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Hurricane Rita
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UNTeMac
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Sep 21, 2005, 05:17 PM
 
Anyone near the Texas coast gonna be around when Rita hits? My parents are evacuating from south Houston on Thursday in the very early morning. They boarded up windows and prepared the house for two feet of water just in case.

Latest: Category Five - 165mph sustained winds - moving west at 13mph
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davesimondotcom
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Sep 21, 2005, 05:33 PM
 
Question for those in hurricane zones: Do you keep the plywood handy for boarding up the house?

I mean, it seems like every hurricane features a story about how Home Depot is out of plywood. I can understand some would need replacing, but people should have SOME on hand, right?

And also, isn't there some sort of cost-efficient way of creating a shutter system that can stay on the house? I'm thinking of things like the rolldown steel doors some storefronts have.

Just curious...

And I hope everyone stays safe in the path of Rita!
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villalobos
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Sep 21, 2005, 05:40 PM
 
Originally Posted by davesimondotcom
Question for those in hurricane zones: Do you keep the plywood handy for boarding up the house?

I mean, it seems like every hurricane features a story about how Home Depot is out of plywood. I can understand some would need replacing, but people should have SOME on hand, right?

And also, isn't there some sort of cost-efficient way of creating a shutter system that can stay on the house? I'm thinking of things like the rolldown steel doors some storefronts have.

Just curious...

And I hope everyone stays safe in the path of Rita!
I always wondered why houses did not hav shutters like you can find in Europe. Apparently there are some in New Orleans : it must be a remnant of the french influence.

Anyhow, best of luck to Texas and/or Lousiana, it will be a big one as you can see on this NOAA link
     
Mastrap
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Sep 21, 2005, 05:40 PM
 
I've been asking myself the same questions. I saw some houses in Germany close to the river Elbe that could be waterproofed within minutes. Steel doors and shutters to keep the water out.
     
zerostar
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Sep 21, 2005, 05:44 PM
 
Originally Posted by davesimondotcom
Question for those in hurricane zones: Do you keep the plywood handy for boarding up the house?
Since we are in a hurricane zone we have retractable shutters that are motorized, as long as the remote can be found we are good to go... now where is that darn thing? (there are switches as well)


I mean, it seems like every hurricane features a story about how Home Depot is out of plywood. I can understand some would need replacing, but people should have SOME on hand, right?
Wood rots and a lot of these areas haven't got storms in years so it could be gone or used for a skateboard ramp... lol

And also, isn't there some sort of cost-efficient way of creating a shutter system that can stay on the house? I'm thinking of things like the rolldown steel doors some storefronts have.
Yes there are options, some are cost-efficent and some are easy to use, there are roll-down like we have and there are panels you lock in manually each time a storm comes, prices range from $4,000 to around $200 per window. Installation can be more.

I am just glad to be in the Florida Treasure Coast this year (so far...)
     
zerostar
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Sep 21, 2005, 05:47 PM
 
Originally Posted by Mastrap
I've been asking myself the same questions. I saw some houses in Germany close to the river Elbe that could be waterproofed within minutes. Steel doors and shutters to keep the water out.
For some spending a few thousand to a hundred thousand on protection is not an option, especially when a storm will hit your area once a century.
     
Kerrigan
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Sep 21, 2005, 05:48 PM
 
Good thing Bush won't be lazing around in Texas while this storm hits.
     
andi*pandi
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Sep 21, 2005, 06:44 PM
 
we used to have functional shutters when I grew up. Now they're antiques. Most new houses don't have em, or have plastic ones just for looks.

I guess when they started making windows good enough to keep out the cold and most rain, they phased themselves out.
     
rickey939
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Sep 21, 2005, 06:58 PM
 
So the New Orleans residents get shipped off to Texas...the hurricanes are heading towards Texas...is this a sign of extremely bad luck or what?
     
dcmacdaddy
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Sep 21, 2005, 08:01 PM
 
Originally Posted by villalobos
Anyhow, best of luck to Texas and/or Lousiana, it will be a big one as you can see on this NOAA link
On that page is a link to a full-scale image of the storm. The graphics power they have to image these storms is amazing. They're almost beautiful with the bright white storm on the background of blue and green.
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villalobos
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Sep 21, 2005, 08:08 PM
 
Originally Posted by andi*pandi
we used to have functional shutters when I grew up. Now they're antiques. Most new houses don't have em, or have plastic ones just for looks.

I guess when they started making windows good enough to keep out the cold and most rain, they phased themselves out.
Still modern windows are not good enough to keep the wind out... :-)
Besides having shutters helps tremendously against the sun and heat as well. Unlike blinds who blocks the sun... inside the house and thus heat the house just as well....
     
cpt kangarooski
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Sep 21, 2005, 08:10 PM
 
And also, isn't there some sort of cost-efficient way of creating a shutter system that can stay on the house? I'm thinking of things like the rolldown steel doors some storefronts have.
Lots of people have hurricane shutters, and they are typically rolldown steel affairs that cover exterior doors and windows. I had to roll them up at my Bubbe's house after Katrina passed through south Florida. They weren't motorized. Instead, there was a latch to be disengaged, and they just roll up when you push them.

Of course, if you don't often get hurricanes, you might not have them. My parents live in an area that hasn't been hit by a serious storm in years, and their house has lots of glass, but no shutters.

They're also probably handy against zombies, even if you don't live in an area that gets hurricanes.
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JoshuaZ
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Sep 21, 2005, 09:10 PM
 
Darn, here in Japan some of the other english teachers have apartments with massive roll shutters that block their windows in case of typhoons (think big tropical storm or Hurricane force winds). Sadly mine does not, but you`d think people in like flordia would have something to this effect.
     
Severed Hand of Skywalker
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Sep 21, 2005, 11:58 PM
 
My lord and they make fun of Canada because of snow?

These weekly hurricanes/floods are awful.

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JHromadka
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Sep 22, 2005, 12:05 AM
 
I'll be in Chicago so thankfully will miss it.
     
Briareus
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Sep 22, 2005, 12:37 AM
 
Another thing to consider: not only can shutters be expensive, but in areas recently hit by hurricanes there's a panic-mode rush to get them after everything's settled. This creates a backlog of several MONTHS before you can actually get them fabricated, delivered, and installed.

I dealt with this last year for Frances & Jeanne. My supply of plywood is good for another storm or two and real shutters are on the "as soon as I dare afford them" list...

... which may come soon because I never considered their potential effectiveness against zombies
     
Kevin
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Sep 22, 2005, 12:40 AM
 
Originally Posted by Kerrigan
Good thing Bush won't be lazing around in Texas while this storm hits.
Seek help.
     
alphasubzero949
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Sep 22, 2005, 01:19 AM
 
Originally Posted by Kevin
Seek help.
I knew you would come running.

Back to the topic, this is something straight out of Final Destination. The survivors thought they got away from the hurricanes...
     
Artful Dodger
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Sep 22, 2005, 01:37 AM
 
     
IceEnclosure
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Sep 22, 2005, 02:07 AM
 
Luckily it seems people are taking the evacuations seriously. This isn't a storm to party with.

Currently 175+mph. This is one bad bitch.
ice
     
Severed Hand of Skywalker
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Sep 22, 2005, 02:08 AM
 
Originally Posted by IceEnclosure
Luckily it seems people are taking the evacuations seriously. This isn't a storm to party with.

Currently 175+mph. This is one bad bitch.
Should you be hunkered down?

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UNTeMac  (op)
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Sep 22, 2005, 02:10 AM
 
Originally Posted by davesimondotcom
Question for those in hurricane zones: Do you keep the plywood handy for boarding up the house?

I mean, it seems like every hurricane features a story about how Home Depot is out of plywood. I can understand some would need replacing, but people should have SOME on hand, right?

And also, isn't there some sort of cost-efficient way of creating a shutter system that can stay on the house? I'm thinking of things like the rolldown steel doors some storefronts have.

Just curious...

And I hope everyone stays safe in the path of Rita!
Each summer, my dad checks his supply and replaces any rotten wood. He had some this time around only because of that precaution and was able to board up today. The stores had long since cleared from what he told me.

I found out my grandmother is riding out the storm in the hospital and my cat is gonna be staying in the garage. Hopefully they'll both be ok.
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IceEnclosure
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Sep 22, 2005, 02:19 AM
 
Originally Posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker
Should you be hunkered down?

seeing as how I'm about 15 miles north of Miami, FLORIDA.. no, no I don't think I should be.

unless you know something I don't?

:: looks out the window ::
ice
     
mojo2
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Sep 22, 2005, 05:03 AM
 
http://www.drturi.com/home.php

One more thing. He has a MAJOR DIRE PREDICTION FOR MID SEPTEMBER which he highlights on the site.

Quote:
Dr. Turi does it again!
Predictions of the earthquakes in Japan and the evacuations due to the Hurricane Katrina in Florida were predicted!

RESULTS August, 2005 - See the predictions as they were made on Coast to Coast AM Radio in June 2005

IMPORTANT ANNOUCEMENT FOR SEPTEMBER 16/17/18 2005 - The same negative energy that produced all major hurricanes, earthquakes tornadoes and tsunamis is hovering above the earth and will take more lives. I am giving you the concentrated dates of its destructive power for the month of September and each and every month as of today. I have proven to be right many times over and I wish the NWS and/or NASA would listen and learn from my methodology. I am expecting more trouble with water damages on these days with all affairs ruled by Neptune "Poseidon, the Lord of the Seas". The worse case scenario is another tsunami following a large earthquake. Stay clear from the ocean on these days and PLEASE pass on my prediction to all the people you know! Be a participant of true knowledge and help me to save lives. Those dates were broadcasted on the George Noory show Coast To Coast on august 29, 2005.


Sept 7/8/9
Sept 16/17/18
Sept 25/26/27
================================================== ========

I would feel terrible if anything happened to any of you without my passing along this info so you might take it into account in making plans, here it is.

I do not endorse this but I do want to look at it and invite you to do the same.

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...highlight=turi
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Well, what do you think of Dr. Turi's predictions NOW?

Give petty people just a little bit of power and watch how they misuse it! You can't silence the self doubt, can you?
     
mojo2
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Sep 22, 2005, 05:18 AM
 
analogika
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08-30-2005, 02:46 PM

oh boy...


I really don't get you, mojo.
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residentEvil
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08-30-2005, 02:51 PM

Well, no where does the quotes you posted say anything about predicting a hurrican (katrina) in florida or in the gulf. Those quotes are pretty true on EVERY day (high winds and earthquakes happen EVERY day SOMEPLACE on earth. always).

ghporter
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08-30-2005, 03:03 PM

Katrina hit New Orleans on Monday, August 29, under a waning crescent moon. The hurricane hit southern Florida on Friday, August 26, under a waning quater moon. That doesn't fit at all. Sorry, I don't buy it.
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08-30-2005, 03:04 PM

looks like he just claims a whole month at a time. hard to miss something bad happening somewhere.
"
Sept 7/8/9
Sept 16/17/18
Sept 25/26/27
"

davesimondotcom
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08-30-2005, 05:21 PM

The sun will rise tomorrow.
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mchladek
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08-30-2005, 05:23 PM

"I've got two Neptunes here," said Harry after a while, frowning down on his parchment, "that can't be right, can it?"
"Aaaah," said Ron, imitating Professor Trelawney's mysical whisper, "when two Neptunes appear in the sky, it is a sure sign that a midget in glasses is being born, Harry..."
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olePigeon
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08-30-2005, 08:07 PM

I predict there will be an earthquake in California in the month of September.
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Cipher13
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08-31-2005, 03:25 AM

"In 1993 he received a metaphysical Doctorate from the Progressive Universal Life Church based in Sacramento, California."

Oh, God, I'm in stitches.

EDIT: Damn, I think he should fire his web designer too.


turtle777
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08-31-2005, 06:29 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by mojo2
blabla

Hope you didn't pay anything for the guide you downloaded.



-t

Cody Dawg
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08-31-2005, 06:38 AM

turtle, this is Aberdeenwriter, remember. He was trying to talk about this garbage before, also.

Cody Dawg
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08-31-2005, 06:53 AM

Someone (analogika) said
Quote:
I just don't get you, mojo.


Well, that goes for a lot of us, I suppose.

I keep trying to like the guy, but he's way out there and never concedes or apologizes when he is wrong.
Just to compare your predictions with Dr. Turi's.

Also, note I never said he COULD but I said, "LET'S SEE if he does."
Give petty people just a little bit of power and watch how they misuse it! You can't silence the self doubt, can you?
     
alphasubzero949
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Sep 22, 2005, 07:19 AM
 
Wow. I can't believe there are idiots who are refusing to leave. Did they not watch TV after Katrina struck NO?

I can't feel sorry for them, like those who refused to leave when Katrina hit (as opposed to not being able to help themselves). It's not like this disaster is a surprise like an earthquake or a tornado. They have a couple of days of warning with this.
     
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Sep 22, 2005, 08:39 AM
 
I'm in San Antonio right now. We had a mandatory evacuation, so we left.

We didn't board anything up, though I'll probably prepare for the next one by doing so.

The storm has been bearing right on top of our city, but now it seems to be drifting further North sooner than expected. That will put us South of landfall, which is better than being right under or East.

Anyone that stayed in the area IS an idiot. My wife's parents, who live in Pasadena, aren't wanting to leave -- which is idiotically dumb. We simply can't make them come up here with us, but hopefully, they'll get scared enough and leave.

Ugh.
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That's why he's gonna kill us. So we got to beat it. Yeah. Before he let's loose the marmosets on us."
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ogun
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Sep 22, 2005, 10:32 AM
 
Originally Posted by davesimondotcom
Question for those in hurricane zones: Do you keep the plywood handy for boarding up the house?

I mean, it seems like every hurricane features a story about how Home Depot is out of plywood. I can understand some would need replacing, but people should have SOME on hand, right?

And also, isn't there some sort of cost-efficient way of creating a shutter system that can stay on the house? I'm thinking of things like the rolldown steel doors some storefronts have.

Just curious...

And I hope everyone stays safe in the path of Rita!
The office has metal roll-down shutters over all the doors and metal screw-down shutters for the windows. The house has screw-down shutters for the windows and the glass doors in back which were part of the standard equipment for every house in the subdivision. It takes maybe 15 minutes to put them up, 30 minutes to take them down. The front door is fitted with a weathertight gasket and is about a foot above outside ground level. The garage door is a roll-down metal shutter as is, and can be locked down with internal steel braces. There's hurricane strapping on the roof. I figure we can stand up to a Cat 3, no problem. We should be able to withstand a Cat 4, but there might be damage, especially if there's flooding. If a Cat 5 comes the roof almost certainly will come off.

I've been through a Cat 5. (I was on Jamaica, and there's nowhere to evacuate _to_ when the island's 40 miles wide and 144 miles long and the hurricane's 250 miles across and you take a direct hit. That was Gilbert, and it was worse when it hit than Rita is now.) If a Cat 4 or above comes calling, it'll find me gone. Cat 1s are thuderstorms with on steriods. Cat 2s approach being real storms. Cat 3s are real storms. Cat 4s are extremely bad storms. Cat 5s are see-you-later-boys,-I'm-outta-here storms. I simply cannot understand how anyone who has any choice whatsoever will hang around for a Cat 4 or above.

My house in Jamaica came through Gilbert with only minor damage, in large part because it was _NOT_ designed by a trained architect. The contractor who built it had had 30 years experience building houses in hurricane zones and knew what worked: concrete, and lots of it. With lots of rebar. Concrete doesn't blow away. It doesn't burn. It doesn't get dry rot. It doesn't get termites or carpenter ants. The house in Florida, now...
     
OogaBooga
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Sep 22, 2005, 10:46 AM
 
Wow. This storm is major.

My sister and I live on a 3rd floor apartment in downtown Austin, and my family lives in Katy (west Houston). They're planning on coming tonight to stay with us, but I-10 is PACKED. To make matters worse, they live right behind buffalo bayou which puts them in a big flood zone. I've also got work tomorrow from 10-4, and from 12-9 on Saturday. My mother, being the worry wart she is, has demanded that I not go to work Friday and Saturday, although management has already sent a mass email telling everyone to plan on coming to work this weekend. I could either go to work and risk being caught in the storm in my car Friday afternoon/night (due to traffic), or play it safe and risk being fired. I guess if they fire me for not coming to work during a hurricane pass over, I shouldn't be working there in the first place.

All the grocery stores are packed and gas prices in Austin are starting to rise again.


But... I'm feeling kind of excited by Rita. Deep down I'm looking forward to it, and kind of wish the worse part hits us. I would be disappointed if it didn't hit us since I just bought $112 of groceries ($30 of that being water).
( Last edited by OogaBooga; Sep 22, 2005 at 01:38 PM. )
     
zoroaster68
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Sep 22, 2005, 11:13 AM
 
Originally Posted by OogaBooga
But... I'm feeling kind of excited by Rita. Deep down I'm looking forward to it, and kind wish the worse part hits us. I would be disappointed if it didn't hit us since I just bought $112 of groceries ($30 of that being water).
I know what you mean. Man VS Nature, what a freakin rush. Yeah, they can be bad, but it rocks to beat out some of the baddest things nature can throw at you. I feel the same way about driving in blizzard conditions.
     
Kvasir
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Sep 22, 2005, 11:14 AM
 
Latest picture from NOAA's "Operational Significant Event Imagery" site:

http://www.osei.noaa.gov/Events/Curr...ita265_G12.jpg

NOAA's "Environmental Visualization Program" site ( http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/ ) also has amazing pics from GEOSS satellites, but the web site seems to be down now.
     
UNTeMac  (op)
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Sep 22, 2005, 12:35 PM
 
Why don't they open both lanes of 45 an 10? If people are taking 10 hours to get out then that must be reason enough. I'm sure my parents are stuck in it right now.
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runningdog
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Sep 22, 2005, 12:49 PM
 
Originally Posted by ogun
My house in Jamaica came through Gilbert with only minor damage, in large part because it was _NOT_ designed by a trained architect. The contractor who built it had had 30 years experience building houses in hurricane zones and knew what worked: concrete, and lots of it. With lots of rebar. Concrete doesn't blow away. It doesn't burn. It doesn't get dry rot. It doesn't get termites or carpenter ants. The house in Florida, now...
That's a very asinine thing to say. Most contractors i know think they know everything and are quick to take shortcuts. We've had buildings that have had to be rebuilt after they failed a building inspection in which the contractor boldly told the client that the architect was over-designing and he knew a cheaper way to build. If a client wants a house made of wood then that's what they get assuming the local building codes allow for it. Want a house like a concrete bunker and you'll get it. Just depends on how much you're willing to pay for materials and the design.
( Last edited by runningdog; Sep 22, 2005 at 02:13 PM. )
     
Kevin
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Sep 22, 2005, 01:15 PM
 
Originally Posted by alphasubzero949
I knew you would come running.
You have quite the imagination.
     
residentEvil
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Sep 22, 2005, 02:08 PM
 
Stop projecting, that is silly.
     
ghporter
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Sep 22, 2005, 02:40 PM
 
With the way the storm is potentially turning, and that we still only have an educated guess about where it is going to make landfall (Orange, TX, anyone?), things are still very confused. My in-laws are in Katy and are pretty much stuck there for now because not only is I 10 a parking lot, but roads that feed it (like Grand Parkway) are too. Hopefully the "contraflow" traffic plans (all lanes changed to outbound) will be implemented soon and movement west will speed up.

This SUCKS very much; the whole idea of evacuation plans is supposed to be coordinated with traffic flow, but since they started evacuating Galveston yesterday, there are still Galvestonians streaming out-and straight into the Houston area. See a problem?

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ogun
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Sep 22, 2005, 03:02 PM
 
Originally Posted by runningdog
That's a very asinine thing to say. Most contractors i know think they know everything and are quick to take shortcuts. We've had buildings that have had to be rebuilt after they failed a buidling inspection in which the contractor boldly told the client that the architect was over-designing and he knew a cheaper way to build. If a client wants a house made of wood then that's what they get assuming the local building codes allow for it. Want a house like a concrete bunker and you'll get it. Just depends on how much you're willing to pay for materials and the design.
The guys I was talking about _overbuilt_ everything. It was the pro architects, trained in Canada, the US, and the UK, who knew better and underbuilt, and had the houses they designed blow away. One particularly famous (in Jamaica, anyway) example was the ICWI building in Kingston. It lost each and every window above the second floor. It had been designed by a Canadian firm. None of the buildings in the vicinity, mostly other insurance companies and banks and corporate HQs and such, had significant damage. The HQ of JPS, the local electric utility, for example, had been designed by locals and had _no_ significant damage other than water damage on the ground floor due to the parking lot flooding. Another example, this time from Hugo. When Hugo hit Montserrat, it removed 97% of the roofs on the island. It totally leveled the brand new, designed by proper British architects and built with proper British materials brought in from Britain just for the project, hospital. The building the new hospital had replaced was less than 100 yards away on the same compound, and had been converted into a retirement home. _It_ had been designed by a Jamaican and built by Antiguans and Jamaicans out of local materials, i.e. brick and concrete. _That_ building was undamaged. The proper British architects hadn't liked it, it was overbuilt and ugly.. but it's still standing and their beautiful design ain't. The locals remembered that they were in a hurricane zone and built accordingly.

And, m'man, it's awfully silly to on the one hand say that contractors will underbuild and then one sentence later say that what I want is a concrete bunker. There's a middle ground between a bunker and a wooden frame house which will fly away in Cat 3, never mind Cat 5, winds. If some of the boys in south Mississippi had gone a little more to the bunker side, they wouldn't be missing their entire towns now.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. I _know_ that my old house in Jamaica, built in 1965, will withstand Cat 5 winds. It already has. It doesn't look like a bunker to me, either. I've got my doubts about the house in Florida. Especially the roof. There are still blue tarps on some roofs in the development left over from last year, and those storms were far short of Cat 5s.

And, finally, m'man... no-one's asking _you_ to live in a 'bunker'. By all means go to Ft. Lauderdale and build a frame house suitable for Ohio there. Just don't say anything to _me_ after it blows away. I'd never put a Caribbean-style concrete house anywhere where there's snowfall; temperature differences would crack the concrete, and the slab roof would collapse under the weight of snow. If I can see that some designs won't work in some places, why can't professional architects see the same thing... _before_ a storm comes and removes all doubt by removing the buildings?
     
IceEnclosure
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Sep 22, 2005, 03:12 PM
 
dude, stop_with_that_crap.
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nredman
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Sep 22, 2005, 05:12 PM
 
my wife sent this to me today, its kind of interesting

http://html.nbc5i.com/sh/idi/weather...netracker.html

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mojo2
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Sep 23, 2005, 12:17 AM
 
Originally Posted by nredman
my wife sent this to me today, its kind of interesting

http://html.nbc5i.com/sh/idi/weather...netracker.html
Yeah, pretty cool!
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tavilach
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Sep 23, 2005, 12:24 AM
 
Originally Posted by villalobos
I always wondered why houses did not hav shutters like you can find in Europe. Apparently there are some in New Orleans : it must be a remnant of the french influence.

Anyhow, best of luck to Texas and/or Lousiana, it will be a big one as you can see on this NOAA link
When I lived in Florida, we had shutters.
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Sep 23, 2005, 12:31 AM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter
My in-laws are in Katy and are pretty much stuck there for now because not only is I 10 a parking lot, but roads that feed it (like Grand Parkway) are too.
My parents just got here from Katy in about 4 hours, but they pretty much took a mixture of 290 and some backroads. It's normally a 2.5 hour drive to Austin so it wasn't so bad.

On the other hand, my friend called me at 4:30 this morning, crying because she had been stuck on Grand Parkway for 6 hours straight. She gave up and just went back home after literally going about 3 miles in 6 hours.

According to the TXDOT, I-10 and I-45 have set aside all lanes for outbound traffic. They justify this by stating that no one should be driving in to Houston anyway. Supposedly it's the largest traffic turnaround in the history of Texas.

Here in Austin, traffic on South Congress and west 71 was so packed I gave up on making it to class tonight. I cut through the median and just went home. Everything was fine and dandy till Rita started interfering with my classes. Damn.
     
Artful Dodger
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Sep 23, 2005, 01:32 AM
 
People were shitting on the side of the road while they were in traffic for hours with no were else to go. Some people ran out of gas sitting in traffic and had to push their cars. Others were smarter and turned their cars off, but in neutral, and just pushed the vehicle the few feet forward.
     
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Sep 23, 2005, 10:41 AM
 
I've got a friend in Houston. She tried to get out yesterday with some friends, but after 11 hours their car's battery died on the road just outside Conroe. None of the local hotels were offering lodging -they even offered to pay $100/night to sleep in the lobby and that didn't work- so they ended up getting the car jumped and turning back.

They got safely back to Houston, and apparently the mayor has told everyone who hasn't left yet to stay and wait (for what I don't know; apparently the highways are clear again). So that's what they're going to do.
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Sep 23, 2005, 11:48 AM
 
I got out of Houston Thursday, it just happens that one of the 3 times I fly anywhere during the year falls on this.

I packed my car with the most important stuff, and took off from home on the west side of Houston at 9 in the morning, took I-10 in to the tollway (beltway 8). Took that north until I got stuck in the traffic jam where it connects with 290. Sat in 97 degree heat with the car off as much as possible to conserve gas for 3 hours. Once past that it was smooth sailing to the airport (George Bush Intercontinental).

Then I waited outside for another 2 hours at the airport curbside checkin, to get my man-size suitecase checked in. I was lucky since I had electronic tickets already, the line for the regular ticket counters looked at least 5 hours long. They had people passing out water to the everyone outside, I also saw at least two people who suffered heat exhaustion. Suprisingly they had the security checkpoints ripping people through at high speed, I only waiting 15 minutes at the most to get through that.

So now I'm sitting in dry Phoenix, watching my webcams set up inside my apt.
     
zoroaster68
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Sep 23, 2005, 02:30 PM
 
Originally Posted by Macrat
So now I'm sitting in dry Phoenix, watching my webcams set up inside my apt.
That's pretty rad. Make sure ot record it somehow.

Anyway, I'm predicting a lot of death from this one, because I can't see most texas males evacuating. I can see them say "WHU? I'M A MAYON! RAH! I AINT LEAVING FOR NO STORM! ALL I NEED IS A PACK OF BUD AND SOME BEEF JERKY! WOOWEE! I"LL JUST SIT IN MY F150 AND WAIT IT OUT!

Something like that. Oh well. Maybe texas's average intelligence will be that much higher after all the 'mayons' die.
     
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Sep 23, 2005, 04:27 PM
 
Maybe you should watch the news more often. Your idiocy is hilarious, and your stupidity almost makes you tolerable for a good laugh.
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residentEvil
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Sep 23, 2005, 07:04 PM
 
Well, they are trying to leave. Stuck on a highwayl for 8+ hours isn't getting away from the storm.
     
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Sep 24, 2005, 10:44 AM
 
My prayers are certainly with those in the path of Rita.

"Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense." Winston Churchill
     
Randman
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Sep 24, 2005, 10:59 AM
 
Looks like Houston and Galveston got lucky.

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