wiegie Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 At the start of my comparative economic systems class yesterday, I asked my students if the federal government should provide relief aid to people who were financially harmed by Ike. (I then rephrased the question as: Should the government forcibly take money from you and use it to subsidize people who choose to live in hurricane-prone regions.) A few people started answering the question and then one girl said 'What's the point... no matter what we say, you are going to say that the answer is 'no.'" I just chuckled and told them I was trying to get them to think critically about the situation. (I then asked if other people from around the country should be required to give us money in the winter to help us clear our roads of snow.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 I think the countries in Africa should give us money and aid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 Our power has been off since about 10:15 am, so we went to my parents house, because they have a generator large enough to run the entire house. They just had a 60' oak tree blown over in their back yard. They were real lucky, it couldn't have fallen in a better place. It fell right between the pergola and the boat house. We have about 30-35 mph sustained winds with 50-55 mph gusts. Since I live out in the sticks, I'll probably be one fo the last ones to get my power restored. Hopefully I'll have power in a few days. The lake that mom and dad live on has some major white caps on it. It looks like an ocean. I'm hoping their pontoon boat doesn't break its lines. The other boat should be safe. Hopefully when I go home I won't find any trees where they aren't supposed to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxfactor Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 I hope all is as well as it can be. My prayers are still with all of you in Texas and other areas that will ultimately see the effects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big F'n Dave Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 That sucked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 (edited) So far were good here, but some in our area are flooding big time. 6"+ in our town so far. A little prayer for the mid-westerners is in order. Hope all is well with yall. GIL??? Chavez?? Wiegie?? Puddy?? CL?? et al. Edit for: This is officially the most rain Chi has ever seen in one day! 6.33" as of now. Edited September 13, 2008 by rocknrobn26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 So far were good here, but some in our area are flooding big time. 6"+ in our town so far. A little prayer for the mid-westerners is in order. Hope all is well with yall. GIL??? Chavez?? Wiegie?? Puddy?? CL?? et al. Edit for: This is officially the most rain Chi has ever seen in one day! 6.33" as of now. It's been raining since yesterday here, but nothing too too major. I'll check the rain-gauge tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajncajn Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 At the start of my comparative economic systems class yesterday, I asked my students if the federal government should provide relief aid to people who were financially harmed by Ike. (I then rephrased the question as: Should the government forcibly take money from you and use it to subsidize people who choose to live in hurricane-prone regions.) A few people started answering the question and then one girl said 'What's the point... no matter what we say, you are going to say that the answer is 'no.'" I just chuckled and told them I was trying to get them to think critically about the situation. (I then asked if other people from around the country should be required to give us money in the winter to help us clear our roads of snow.) If you're going to ask the question you should ask it of all natural disasters in the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Roller Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 (edited) Our power has been off since about 10:15 am, so we went to my parents house, because they have a generator large enough to run the entire house. They just had a 60' oak tree blown over in their back yard. They were real lucky, it couldn't have fallen in a better place. It fell right between the pergola and the boat house. We have about 30-35 mph sustained winds with 50-55 mph gusts. Since I live out in the sticks, I'll probably be one fo the last ones to get my power restored. Hopefully I'll have power in a few days. The lake that mom and dad live on has some major white caps on it. It looks like an ocean. I'm hoping their pontoon boat doesn't break its lines. The other boat should be safe. Hopefully when I go home I won't find any trees where they aren't supposed to be. I'm going next door to help the neighbor (my son) cut up a 40' maple that keeled over last night in his front yard. If the tree had fallen to the east instead of west it would have gone right thru his living room. We are counting our blessings big time. It didn't even blow that hard (I thought) here in mid-MO. Keep dry you all. And of course now the sun comes out... Edited September 14, 2008 by The Holy Roller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 (edited) If you're going to ask the question you should ask it of all natural disasters in the US. Actually, I did. I just used Ike to motivate the question, but I then went on to talk about tornado and earthquake-prone regions as well. (And then I went on to ask if there was a difference between natural disasters that could be reasonably expected to occur in particular areas and one's that nobody could have really foreseen happening (using the example of unexpected locust plagues that hit the plains states in the 1800s).) (And I also talked about how there might be market failures if insurance companies refused to pay for damages that people thought would be covered.) Edited September 14, 2008 by wiegie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egret Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 It's been raining since yesterday here, but nothing too too major. I'll check the rain-gauge tomorrow. Nothing too major as long as your sump pump is working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilthorp Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 So far were good here, but some in our area are flooding big time. 6"+ in our town so far. A little prayer for the mid-westerners is in order. Hope all is well with yall. GIL??? Chavez?? Wiegie?? Puddy?? CL?? et al. Edit for: This is officially the most rain Chi has ever seen in one day! 6.33" as of now. Basement flooded yesterday...saw it at 6:00AM and for some reason the pump wasn't working, so it was all seepage. What a pain in the ass. Now Ike is feeding what was started yesterday and we're getting a constant rain. Still can't figure why the pump wasn't on. Wondering if it blew a fuse or something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaumont Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 Update - we are fine, some damage to our home (fences down, roof damage, water penatration w/ door blown open -- no biggies). My in-laws beach house is sticks in the water ... Enjoying San Antonio and will be in touch every once in a while ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 Update - we are fine, some damage to our home (fences down, roof damage, water penatration w/ door blown open -- no biggies). glad to hear it and a lot more glad that the only damage we are talking about is property and not to you or your family Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Roller Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 glad to hear it and a lot more glad that the only damage we are talking about is property and not to you or your family Absolutely and Amen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 Basement flooded yesterday...saw it at 6:00AM and for some reason the pump wasn't working, so it was all seepage. What a pain in the ass. Now Ike is feeding what was started yesterday and we're getting a constant rain. Still can't figure why the pump wasn't on. Wondering if it blew a fuse or something... Gil, I just had a backup system installed. Most plumbers were quoting $1K or more. Found a very reasonable plumber who installed a $450 BU pump for $210. $660...not bad. For that price they also removed and took away my water softener. Very nice, neat job. The nice thing about this pump is, it will kick in even if there is power and the main pump can't handle it. If you want the info, let me know. The DuPage river by me over flowed the bridge (Geneva Road) so it was out last night. Beau, Glad all of you are at least safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 Nothing too major as long as your sump pump is working. Interestingly enough, yesterday my wife noticed that there was water pouring out of a hole in our neighbor's house. I explained to her that this was their sump-pump working. That got me to thinking and I went downstairs to look at our sump-pump--and to my suprise our sump-pump well was still bone-dry. (Unless someone wants to tell me a reason to think otherwise, it was a happy surprise.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 We tried to see what if any damage there was last night after the worst of it blew through, but couldn't get home because of downed trees across the one road into our neighborhood. I'm now at home, with no damage, and unbelievably the power is already back on. Just some clean up in the yard. Dad is paying $1800 to have the tree that fell in his back yard removed. He is probably over paying, but the guy could get to it today, and they are having a big party for my grandfather's 90th on Friday, so he wanted it removed asap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilthorp Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 glad to hear everyone is safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABearWithFurniture Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Wow...the Bolivar penisula just east of Galveston is basically gone...the towns of Point Bolivar, Crystal Beach, and Gilchrist are no more. Several thousand people are still missing. A lot of people who stayed in their homes said they had to leave not just because of the water, but the snakes, gators, and cows that came in with it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Wow...the Bolivar penisula just east of Galveston is basically gone...the towns of Point Bolivar, Crystal Beach, and Gilchrist are no more. Several thousand people are still missing. A lot of people who stayed in their homes said they had to leave not just because of the water, but the snakes, gators, and cows that came in with it... Was just down there a few months ago for a little music festival, and was going to make that trip a yearly event. Guess it's not gonna happen next year. Still a little windy here in ATX, but I guess we didn't get much rain at all (just got home last night). Meh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABearWithFurniture Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 (edited) Yeah, I spent many a summer at that beach...lot's of friends and their parents still had cabins there. Mostly sticks/wood sticking up out of the water now...here's some pics some friends of friends posted Crystal Beach, TX...or what's left of it As for Austin...pretty much missed us completely. The winds picked up Saturday afternoon for awhile but the gusts never really got that big...got about 2 minutes of rain late Saturday night... Edited September 15, 2008 by ABearWithFurniture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Yeah, I spent many a summer at that beach...lot's of friends and their parents still had cabins there. Mostly sticks/wood sticking up out of the water now...here's some pics some friends of friends posted Crystal Beach, TX...or what's left of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsfan Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 No kidding. It is a freakin mess down here. Just got power back, and shockingly the cable worked. I live on the highest point in League City and another foot of surge, we would have been part of the lake. Clear Lake Shores and Kemah, less than 1/2 mile from my house are completely decimated. We have enough food, water and gas to last the week, so we should be fine. The schools, businesses, grocery stores, all are closed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiley Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Sorry to hear everything. I can only imagine how bad things were. Ike came through St. Louis yesterday (no, not a typo) and flooded the crap out of all the small to medium waterways. The 1st floor of my office was under 2 feet of water and is currently being stripped and cleaned by a waste disposal company. Just plain nuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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