Looks like I completely misjudged the impact of Hurricane Beryl on the greater Houston area. Beryl was officially a Category One hurricane when it came through Houston, so I downplayed its impact in my mind only to find that we are going to be feeling the impact of the storm for several more weeks. This one was not so much a rain event as it was a wind event, so there's that.
However, at its peak some 2.3 million people were without power, and around half of those folks are still without power - including my entire part of town. We have had no electricity since 9:15 a.m. Monday, and have been warned that it could be another week before we get it back. I'll leave it up to you guys to imagine what life is like in the high humidity aftermath of about 8 inches of rain and temperatures approaching the mid-nineties. Let's just say it's not pleasant.
So I spent the afternoon grilling meat before it could go bad from thawing out all at once, and inviting the three grandchildren over to share a big meal toward the end of the day. Until a couple of hours ago, we were completely cut off from the internet, television, email, text, etc. so it felt a little like living in the 1950s. Luckily, a kind neighbor loaned me some kind of battery inverter that should give us about eight hours of just enough power to plug in the fridge, a fan, and the net. When it gets dark, we'll opt for a lamp or two until the thing fizzles, and then we'll try to find a way to recharge the battery in the morning.
So just checking in. Unsure how much I'll be around, but wanted to let everyone know that things are going relatively well considering all the wind damage we had. The eye of the storm went almost exactly over the top of my house, and I'm impressed by what 75-85 mph winds can do.
I'll check in later...
Thanks, Sam. I do not follow weather at all, but I read your post about something coming, and then Tom told me about Texas, I got worried. Thank you for posting.
ReplyDeleteIt's all been kind of strange, Nan. Power outages bleed over into everything else about daily life...not just AC. Food supplies in stores are dwindling, water is hard to get hold of, gasoline is a problem because without electricity the pumps don't work, etc. It's going to be a real mess for a while.
DeleteI've been thinking of you and our other Houston-area blogging friends and am grateful for your update. Cooking all the frozen meats and inviting family for a meal is a great example of "when life gives you lemons..." I hope power is restored sooner than expected... it's going to be a long hurricane season. Take care.
ReplyDeleteYou're exactly right, JoAnn. This is very, very early for a storm to come this far up the Texas coast, so we have plenty of time left to get one or two more. Houston is such a wooded city that this kind of wind can really cause extensive damage. First they have to cut and clear all the fallen trees; then they can start to restore power. Tough job.
DeleteHigh winds always scare me. And I'm so sorry you're without power. I can't imagine being in that kind of heat and humidity without any AC. Hang in there! I hope and pray the electricity is restored soon.
ReplyDeleteNot even a hint yet when this area will be restored. People are getting really frustrated now that water and food on grocery store shelves is getting more and more scarce. Hopefully, trucks are on the way to restock everyone that's been able to open.
DeleteWhat a mess! It's the kind of situation you like to read about in a book but one you really don't want to live through in real life. Fingers crossed the trucks get through soon!
DeleteThese things always remind me how quickly and easily civilization can crumble into complete chaos. I'll update our status when I can, but I've already learned some things that I wish I'd thought of before the storm came through.
DeleteHope you get your power back soon- and find ways to stay cool. I'm always worried when we have such incidents at all the food spoiling. Glad to hear though it sounds like there were no injuries or damage to your home.
ReplyDeleteJeane, no power, but as you say, we are thankful that the house didn't suffer any damage this time around. Several of my friends were not so lucky. One lost two cars, his garage, and had extensive damage to his house from falling Oak trees within three hours of the storm. He's 81 years old and is really struggling right now.
DeleteThinking about you, Sam. Really sorry you're without power! I just hope it doesn't go on for too long. You take care!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cath. We are in Day Four of no power right now, with no promised end in sight. It's frustrating, but over a million of us are enduring it still, so hard to complain.
DeleteI am sorry to hear this Sam and I am hoping the power comes back on real soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathy. I haven't lost hope that we will get power back by the weekend...but I'm starting to think it's unlikely.
DeleteVery sorry to hear this, Sam. It sounds like you are coping well and have a very nice neighbor. It was good to get an update, so thanks for taking the time to do that. I will keep checking back here and hope to hear better news.
ReplyDeleteMy neighbor has really gone the extra mile, Tracy. Even though they have a relatively large generator going at his house, they have to shut down their AC while charging up the large inverters he keeps recycling for us here.
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