We left our "storm shelter" in Fort Worth this morning just after 8. Traffic moved surprisingly smoothly for most of the trip. On the way we got gas at a rather crowded gas station and picked up food at a Sonic (come to think of it, we got some gas there, too). Everything was jammed with people trying to get home, but everyone was very neighborly.
When we got home, we were relieved to find that the house was fine. Several of our neighbors had fences blown down, and there are small and medium tree limbs down all over. But most businesses are open, and most gas stations are also operating.
We are unloaded, the boys are asleep, and the our network is back up. We're home! It's a huge relief to be back. Many, many, many thanks to the families who gave us food, shelter, and friendship while we were away. We will always be grateful.
Monday, September 26, 2005
Sunday, September 25, 2005
All systems go
We are all packed and ready to try the return trip tomorrow morning. We have been in contact with a neighbor who returned early, and it appears that the house is intact. Our now-working answering machine informs us that power is back on. The news seemed to indicate that traffic wasn't too bad today, so all signs seem to be good for the return journey.
We simulated a normal family day in Fort Worth today by heading over to the Museum of Science and Natural History. They have great exhibits and discovery areas for kids, so both boys played up a storm. We returned to a send-off barbecue from our hosts--thanks so much guys! (Sorry, that's "thanks y'all" in Texan.)
I don't have any news on the availability of internet access at the house, but we will post and email when we are back up and running. Talk to y'all soon (Texan again). Thank you so much to everyone for helping and praying us through this.
We simulated a normal family day in Fort Worth today by heading over to the Museum of Science and Natural History. They have great exhibits and discovery areas for kids, so both boys played up a storm. We returned to a send-off barbecue from our hosts--thanks so much guys! (Sorry, that's "thanks y'all" in Texan.)
I don't have any news on the availability of internet access at the house, but we will post and email when we are back up and running. Talk to y'all soon (Texan again). Thank you so much to everyone for helping and praying us through this.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Man with the Plan
After reviewing the news coverage and talking to other folks from the region, we have decided to remain in the Fort Worth area for one more day, then head back to the house early Monday morning. Our hope is that some of the traffic will have cleared out by that time. We hear that some people made it home with little trouble early this morning, but traffic became much worse as the day went on and more people decided to try to get back home. Given the lack of electricity at our house and the near-impossibility of getting gasoline, we're going to play it safe and wait it out.
To preserve some sense of normalcy for the boys (and for ourselves), we're going to try going to either the zoo or the science museum tomorrow.
To preserve some sense of normalcy for the boys (and for ourselves), we're going to try going to either the zoo or the science museum tomorrow.
Good news
We just heard from one of our neighbors who returned home a few hours ago. Our house and all those around us are fine -- no break-ins, no fire, no broken windows. There are some shingles off around the neighborhood (no news on our roof specifically), but otherwise it looks like we dodged the bullet.
We are debating the best time to head home. Local officials have urged everybody to wait for announcements that it is OK to return home. Apparently our local police are saying it's OK to return. We are making our plan now.
Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support.
We are debating the best time to head home. Local officials have urged everybody to wait for announcements that it is OK to return home. Apparently our local police are saying it's OK to return. We are making our plan now.
Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support.
The light of day
We are currently sitting at our friends's house south of Fort Worth, waiting (impatiently) to see what the damage is. It looks like the worst of the storm passed well to the east of the Houston area -- good for us, not so good for those in the vicinity of Beaumont, TX. My college roommate lives over there, so we are obviously eager for news.
Our answering machine is not picking up at the house, so we're assuming power is out for us. Apparently three quarters of a million customers are currently without power in the area, so our situation is not unusual. We don't know much else, although what I can infer from the news coverage leads me to believe that we avoided flooding as well. So as long as there are no fires, looters, broken windows, or other wind damage, we should be OK!
The big concern now is how to get home. All local officials have said "Don't come home yet!" The concern is that there is no gas, power, food, or reliable police/fire/medical service in the evacuated areas. I don't want to rush to get home and end up putting the family in danger again. I also don't want to be part of the problem from a public safety perspective. So we're waiting to see how things develop.
Kim just got off the phone with a relative from the Houston area who says that things are looking good down there, and that communities to the north of ours are being cleared to return.
We will update again when we know more.
Our answering machine is not picking up at the house, so we're assuming power is out for us. Apparently three quarters of a million customers are currently without power in the area, so our situation is not unusual. We don't know much else, although what I can infer from the news coverage leads me to believe that we avoided flooding as well. So as long as there are no fires, looters, broken windows, or other wind damage, we should be OK!
The big concern now is how to get home. All local officials have said "Don't come home yet!" The concern is that there is no gas, power, food, or reliable police/fire/medical service in the evacuated areas. I don't want to rush to get home and end up putting the family in danger again. I also don't want to be part of the problem from a public safety perspective. So we're waiting to see how things develop.
Kim just got off the phone with a relative from the Houston area who says that things are looking good down there, and that communities to the north of ours are being cleared to return.
We will update again when we know more.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Evacuation: Running from Rita
For those of you who are interested, I’d like to see if I can give you a summary of our lives over the past few days. It really started on Sunday, soon after I arrived in Madison, Wisconsin for a conference which was to have lasted until Thursday. We started hearing about the tropical storms that were out in the Atlantic, as they almost always are at this time of year. By Monday morning, it was becoming clear that one of those storms might mean business. Several members of our group carry Blackberry email devices, so we were able to track the evolution of the storm regularly throughout the day. By Monday night, it was pretty clear that we would probably need to come home, but we weren’t ready to pull the trigger yet. I’ve never personally been though this before, but I trusted that the rest of the group knew when it was time to go. We met first thing Tuesday morning and decided that the time had definitely come to get home. Midwest Airlines allowed us to change our flights free of charge. While on the phone with Midwest, one guy in our group asked what their hurricane policy was. The operator checked with her manager, then said, “We don’t have a hurricane policy.” Our group spokesman said that now was an excellent time to develop such a policy, and he had a few suggestions to offer! We were on the road to the airport within the hour.
By the time I got home later that day, things were in a bit of an uproar. Kim had very wisely been working hard all the previous day to collect supplies and prepare for possible evacuation. She pulled together all of our critical documents, photocopied licenses, packed clothes and toys for the boys, and so on. She had also gotten water and fueled up the cars. This was a great move, because by the end of the day there was no bottled water in any store and gas stations were running dry. It was becoming clear that we were going to have to leave town, and soon. I initially thought about leaving early Wednesday morning, but as we worked on the house it became clear that we would never be ready in time. We moved as many items as we could up to the second floor (or at least up off the ground on the first floor). It was a very strange and melancholy experience trying to picture the house filled with water and move things appropriately. We also had to consider what would happen if some of the windows blow out or if part of the roof gives way. Not a fun thing to do by any means. We got to bed after midnight, and got up 6 hours later, unable to sleep any longer.
We still had a lot of work to do, but knew that we had to get out as soon as we could. We chose lunchtime as our target. We had been working under the assumption that we would probably go to Kim’s aunt’s house on the west side of Houston. But as we looked at the evolving weather situation, it began to dawn on us that we needed to get farther away. We knew from making some calls the day before that there were literally no hotel rooms available anywhere in this gigantic state between Houston and El Paso, hundreds of miles to the west, and Dallas, several hundred miles to the north. Campgrounds were similarly booked. Fortunately, some friends of ours recently moved up to the Fort Worth area, normally about a 5 hour drive to the north. After some heavy consideration, we made this our goal. We talked to our friends, who readily agreed to welcome us into their home for as long as we needed shelter. We got everything out into the vehicles and were on the road by 12:30. We took both cars, not knowing if I would need to return earlier for work. We also took the trailer, both to provide us with shelter in a pinch and also because we can’t really afford to replace it. We locked up the house, took a last look, and hit the road.
Although traffic was fairly heavy, we were pleasantly surprised to get onto I-45 (the major north-south artery) without too much trouble. We moved along slowly but steadily, taking about two hours to get up into Houston (normally about a 30-minute trip). Things even opened up for awhile and we were able to cover a few miles at 55 mph. This was soon to change, unfortunately. Toward the middle of Houston, we slowed to a pace of 5-10 miles per hour. You have all experienced this in rush-hour situations, and you always have the feeling that things will open up soon. This time, it never did. We averaged 10 miles per hour for the next 6 to 7 hours. Other than a short stop on the north side of Houston to give Benjamin a bottle and pee in the woods at the side of the road, we were unable to stop. North of Houston, all on-ramps to the highway were blocked to help encourage the smooth flow of traffic out of the danger area. If we got off the highway for any reason, we would be unable to get back on. We had to pull over to the side once to try to feed Benjamin, who was not feeling well and was consequently not eating or drinking much of anything. Sometime between 7:30 and 8 pm, we realized we were never going to make it to Fort Worth. Benjamin and Samuel had been in the car for over 8 hours straight. Benjamin seemed to be taking a turn for the worse, alternately screaming/crying and laying limply in his carseat. He had had one wet diaper all day, which any in the medical field will recognize as a danger sign. We were coming up on Huntsville, which was the site of the first hurricane shelter. We decided to see if we could use the shelter for one night, then continue on to our destination in the morning.
We stopped at the weigh station that was being used as a staging area for the shelter. Several buses were already there, but we got in and out within ten minutes. Because we had the cats, they directed use first to the local animal shelter, since they weren’t taking animals at the hurricane shelter. We drove for 15 minutes on unlit country roads and finally arrived at the animal shelter, which was just past a sign that said “warning: flood area”. Great. We pulled into the shelter parking lot, and immediately realized that we were in trouble. We were the only car in the parking lot. The door was locked and the lights were off—the animal shelter was closed. Super. On to plan B, which was to head for the hurricane shelter itself. After 10 minutes of driving and one wrong turn, we got to a gas station a couple of blocks from the shelter. We filled up the cars (big relief there—we were both at half a tank after a day of creeping along the highway), then got out to stretch our legs. Benjamin perked up and actually took some bread and a little formula. As we were hanging around having a snack, we decided that we just couldn’t take the boys to the shelter. The reality of sleeping in a shelter-type situation overcame our fatigue and we started to brainstorm again. Looking at the map, we saw that we were still too far to make it to Fort Worth that night. Then Kim remembered that our next door neighbor had gone to stay with relatives in Corsicana, about 2 hours north. We called, and they immediately agreed to take us in for the night. Renewed, we hit the road again. It took us a little time to get north of the blocked on ramps, but eventually we got back on the highway. The rest of the trip is a little blurry, but we finally pulled into the right neighborhood around 11:30 pm. Benjamin and Samuel had a little something to eat and then went right to bed. Kim and I got some essentials out of the car, then gave Katie a quick bath since she had urinated in her cage and was sopping wet. I can only say that she enjoyed this even less than we did. We all got to bed at around 1 am.
The next morning (Thursday), we all got up and had a good breakfast. Hats off to our hosts, who took us in without even knowing us, and to our neighbors. You really saved our lives! After a good shower and change of clothes, we were off. Traffic was very light, and we breezed through the 2-hour drive to our destination just south of Fort Worth. We spent the day moving things into the house and getting settled in for a few days of waiting for the storm. Although still not 100%, Benjamin is feeling much better. Samuel has a few new toys to play with (they were supposed to be Christmas presents, but they give him something entertaining to do). Kim and I are tired but recovering.
As I write this, we are still uncertain whether the storm will hit our neighborhood directly or if we will be spared the full fury of the hurricane. Water is already starting to rise down on Galveston. Regular messages from UTMB coworkers indicate that they have had quite an adventure over the last few days, evacuating first the patients and then all but a handful of employees. The last employees except for a skeleton crew were flown out of Galveston this morning on a C-130 transport to Dallas. Maybe I should have volunteered to stick around after all…!
We have been watching the news all day. People are stuck on highways all over southeastern Texas. Some are stranded because they ran out of gas, others have just been creeping through traffic for hours. As I see this on the TV, the reality comes crashing home that we could have easily been delayed in our leaving, or run out of gas, or have experienced mechanical troubles, or any of a dozen other things. Everywhere people are trying to get to safety while hoping that the storm will turn aside at the last minute. Shelters are opening up closer and closer to Houston as officials realize that they just need to get people off the roads and into a setting where they can be protected from the worst of the hurricane’s effects. National Guard trucks are roaming the major highways, trying to get gas and water to the stranded people who need it. I am so thankful that we got here safely.
I want to thank all of you for your calls, your emails, and your prayers. I will try to keep you updated on our progress. Please continue to pray for all the millions of people who will be affected by the storm.
By the time I got home later that day, things were in a bit of an uproar. Kim had very wisely been working hard all the previous day to collect supplies and prepare for possible evacuation. She pulled together all of our critical documents, photocopied licenses, packed clothes and toys for the boys, and so on. She had also gotten water and fueled up the cars. This was a great move, because by the end of the day there was no bottled water in any store and gas stations were running dry. It was becoming clear that we were going to have to leave town, and soon. I initially thought about leaving early Wednesday morning, but as we worked on the house it became clear that we would never be ready in time. We moved as many items as we could up to the second floor (or at least up off the ground on the first floor). It was a very strange and melancholy experience trying to picture the house filled with water and move things appropriately. We also had to consider what would happen if some of the windows blow out or if part of the roof gives way. Not a fun thing to do by any means. We got to bed after midnight, and got up 6 hours later, unable to sleep any longer.
We still had a lot of work to do, but knew that we had to get out as soon as we could. We chose lunchtime as our target. We had been working under the assumption that we would probably go to Kim’s aunt’s house on the west side of Houston. But as we looked at the evolving weather situation, it began to dawn on us that we needed to get farther away. We knew from making some calls the day before that there were literally no hotel rooms available anywhere in this gigantic state between Houston and El Paso, hundreds of miles to the west, and Dallas, several hundred miles to the north. Campgrounds were similarly booked. Fortunately, some friends of ours recently moved up to the Fort Worth area, normally about a 5 hour drive to the north. After some heavy consideration, we made this our goal. We talked to our friends, who readily agreed to welcome us into their home for as long as we needed shelter. We got everything out into the vehicles and were on the road by 12:30. We took both cars, not knowing if I would need to return earlier for work. We also took the trailer, both to provide us with shelter in a pinch and also because we can’t really afford to replace it. We locked up the house, took a last look, and hit the road.
Although traffic was fairly heavy, we were pleasantly surprised to get onto I-45 (the major north-south artery) without too much trouble. We moved along slowly but steadily, taking about two hours to get up into Houston (normally about a 30-minute trip). Things even opened up for awhile and we were able to cover a few miles at 55 mph. This was soon to change, unfortunately. Toward the middle of Houston, we slowed to a pace of 5-10 miles per hour. You have all experienced this in rush-hour situations, and you always have the feeling that things will open up soon. This time, it never did. We averaged 10 miles per hour for the next 6 to 7 hours. Other than a short stop on the north side of Houston to give Benjamin a bottle and pee in the woods at the side of the road, we were unable to stop. North of Houston, all on-ramps to the highway were blocked to help encourage the smooth flow of traffic out of the danger area. If we got off the highway for any reason, we would be unable to get back on. We had to pull over to the side once to try to feed Benjamin, who was not feeling well and was consequently not eating or drinking much of anything. Sometime between 7:30 and 8 pm, we realized we were never going to make it to Fort Worth. Benjamin and Samuel had been in the car for over 8 hours straight. Benjamin seemed to be taking a turn for the worse, alternately screaming/crying and laying limply in his carseat. He had had one wet diaper all day, which any in the medical field will recognize as a danger sign. We were coming up on Huntsville, which was the site of the first hurricane shelter. We decided to see if we could use the shelter for one night, then continue on to our destination in the morning.
We stopped at the weigh station that was being used as a staging area for the shelter. Several buses were already there, but we got in and out within ten minutes. Because we had the cats, they directed use first to the local animal shelter, since they weren’t taking animals at the hurricane shelter. We drove for 15 minutes on unlit country roads and finally arrived at the animal shelter, which was just past a sign that said “warning: flood area”. Great. We pulled into the shelter parking lot, and immediately realized that we were in trouble. We were the only car in the parking lot. The door was locked and the lights were off—the animal shelter was closed. Super. On to plan B, which was to head for the hurricane shelter itself. After 10 minutes of driving and one wrong turn, we got to a gas station a couple of blocks from the shelter. We filled up the cars (big relief there—we were both at half a tank after a day of creeping along the highway), then got out to stretch our legs. Benjamin perked up and actually took some bread and a little formula. As we were hanging around having a snack, we decided that we just couldn’t take the boys to the shelter. The reality of sleeping in a shelter-type situation overcame our fatigue and we started to brainstorm again. Looking at the map, we saw that we were still too far to make it to Fort Worth that night. Then Kim remembered that our next door neighbor had gone to stay with relatives in Corsicana, about 2 hours north. We called, and they immediately agreed to take us in for the night. Renewed, we hit the road again. It took us a little time to get north of the blocked on ramps, but eventually we got back on the highway. The rest of the trip is a little blurry, but we finally pulled into the right neighborhood around 11:30 pm. Benjamin and Samuel had a little something to eat and then went right to bed. Kim and I got some essentials out of the car, then gave Katie a quick bath since she had urinated in her cage and was sopping wet. I can only say that she enjoyed this even less than we did. We all got to bed at around 1 am.
The next morning (Thursday), we all got up and had a good breakfast. Hats off to our hosts, who took us in without even knowing us, and to our neighbors. You really saved our lives! After a good shower and change of clothes, we were off. Traffic was very light, and we breezed through the 2-hour drive to our destination just south of Fort Worth. We spent the day moving things into the house and getting settled in for a few days of waiting for the storm. Although still not 100%, Benjamin is feeling much better. Samuel has a few new toys to play with (they were supposed to be Christmas presents, but they give him something entertaining to do). Kim and I are tired but recovering.
As I write this, we are still uncertain whether the storm will hit our neighborhood directly or if we will be spared the full fury of the hurricane. Water is already starting to rise down on Galveston. Regular messages from UTMB coworkers indicate that they have had quite an adventure over the last few days, evacuating first the patients and then all but a handful of employees. The last employees except for a skeleton crew were flown out of Galveston this morning on a C-130 transport to Dallas. Maybe I should have volunteered to stick around after all…!
We have been watching the news all day. People are stuck on highways all over southeastern Texas. Some are stranded because they ran out of gas, others have just been creeping through traffic for hours. As I see this on the TV, the reality comes crashing home that we could have easily been delayed in our leaving, or run out of gas, or have experienced mechanical troubles, or any of a dozen other things. Everywhere people are trying to get to safety while hoping that the storm will turn aside at the last minute. Shelters are opening up closer and closer to Houston as officials realize that they just need to get people off the roads and into a setting where they can be protected from the worst of the hurricane’s effects. National Guard trucks are roaming the major highways, trying to get gas and water to the stranded people who need it. I am so thankful that we got here safely.
I want to thank all of you for your calls, your emails, and your prayers. I will try to keep you updated on our progress. Please continue to pray for all the millions of people who will be affected by the storm.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Yipes!
As I'm sure many of you know, we appear to have attracted the attention of Rita, a surly mass of air out in the gulf. I am afraid this one looks set to wallop us. We are packing to evacuate tomorrow to the house of some friends in the Fort Worth area. We are going to be fine, but we're a little sad about the prospect of damage to our home. Spirits remain high, though, so please don't worry. Our primary contact person is Kim's mom, but we will be updating all the parents as we have a chance.
Friday, September 09, 2005
A lighter note
I had the good fortune of visiting Tim, Jen, and Nicholas this past weekend (along with Nate, Andersen, and Mom & Dad). Since they are avid gamers (not Nicholas yet, although confidence is high), I got to play games a lot.
We played one of my old favorites, Bohnanza, which you must try if you have any gaming inclinations at all. I also got to try a game that I have been waiting years to play: Robo Rally. It was worth the wait. Fast play, lots of variety, and plenty of interaction with the other players. Oh, and I won a game, which always helps. Team Mast will need to add this one to the collection.
We played one of my old favorites, Bohnanza, which you must try if you have any gaming inclinations at all. I also got to try a game that I have been waiting years to play: Robo Rally. It was worth the wait. Fast play, lots of variety, and plenty of interaction with the other players. Oh, and I won a game, which always helps. Team Mast will need to add this one to the collection.
After the Storm
The aftermath of hurricane Katrina has been a revelation for Team Mast. Since the water hit New Orleans, everything in this part of the country has taken a back seat to the evacuees and the relief effort. As I write this, Kim is up at the Reliant Center volunteering at the shelter. She went up last night as well--she spent the evening answering phones, stacking cots, and duct-taping supplies in bundles for transportation. She has also helped organize some of her friends' efforts. She took two others with her tonight, in fact.
Down at work, we've been seeing lots of displaced folks from the flooded areas. The medical staff have been working overtime to staff the local Red Cross shelter, and the institution as a whole is abuzz with relief efforts.
As we try to do what we can for the people affected by the storm, there's always one nagging thought in the back of our minds: it could have been us. Sure, we don't have the bad geography that has landed New Orleans in such trouble, but a category 4 would flatten our area just as surely as it did in Biloxi. It's always unnerving to realize how tenuous our comfort zone is. Kim and I have been giving thought to our disaster plan so that we will be prepared if we have the misfortune of being in the path of a future storm.
If you have the ability and opportunity to help the Red Cross or another relief organization (read: $$$), please do so. These people really need it. Thanks!
Down at work, we've been seeing lots of displaced folks from the flooded areas. The medical staff have been working overtime to staff the local Red Cross shelter, and the institution as a whole is abuzz with relief efforts.
As we try to do what we can for the people affected by the storm, there's always one nagging thought in the back of our minds: it could have been us. Sure, we don't have the bad geography that has landed New Orleans in such trouble, but a category 4 would flatten our area just as surely as it did in Biloxi. It's always unnerving to realize how tenuous our comfort zone is. Kim and I have been giving thought to our disaster plan so that we will be prepared if we have the misfortune of being in the path of a future storm.
If you have the ability and opportunity to help the Red Cross or another relief organization (read: $$$), please do so. These people really need it. Thanks!
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