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Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant)
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You may find this highly offensive. You may not.

People have freaked out.

The city of Houston is gone. Not destroyed. Vacant. People are no where to be found. Everyone has left. Frankly, I don't know why. I am 50+ feet above sea level and I am better than 60 miles from the coast of Galveston. I live west of downtown. I am the only person on my block that has stayed. I am not in a mandatory evacuation zone. I am 10+ miles from a voluntary evacuation zone. Again, I am the only person left on my block of over 50 houses.

Everyone that has paid an iot an iota of attention knows that the freeways have been gridlocked for over two days. Let me tell you why.

The city and state government have done an incredible job of getting the people that need to leave town out of town. For every one person that needed to evacuate, there are probably five that left that didn't need to. As I said before, there are over 50 houses on my block. Since I'm the only one that left, that means probably 40+ cars got on the highway that didn't have to. And they got to the road ways before and at the same time so many others needed to leave. ad to leave. This is the reason the freeways are gridlocked. This is the reason there is no gas. This is the reason why people have run out of gas on the freeways. It sucks.

I live 60 miles from the coast. People heard the hurricane might come to Houston and they dropped everything and left. I picked up baby joggers, swings, flagpoles, benches and rocking chairs, baseball bats, 2x4's from homes being built down the street (tons of other things). So many things that could have been turned into 50+ MPH missles and put them in my garage. People didn't take one minute to think about the process. It was complete pandemonium.

Is it any wonder why so many fled? After seeing Katrina? No. Please. For those of you who ever find yourselves in a situation like this-----Maintain your composure-----Think about the benefits of your actions versus the costs, to yourself and to others---Think about how your actions affect those around you-----Do not, in your haste, forget that others may face far graver danger than you and need the right and time to leave before you, to get what they need before you or ask for it first.

This is just a rant.
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Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [jameshinton] [ In reply to ]
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All no thanks to the media and the 'horror' stories... and an administration that couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery. Having gone through a Category5 last year by the name of Ivan, and losing a lot of stuff I would not evacuate, but I would have my family out of here in a flash. Simply for their own comfort, it is no place for two kids and an adult to be if there is no power, running water or sanitation.

Hope all goes well for you- FEMA... should stand for Fu*#ing Emibiciles Missing it All...
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Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [jameshinton] [ In reply to ]
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P.S.

Houston Mayor Bill White for president. Not only did the guy NAIL the execution of absorbing the city of New Orleans in every way, shape and form. He has stood fast in Houston's greatest time of need in arguably 50+ years.
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Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [jameshinton] [ In reply to ]
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I too am waiting the storm out in Spring, near The Woodlands and am amazed at the amount of people that have left my neighborhood. The oldest houses in this subdivision are 4 years old, and in no danger of blowing apart yet this place is a ghost town. Driving down 45 was a little eerie as there were very few cars. I agree with James, people have lost their frickin minds. I contemplated an evening bike ride as the winds have picked up and thought it would be a great training session, but unfortunately the wife vetoed it vehemently. I guess one of us has to look out for me.
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Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [Jerrodg] [ In reply to ]
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Quote:
The oldest houses in this subdivision are 4 years old, and in no danger of blowing apart yet this place is a ghost town.
That's where you are mistaken... they are in the greatest danger of blowing apart. On any city on the Gulf Coast or East Coast it's the older houses with their superior craftsmanship that suffer the least damage... the ones that were built with 2x4's that were actually 2 x 4 inches and made of hardwood and not the 1 3/4 x 3 3/4 soft pine that you can drive a nail in with one blow. Solid core hardwood doors, not the lightweight crap on the new houses. I can go on and on... the old houses are built better... that's why hurricane after hurricane they're still there.
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Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [jameshinton] [ In reply to ]
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wow, I kind of wondered what it was like down there.

Don't loot TOO much...


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Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [Diablo-Advocato] [ In reply to ]
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Well, here in hurricane country people are building their houses with hurricane straps. They go through the roof and the framing of the house to keep the roof from blowing off. Our house is also made of 2x6's on the exterior framing with brick siding.
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Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [Jerrodg] [ In reply to ]
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thank God I live in Maine....all we have to worry about is freezing our butts off in the winter and black flies.
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Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [Jerrodg] [ In reply to ]
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Yes, because the houses built in the 70's were loosing their roofs at the hint of high winds so building codes were enacted in the mid-70's requiring them. Makes you wonder why the older houses didn't need them, huh?
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Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [peethreeguy] [ In reply to ]
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I moved here from Utah, where the only natural disasters were the politics.. Oops, sorry. Lavender room comment. Seriously though, in Utah near Moab all we had were cold winters and windy days.
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Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [Diablo-Advocato] [ In reply to ]
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I am not countering the fact that some old houses are built very well, I am suggesting that the houses where I live should be built as well. We live 80 miles from the coast and 90% of the subdivision has evacuated. Even after the projections showed it dropping to a class 3 (which it has) and moving east putting us the the better side of the eye, people were still heading out of here into traffic. At one point it was taking 17 hours to drive to Dallas which is 225 miles from Houston.
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Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [Jerrodg] [ In reply to ]
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On another note, on Thursday my wife had a chocolate craving, but there was no way she was going to drive to the store. I hopped on my bike, rode in the opposite lane of traffic (not on the freeway of course) down to the store about 7 miles away. I bought her Oreos waiting in line for 45 minutes, loaded them in my backpack and rode home. The looks I got from people as I passed by there idle cars at 30 mph (tailwind) was priceless. Coming back I tried to suppress my grins as I saw the same people 1 mile further down the road. I felt bad for them, but did see humanity come out. People that lived along the street (Rayford road for those that know Spring) were bringing water out, and I saw one lady with a HUGE bowl of fruit salad dishing it up to give to people stuck in there cars.
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Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [jameshinton] [ In reply to ]
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Ok let me just throw this out there, and of course correct me if I'm wrong.

In the LR there was a bit of discussion on how far inland one of these babies can go. According to some source, can't remember where, a CAT 5 storm that took a bee-line to Dallas feesibly could still be a CAT 1 by the time it hit Dallas.

A few Calculations later I came up with roughly 1 Category lost per every 75 miles or so. So if you're only 60 miles off the coast isn't quite possible a CAT5 storm would still be a CAT5 by the time it hit your nik of the woods? I don't think your home is rated for a CAT5 storm.

Again maybe I'm wrong, and I agree people should keep there wits about them, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Right now it looks like you'll be fine as it's no longer coming directly at Houstan and it's settled down to a CAT3, No? However had things been different and it held it's strength and did go directly at Houstan....did you really want to ride out a CAT5?

In essence this is exactly how NO happened. Many years of "misses" and people becam,emore and more complacent. Then one day Wammo! Instead of the town being a ghost town like it should be EVERY time it wasn't and we have a HUGE mess and a HUGE cost. Both alot worse than it needed to be.

~Matt
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Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [MJuric] [ In reply to ]
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It is downgraded to a CAT3 storm by landfall, and the eye has moved 40-60 miles east. The west side of a hurricane is the mild side, and isn't as severe. Wind projections as of yesterday morning had winds at 75-85 MPH in my area which is strong, but not enough to obliterate a neighborhood.
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Post deleted by astrotri [ In reply to ]
Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [Jerrodg] [ In reply to ]
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Again this time. However had you still been there now and it was CAT5...you'd be SOL. Add to that you can't predict whether it was going to stay CAT5 or go lower, so you would have had to wait to find out. By the time you find out...you're SOL.

Point is you and people like you got lucky this time. Next time, as been proven in NO and countless other places, mabey not so much.

Posting, saying and expressing things in a manner of "Man those people are idiots fro leaving" will only encourage people to stay. Then 10,15 or more years down the road we'll only half the city responding to a mandatory evacutaion and thousands will be dead.

~Matt
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Post deleted by astrotri [ In reply to ]
Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [astrotri] [ In reply to ]
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"Your 20/20 hindsight is fucking infuriating. Do you have a time machine or something, because if not, then your sarcastic, righteous indignation is totally out of line."

Hey I thought I said something like that already...not quite so eloquently though.

~Matt
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Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [astrotri] [ In reply to ]
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I guess I miss the source of your infuriation. I don't think it is hindsight when on Thursday morning the tracking center tells you that the storm has shifted east, and was downgraded to a CAT 4. By late morning these same experts that you say should be listened to say that it will continue to weaken. Seems to me there is nothing sarcastic, rightous or reeking of indignity about it. I made a decision to stay based off of what experts told me, and am just pointing out my reasons. I'm entitled to the opinion that other people in may neighborhood are overly skittish as much as you are entitled to one thinking I am a jackass.
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Post deleted by jameshinton [ In reply to ]
Last edited by: jameshinton: Sep 23, 05 18:33
Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [jameshinton] [ In reply to ]
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Yeah, I think some people missed the point that we weren't under evacuation orders where we are at.
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Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [jameshinton] [ In reply to ]
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Well James, our thoughts are with you. You are an unselfish and thoughtful person. I am sure you will make it through this well.

Dev
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Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [jameshinton] [ In reply to ]
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James, my wife's father lives in Houston. He's staying. He's located over by the Summit, if you're looking for someone to hang out with. He loves to talk boxing.

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-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --
Last edited by: TripleThreat: Sep 23, 05 18:43
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Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [jameshinton] [ In reply to ]
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perhaps someone left behind a now limited edition P3SL? eh haha

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Re: Rita and the great freak out of 2005 (rant) [jameshinton] [ In reply to ]
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FWIW This is the same scenario that was played out dozens of times in New Orleans over the last 25 years. Quick haull ass, big'un headed this way..... just missed us next time we'll stay. So many of the people who had to be rescued from rooftops had the same mindset. I have had numerous folks state to me that they didn't leave because they had left so many times before for no good reason. It's hard to make the choice between and "inconvenience" or your life. And yes your house can take 85mph gusts of wind from time to time . But it most likely would not stand up to 85mph winds sustained for 4 or 5hours which is well with in the realm of a storm like this one. I was in Houston a few years ago when a tropical storm completely flooded certian parts of town. YOU GOT LUCKY
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