devastation if that was going on when Harvey rolled through. That's all any of us see when people from other places say we should have evacuated. A 24-hour traffic jam with 8 feet of water on top of it. We would have had Mayor Turner's head on a pike.

 

But at this point, as a city, we're pretty well over people who don't live here trying to tell us how we should have done things. It's like if I tried to tell California how to handle their earthquakes. 

[Liz CA]

Very concerned about Beaumont.  Any news about status there?

 

Last I read about this area is that the residents have no water because their water facility's pumps are flooded with brown water.

Edited September 1, 2017 by Liz CA

[Sk8ermaiden]

It's bad. Everything to the east seemed to get hit even harder than us - in terms of percentages of the cities underwater. It fell even faster there.

[TheReader]

So glad to read you are okay, Chellie. Thanks for checking in. We are definitely praying for your town and all those affected.

 

Aggie, so glad too that your SIL and parents-in-law are okay still, and praying their neighborhood/their home stays good as the river comes up. I'm sorry for the losses of stuff, and your SIL's sister's house....glad she's got a lot of help. 

 

Praying for everyone, still. 

[fairfarmhand]

This made me so sad.

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-41118462/hurricane-harvey-man-plays-piano-in-flooded-texas-home

 

It's been a hard week for so many people. Our hearts are with you.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited September 1, 2017 by fairfarmhand

[Sk8ermaiden]

Grand pkwy behind my neighborhood is flooded almost to the top. It's functioning as designed to have the water from the feeders flow into the underpass. Creek on other side closer to Tomball is over it's banks. We have water in two tubs as the water treatment plant will likely be flooded tonight.

My whole family both here in the US and the U.K. are praying. It's just beyond jaw dropping. The damages are beyond imagination.

Any projections for the water subsiding after the rain stops? I don't have news channels.

 

I don't think there is anything specific. Quite a lot of the water is gone but there are massive exceptions to that. The only projections I've seen are for the neighborhoods against the reservoirs, which was basically, "not anytime soon." Cleanup has begun en masse for a large part of the metro - even as a few places are still receiving evacuation orders.

 

DH is a hydraulic engineer specializing in pump stations and he's received word that he's either working or on call all weekend. Hopefully stations will start getting back online.