Hurricane Harvey and Texas

I'll pin this to the bottom later, but a quick reminder that www.frugaltexasgal.com is now richlyretired.blogspot.com. I figure those key words may help rest the sysem since Blogger cannot!

Hi everyone.  Please  know that the best way to support people in a disaster is to give money. Period. I say that as a woman who makes blankets for homeless kids and so on and so forth. LATER, when this terrible tragedy is over, and folks have been relocated will be the time to send loveys and all those other "It makes me feel better, too" kind of things. Now, money. Via the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, your religious organization of choice, or an Austin area or Dallas area dog rescue organization (cruel as it sounds it is often not realistic to house animals with people who are cheek to jowl, plus there are many animals separated from their owners).  And yes, ten bucks does make a difference.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/hurricane-harvey-victims/story?id=49451305

A week and a half ago, I was heading north from the greater Dallas area.  I had visited the middle of Texas to see my sister in law-who was headed out on a cruise from Galveston two days later.  The rest of the family I visited was in the Dallas area, and I did not take the time to travel either to Houston (to visit my husband's brother and his wife), nor did I travel to the area of Rockport/Corpus Christie-my perfect place to snowbird next year.  

 I did know that there was a storm coming, but at that point no one knew how bad it could get. That weekend, frankly, I was still reflecting on my trip, other issues in the news or elsewhere.  Since then, things have changed. I am blessed to be able to say that my brother-in-law and his wife have temporarily relocated to North Carolina. Their home (custom built by them a few years ago) is in Houston proper, and is probably going to be waist deep in water before the end of the week (Texas has no basements). But they are alive, healthy, and out of harms way.

My husband's sister is alive, healthy, and not quite so lucky.  While she does not come from the Houston area, she left on a cruise out of Galveston harbor and was due in Saturday.The cruise ship's first fall back action was to dock in New Orleans and restock (none of that cruise ship bad press this time about no food or water), and let the passengers off long enough that they could walk around the waterfront in New Orleans.  Then, back to sea (somewhere). I'm honestly not sure if they do this because it is cheaper than docking in Miami and sending folks home, or it's a safety issue. Either way, I have no idea how much longer they will be in the gulf-or if they will be able to travel the roads when they finally land.

My daughter is happy, healthy and will probably see some rain. And has gotten so many questions about her health and well being that she and her husband actually put this map on Facebook, reminding her friends that this was not Colorado, nor Virginia, but Texas. A state that takes twelve hours do drive across. The distance from her home to the outer north edges of Houston is five hours-autobahn style. So she will certainly see heavy rains, but as she also lives much further above sea level, anything other than temporary street flooding is not really happening. Her home is further north than the Dallas circle on the map. And again, she also lived through Hurrican Ivan.  

Now, Houston. And Rockport. And Galveston. There are no words. The rain will leave up to fifty standing inches by the time it is done. (Believe me folks, a moving storm is almost always better result.  Pray you storm moves rather than stays in one place) This Harvey fellow looks like he will do more damage even than the Galveston hurricane of the 1990s, if you believe the experts. Because there are more people, the storm has stayed where it is and for so man more reasons. Fortunately in the long term my family will be all right. But so many more will not.

If you can imagine, New Orleans in the Katrina era was less than five hundred thousand people. The greater Houston area, on the other hand has two and a half million. Two and a half million people. With a single, dedicated, two and three lane interstate out of town. Which is why I am not screaming about mandatory evacuation and know for a fact that it is not only the poor and downtrodden left in the city. Imagine two and a half million people. Stranded on  an interstate on the Texas coast. With water moving to fifty inches.

And one final thought folks. Especially for those of you who are brave, lazy or have never lived in a storm area.  If you think something is coming, go. Go. If you went for no reason, paid for a hotel and came home safely, go the next time. And if you go for no reason, paid for a hotel or staid with friends and came home safely? Go again. Because the next time, might be like Hugo (ask the Carolinian among the group). Or like Ivan, when my daughter lived on a Caribbean island. Or like Katrina. Or like Harvey. People in the path of tornadoes and earthquakes rarely have a true warning (and it seems they can happen anywhere). With storms, 90 percent of the time you have advance warnings .  So go. Trust me.