Hurricane Ike: The Woodlands, Texas Frustration Edition–UPDATED

Hi all. I write you from Hattisburg, Mississippi. We’re heading toward Florida to be with family there and maybe go to Disney World. We have unused passes and might be able to get free passes in any event, so we’ll make this hurricane a time to remember. Better than sitting around and sweating.

If you’re keeping up with the comments, there are some panicky messages. One thing I forgot to tell you people, mostly because I didn’t know then, but my husband told me (who heard it from some guy), is that FEMA was blocking cell and phone line transmissiom from The Woodlands in order to keep government lines open. I’ve tried to find solid information about this because it sounded like some conspiracy theory. However, my cellular service went dead at the same time as my landlines and both are AT&T. My husbands, which is Sprint, did not. In fact, one thing we’ve learned through this is that it’s good to have two types of service because at one time or another they’ve been on and off. They both went off at the same time on Sunday, but his came back around. Our own experience would seem to indicate that the FEMA rumor is not true.

IF FEMA does, in fact, dedicate all transmission lines to free them for emergency personnel and maintenance, etc., then there has got to be a better way to deal with things. Or another way must be found.

Only three things that really matter during the peak of a crisis:

1. Water–you need enough water to drink to survive. You can survive without food for a couple days if you have to.

2. Communications–you need to be able to get information. It is the water of life. If you can’t communicate with someone, you can’t tell them what you need and you can’t help someone in need. It is impossible, for example, for people who have information to share it with people in The Woodlands because they may have no way to receive it.

3. Fuel–People caught without fuel are in dire straits. If the crisis is bad enough, fleeing is the only sensible answer. Your mother’s antique china be damned.

So, a woman in the comments got her boyfriend a ticket out, but has no way to communicate to him and he has no way to get to the airport. I can assure you, people are getting very protective about the fuel they do have, at this point. Gas stations need power to pump gas out, so if they don’t have power, they can’t sell gas. See the problem? So, in The Woodlands, there might even be gas, but it’s going to be stuck underground until the stations get generators.

In anticipation of the storm, HEB brought in massive generators before it hit. This was a risk, of course, because the storm could have destroyed the generator. Turns out, it was a good risk. Mind you, though, if a person doesn’t have enough gas to get to the store, it doesn’t matter. And HEB didn’t have ice when I went. And at that point, I didn’t need food as I had plenty. I needed ice.

This brings me back around to communications. You know a good way to freak people out? Cut off communication, they have no ability to find out where to find resources. So, by rumor mill, I heard that there was ice at the Shenendoah municipal building, but that had changed to The Woodlands High School football stadium. Guess what? That’s wasting a hell of a lot of gas on a rumor that may or may not be true, and what if there is no ice once making the trek there? Communication is essential.

Last night, we made the decision to leave. Our neighbors, who we’ve had intermittent contact with (again undermining the FEMA rumor, but I’ve look for the facts on this) are staying. By all accounts, things are safe and sound, but people are staying to protect property, essentially. Without food and water, though, this proposition gets wearisome, if not impossible.

Part of it, at this point, is no routine has been established. People are ever hopeful that the power will be on quickly. It would be good if people knew if there was going to be a set time–three weeks.

It also seems to me that a 50’s era community nuclear fallout plan should be in place. Remember when schools and communities had the sirens and the running into the basement? Well, disasters can happen. Obviously, they do happen. Shouldn’t every neighborhood, every village, every community have a set plan in place? And I don’t think it should be a FEMA run deal. Because of the damage assessments that they and the power companies do, people are ON THEIR OWN for at least three days, I’d say closer to a week, really. And really, who wants their life to be in the hand of the government except when we’re at war or something? So, communities need plans–to gather information, share resources and not duplicate efforts. How many people in my neighborhood wasted gas by driving all over looking for, ironically, gas? I’d bet lots of people.

So, from what I hear, this is how things are: food and water are running low unless someone is very well provisioned, gas is still scarce, ice is difficult to come by, and people are just staying to protect hearth and home and doing so without clean water, land lines, and electricity. Neighborhoods are coming together. Neighbors are looking out for each other.

Entergy–Energy status for The Woodlands

Food/ice/water–It looks like Magnolia and Tomball are more up and running. Chik-Fil-A in Magnolia folks. Hey, it’s something.

Also this: Fellowship of The Woodlands will have MRE’s and Ice.

Huntsville seemed to be “open”. So if someone wants to make a drive for food, it might be worth it. Of course, beware of fuel usage.

More at KHOU.

On the way out of Texas, we saw huge convoys of Army guys, electric company trucks, etc. Resources are coming, but where are they going? Galveston was pretty nearly devastated. So, I’m guessing resources go there first. I don’t know.

FEMA’s phone number: 1-800-621-3362 If they’re like any other gov’t entity, knock early, knock often. And be prepared to wait in line and fill out lots of paperwork.

Montgomery County damage reports here (by residents).

Houston Chronicle here. Judging by their coverage, it’s all Galveston all the time. It’s a mess down there. Many people, including a blog friend’s (Robbie Cooper of UrbanGrounds) brother and in laws lost homes. We met a lady at the hotel who had “nothing to go home to”. What a horrible thing to contemplate.

I won’t be some place permanent until tomorrow night. In the meantime, keep checking my tweets.

UPDATED:

Power restored throughout parts of The Woodlands. My neighborhood came on line tonight. Got a call from my lovely next door neighbor.

Posted in We're All Gonna Die
Tags: Houston • Texas • The Woodlands