Update: Shaz in Houston and Ike

MJ Isles

Member
Messages
176
Location
Suburban DC (formerly western PA)
Hi everyone,

Just heard from Shaz-- the first time he's been able to get online since the storm, with power only restored at 4pm today. He's doing ok, not feeling well but unrelated to Ike.

As you can imagine with knowing Shaz, he's been busy helping his neighbors, so the time passed quickly. Damage report: 70' of fence and some trees, but that's it other than the electric being out.

Shaz thanks everyone for their good thoughts and concern. He will post photos as soon as he's feeling like himself again, just very tired from all the clean-up.

Your reporter in the field,

--MJ :)
 
Thanks for the update MJ. I know we were all getting worried about him. Glad to hear he is ok. Hope he will be able to soon report in himself.
 
Glad to hear you got in touch, and thanks for the update, MJ.

Shaz, take care of yourself first...then the others. You can't help anybody if you're laid up. ;)
 
I figured we would be hearing from him about now. My sister settled in Houston after leaving Nola because of Katrina. She emailed yesterday too. She had full utilities come back on too.

Funny story. She said power came on and seconds latter she hearD the guys in one of the other Apartments holler "FOOTBALL!!" :rofl:
 
I talked to Shaz a bit earlier. He is fine. A tree through a fence...wind blew the fence down. Shop area was out of power as well...he was going to see how it looked. He actually slept through the storm...said the wind sounded like a car window not quite closed, but that was about all. Lots of "trash" to clean up, and he seemed a bit tired.
 
Hi everyone,

Just heard from Shaz-- the first time he's been able to get online since the storm, with power only restored at 4pm today. He's doing ok, not feeling well but unrelated to Ike.

As you can imagine with knowing Shaz, he's been busy helping his neighbors, so the time passed quickly. Damage report: 70' of fence and some trees, but that's it other than the electric being out.

Shaz thanks everyone for their good thoughts and concern. He will post photos as soon as he's feeling like himself again, just very tired from all the clean-up.

Your reporter in the field,

--MJ :)
Hi MJ :wave:,
You are the best. What time do you come on in the evenings? You know, on the FOX NETWORK? :thumb: Most accurate and upto date with the info I gave. Thank you for your willingness to convey it.:D You are in for a raise! :rolleyes: Maybe a promotion too :eek:...S :)

Thanks for the update MJ. I know we were all getting worried about him. Glad to hear he is ok. Hope he will be able to soon report in himself.
Hi Bill :wave:,
Thank you for those very thoughtful words of concern, I appreciate them...S :)

Glad to hear you got in touch, and thanks for the update, MJ.

Shaz, take care of yourself first...then the others. You can't help anybody if you're laid up. ;)
Hi Vaughn :wave:,
You give me the feeling of being on an airplane, listening to the flight attendant.:D What you say is very good, thank you, you offer wise advice:thumb:. As always I appreciate you.......S :)

Thanks for that MJ,

Shaz, I'm thinking of ya, bubba. You be safe and well.

Hi Dave :wave:,
Thank you, good man! I am well and happy to be back in touch.:D
Ike was a sissy..... coming in the night!!!!!!!:doh:Never showed his face so I went to bed.:dunno:...S :)

thanks MJ fer lettin us in on shaz'z situation.. take care shaz and eat plenty of meat and veggies:thumb:

Hi Larry :wave:,
I actually pull some hurricane preparedness moves, a zig here and a zag there and got a bit jiggy on the cook top just prior to the arrival of the "big boy". Things worked out well for me this time. Thanks for your advice. When the power came back on I decided to juice!
4 roma tomatoes, 1 clove garlic, 1/4 raw red beet, 3 carrots, 2 sticks of celery and one medium red delicious apple. It was nice.
S :)

I figured we would be hearing from him about now. My sister settled in Houston after leaving Nola because of Katrina. She emailed yesterday too. She had full utilities come back on too.

Funny story. She said power came on and seconds latter she hearD the guys in one of the other Apartments holler "FOOTBALL!!" :rofl:
Hi Jeff :wave:,
Glad she is okay! It is fascinating to hear some of the stories like this one you share. When our lives become disrupted from their ordinary flow, the interesting becomes more common.:dunno: Take care,
S :)

Each day, the revelations of destruction get more dramatic. Glad Shaz is well and good on him for helping others.
Hi Frank :wave:,
That is a very nice thing to say, BUT!!!! I CAN HEAR YOU!:D:D:rolleyes: :rofl:!!
Helping others when you can, seems the obvious thing to do. I believe you do that in your life,Frank, as do many others we have in our family! :thumb: My hat is off with great respect for those of you who help!!!! S :)

Glad to hear he's OK. Looking forward for his post again.
Hi Toni :wave:,
Thank you for your kind thought and your encouragement to continue posting:thumb:! Thanks, S :)

my wifes cousin in houston still has no power as of tonight.
Hi Allen :wave:,
There are many folks without power. As of Friday there were "No generators to be found in Houston"! My shop still has no power so I am on an unexpected vacation!:doh: Unplanned:doh:, Unthought of:doh:, very pleasant.....:rolleyes: Actually, the candles, the lantern and going to bed at 9:00 was really not too bad!:rolleyes: especially with the marvelous cool weather we have been blessed with!! Unheard of cool front, just after the "Ike".:D.....S :)

I talked to Shaz a bit earlier. He is fine. A tree through a fence...wind blew the fence down. Shop area was out of power as well...he was going to see how it looked. He actually slept through the storm...said the wind sounded like a car window not quite closed, (at about 60 MPH) but that was about all. Lots of "trash" to clean up, and he seemed a bit tired. Hi Greg
Hi Greg :wave:,
Thanks for sharing that update, sorry about the early morning call.:doh:Spent the day working toward a goal. That is to cut down some trees, cut up some already down trees and move debris from back of the house to the front of the house for speedy removal, by others:dunno:. So many unusual occurances in the course of everyday life during this kind of experience. Little things that can lift your spirit or make you sad instantly, are close by. I have been very alive during these last few days, as compared to the "life as usual" prior to that.:dunno:
Thanks for sharing Greg!
S :)
Here are some photos from the beginning...
Ike, Sept. 12,2008 016.jpg

Ike, Sept. 12,2008 018.jpg

Ike, Sept. 12,2008 019.jpg

Ike, Sept. 12,2008 020.jpg

Ike, Sept. 12,2008 021.jpg

Ike, Sept. 12,2008 022.jpg

Ike, Sept. 12,2008 023.jpg

Ike, Sept. 12,2008 025.jpg

Ike, Sept. 12,2008 026.jpg

Ike, Sept. 12,2008 032.jpg
 
WooHoo! Bubba's back.

Thanks for that Shaz.

I'm glad you're doing alright.

That juice sounds great. Hmm....
Hi Dave :wave:,
Thanks again, glad to be back and well too.
....S :)

Welcome back, Shaz, good to see you posting again. Thanks for the photos. Glad to know you're safe!

Now about that promotion... allow me to introduce you to my boss... ;)
Hi MJ :wave:, Thanks!
I would like to have a few words with him/her, You're a shoe in!:D....S

--MJ

Here are a few more pictures from Saturday, the dawn, after the darkness in which Ike came.
Ike, Sept. 12,2008 033.jpg

Ike, Sept. 12,2008 034.jpg

Ike, Sept. 12,2008 036.jpg

Ike, Sept. 12,2008 037.jpg

Ike, Sept. 12,2008 038.jpg

Ike, Sept. 12,2008 039.jpg

Ike, Sept. 12,2008 040.jpg

Ike, Sept. 12,2008 041.jpg

Ike, Sept. 12,2008 042.jpg
The pines snapped and the oaks laid over!:dunno: Dirt here is sandy loam a mix of sand and clay.
 
Hi Shaz - been watching for news of you. Glad to hear all is well, mostly. Never-the-less, I knew whatever state you found yourself in you would be content.;)
 
The destruction was widespread. Arkansas still has several thousand homes without power. Flooding is very serious in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. A friend is leaving to visit relatives in Indiana today, and they are also still without power. My Internet service was out for two days. Not life threatening but sobering. The Internet was born of the Cold War days as a means of maintaining communications in the event of a cataclysmic event. Failed with one storm. If Ike had been a cat. 4 or 5, we can only imagine how crippling it could be to the whole country. Gratefully, loss of life was very minimal. However, suffering continues.
 
The pines snapped and the oaks laid over!:dunno: Dirt here is sandy loam a mix of sand and clay.

Shaz,

Glad to hear you're ok. Those pics are pretty typical of a Houston storm (I used to write up tree damage assessment for my colleagues' insurance claims when I lived there). What you describe is pretty typical of the heavy black gumbo clay inside the Loop. The oaks can't get their roots down very far into it (there's no oxygen down there), and especially when it's wet, when the wind hits them, they just fall over, roots, clay, and all. The pine trunks aren't as strong, of course, but more important, their roots go deeper, so it's easier for them to just break instead of uprooting.

If you want bizarre, you should have seen the hackberries in Nashville when the tornado hit. It didn't touch down in the yard, but it almost did... and it literally sucked the hackberries out of the ground, crown, trunk, rootball, everything, in one piece, and then laid them down several feet away. Imagine something strong enough to wrench out and pick up a 100' hackberry! Now, that was odd! ;)

Thanks,

Bill
 
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