Ike

[rickyratsmom]

I got caught (accidentally ) in hurricane Rita. That was the worst experience I have ever been through!!! We got caught because the storm was supposed to go into High Island and instead went up the Sabine River. Well by the time we realized that the storm had followed us it was late, dark and too late to go anywhere. There was also no where to go . So we rode the storm out in an old one room camp house in Kinder, La. It was horrible, just horrible!! So now we wait and watch and hope that we will get better information than we did with Rita. I just wish I knew if I should go, where I should go?? As for going to Beaumont bad idea that is on the bad side of the storm if it makes landfall anywhere near Houston. Trust me I know, that is where I am!!! Lets just all pray it picks a nice uninhabited area to make landfall, where the only things that get hurt are a few cactus!!

 

[4greatboys]

ok im freakin out i finally found a hotel room in dallas i was on the phone for 3 hrs well i am really getting nervous. texas just waits to long to make mandatory evacuations ,so that is why the highways are bumper to bumper and also the people who panic and freak out and leave when they don't have a mandatory evacuation.

Is your part of the island on mandatory evac yet? I saw on the news the west end was.

That whole Rita fiasco is the main reason we don't want to evac. I will if the storm is a 4 or 5 but other than that I'm staying here.

 

[Camping Cat]

If you can, leave very early. For Gustav, we left Saturday morning around 8:30 and it only took us a little over 2 hours to get to Hattiesburg. Our neighbors left in the afternoon and it took them 5 1/2 just to get to Picayune, not nearly as far as Hattiesburg. My husband was right about leaving early....although I hate to tell him that...hehe.

 

[sheilarose2]

Well guys, I am in Angleton which is about 15 miles from Freeport(on the coast). My husband works at one of the plants in Freeport and he HAS to be at work at 5:30am and stay til 5:30pm-my county(Brazoria) has a mandatory evacuation by 8:00am in the morning! I don't plan on leaving with out him although I may not have a choice since I have my kids to think about. I am 80% positive that when we get back my house will be full of water and it is tearing me up right now to even think about it!!! All I can do is walk from room to room and I start to cry! The winds and rain that is predicted is unbelievable. My husband just went up to the convience store by our house to get a drink and there is a couple there that have a trailer loaded down and they have a flat with NO spare so he comes home and gets the one we have and is taking it to them and helping them change it! I dread all the we are about to go through.I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Please say prayers for all of us down here please!
Thanks!
sheilarose2

 

[4greatboys]

Well guys, I am in Angleton which is about 15 miles from Freeport(on the coast). My husband works at one of the plants in Freeport and he HAS to be at work at 5:30am and stay til 5:30pm-my county(Brazoria) has a mandatory evacuation by 8:00am in the morning! I don't plan on leaving with out him although I may not have a choice since I have my kids to think about. I am 80% positive that when we get back my house will be full of water and it is tearing me up right now to even think about it!!! All I can do is walk from room to room and I start to cry! The winds and rain that is predicted is unbelievable. My husband just went up to the convience store by our house to get a drink and there is a couple there that have a trailer loaded down and they have a flat with NO spare so he comes home and gets the one we have and is taking it to them and helping them change it! I dread all the we are about to go through.I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Please say prayers for all of us down here please!
Thanks!
sheilarose2

Good luck to you guys. My husband has to work tomorrow and they haven't said anything about letting them off on Friday.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Yikes....good luck you guys.

 

[yankeechick]

Is your part of the island on mandatory evac yet? I saw on the news the west end was.

That whole Rita fiasco is the main reason we don't want to evac. I will if the storm is a 4 or 5 but other than that I'm staying here.

yes, i live on the west- end

 

[rickyratsmom]

I know how you feel, both of my sons work at plants and are first responders and cannot leave. I am so worried about them having to stay, especially my son Dihlon who has a wife and 2 little babies 26 months and 8 months, This is really scary, Rita all over again!! God bless and take care. I did what you are doing before Rita and made peace with the fact that I might be homeless. But homes are just wood and cement. It is our family that really matters. Take care of the family!! Homes can be repaired or replaced, our loved ones can't!!

 

[TigerKat]

I am 80% positive that when we get back my house will be full of water and it is tearing me up right now to even think about it!!! All I can do is walk from room to room and I start to cry! The winds and rain that is predicted is unbelievable. My husband just went up to the convience store by our house to get a drink and there is a couple there that have a trailer loaded down and they have a flat with NO spare so he comes home and gets the one we have and is taking it to them and helping them change it! I dread all the we are about to go through.I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Please say prayers for all of us down here please!
Thanks!
sheilarose2

I understand exactly how you're feeling. You described how I felt before we left for Gustav. My neighborhood was predicted to be under water and I just knew I was going to lose everything. God blessed us my friend, no water, no damage. I'll keep you and all in Ike's path in my prayers.

 

[TigerKat]

If you can, leave very early. For Gustav, we left Saturday morning around 8:30 and it only took us a little over 2 hours to get to Hattiesburg. Our neighbors left in the afternoon and it took them 5 1/2 just to get to Picayune, not nearly as far as Hattiesburg. My husband was right about leaving early....although I hate to tell him that...hehe.

This is so true everyone, leave early if you can. We left Sunday morning and it took us 10 hours to go 120 miles.

 

[adaygaby]

take care everyone...

I'll be leaving this afternoon.

 

[Shutterbug]

IKE IS A LARGE TROPICAL CYCLONE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES...185 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 255 MILES...410 KM.

 

[Jenvenza]

Good morning guys! There is still no mandatory evacuation for my part of Houston and my work is open, so here I am. Even thought they said 100mph winds in downtown and complete power outages. All of Beaumont is under a Mandatory evacuation now - and that is where we were going to go. It looks like Galveston and Houston might take a direct hit, but this thing could do exactly what Rita did. We have family up near Dallas, so if we have to leave tonight or tomorrow we will.

They actually made me feel a little bad on the news this morning about thinking about evacuating - They said dont clog the roads and let the people who might drown leave! Well, crap - I dont want to have that on my conscience!

We just have a 13 month old and just loved into an old house that has a BIG half dead tree in the back yard - so I dont want to be there if it comes down.

 

[TigerKat]

Good morning guys! There is still no mandatory evacuation for my part of Houston and my work is open, so here I am. Even thought they said 100mph winds in downtown and complete power outages. All of Beaumont is under a Mandatory evacuation now - and that is where we were going to go. It looks like Galveston and Houston might take a direct hit, but this thing could do exactly what Rita did. We have family up near Dallas, so if we have to leave tonight or tomorrow we will.

They actually made me feel a little bad on the news this morning about thinking about evacuating - They said dont clog the roads and let the people who might drown leave! Well, crap - I dont want to have that on my conscience!

We just have a 13 month old and just loved into an old house that has a BIG half dead tree in the back yard - so I dont want to be there if it comes down.

Don't you dare feel bad, get outa there!

 

[4greatboys]

My zip is one under mandatory evacuation now. However I think we are still staying. We have batteries, flashlights, bread and stuff like that.

Can you freeze milk?

 

[Juliegirl1]

Can you freeze milk?

You can definitely freeze milk. When you go to defrost it however, it may separate and all you have to do it shake it well. Defrost it completely before drinking it too.

I'm also staying put but I am not in an evacuation zone but my neighborhood does flood and our electricity goes out if a gnat farts. It's already gone out twice this week (we must be rehearsing for Ike) but luckily only stayed out for a few minutes. I'm actually at work right now and the powers that be are debating on whether or not we should come to work tomorrow.

One trick my mom taught me is to rearrange your freezer with the large items that will stay frozen longest towards the back (like turkeys and soup) and anything that will defrost quickly or go bad quicker if defrosted towards the front (like chicken breasts and bread). If the power goes out you can open the freezer and grab one thing quickly and work your way back without letting out too much of the cold air.

Don't forget to fill up your bathtubs with water too for flushing the toilets and you can always boil it if need be for cooking with. I'm lucky enough to have a gas stove but also have a camping propane grill and burner.

Good luck everyone - you are all in my prayers.

 

[TigerKat]

I'm also staying put but I am not in an evacuation zone but my neighborhood does flood and our electricity goes out if a gnat farts. It's already gone out twice this week (we must be rehearsing for Ike) but luckily only stayed out for a few minutes. I'm actually at work right now and the powers that be are debating on whether or not we should come to work tomorrow.

Stay safe.

 

[southurnmimi]

Just wanted to tell everyone that may be in the storm's path, please be safe and leave early. Even the aggravation of congested road is not worth losing your life of the life of a family member. Houses and possessions can be replaced, people cannot.

One little tip from our Katrina experiences, pack all the food in your freezer in garbage bags. As many as it takes. When you come back, if the electricity has been out, you can just grab the bags and toss.

We just did this for Gustav. I left one ice cream bar on the shelf. I figured if it was a frozen glob by the time I got back, I would know the power had been out. We were lucky. Power was only out for about 15 minutes according to our crazy neighbor who didn't leave. I'm still unpacking garbage bags, LOL, but trust me, if we had lost everything, it's a whole lot easier to toss bags and have all the mess contained.

Oh, and if you do lose power and have to clean the refrig and freezer, crumpled newspaper and charcoal bricks help with the odor. YOu will have to change everyday for a month or so, but you will eventually have a fresh smelling freezer again.

 

[TigerKat]

One little tip from our Katrina experiences, pack all the food in your freezer in garbage bags. As many as it takes. When you come back, if the electricity has been out, you can just grab the bags and toss.

Oh, and if you do lose power and have to clean the refrig and freezer, crumpled newspaper and charcoal bricks help with the odor. YOu will have to change everyday for a month or so, but you will eventually have a fresh smelling freezer again.

We did the garbage bags in the freezer and it was so much easier when we got home to toss them. GREAT TIP!!

 

[mom2disprincesses]

hope everyone stays safe.