The Dugout - General Topics, Chat, Random Photos and Memes.......No Politics

[txbo]

Tell that to my in-laws in Houston, I’m the one who was ringing the alarm bells and they say no big deal. My father in law said it was headed toward Mexico and my sister in law didn’t even know about it yesterday!!! I was like, there’s a hurricane that’s going to hit here tomorrow, and she’s like, really? I swear, no exaggeration!

Sorry, but they are dumb. Don’t travel with dummies.

 

[Volprofch05]

Sorry, but they are dumb. Don’t travel with dummies.

Yep, definitely some screws loose. That’s why I’m thankful they live so far away. Just need to survive when I visit Houston.

 

[Drewbydoo]

It looks like Houston is not only going to get pounded by the hurricane, but the rotation is going to bring an incredible amount storm surge with it. I am amazed that more people in Houston didn't choose to evacuate before what looks like a probable direct hit.

I can only surmize that I'm missing something obvious that people in Houston know that I don't. For example, "the infrastructure is built for this type of event and can handle a large amount of rain, PLUS a large amount of storm surge.

Any thoughts?

 

[Volstylexx]

IAH Bush airport

We had family here from NY whose flight was canceled yesterday, their rebooked flight today also sat on the tarmac for 3 hours. You all were lucky to get out.

 

[Volstylexx]

It looks like Houston is not only going to get pounded by the hurricane, but the rotation is going to bring an incredible amount storm surge with it. I am amazed that more people in Houston didn't choose to evacuate before what looks like a probable direct hit.

I can only surmize that I'm missing something obvious that people in Houston know that I don't. For example, "the infrastructure is built for this type of event and can handle a large amount of rain, PLUS a large amount of storm surge.

Any thoughts?

I chuckled when I read “the infrastructure is built for this” heheh. We flood with regular thunderstorms but have been lucky over the (recent) years to avoid a direct hit from a hurricane. We moved here 7 years ago and this is the first hurricane to hit us. There was an article out a few years ago that talked about the apocalypse that would come with a direct hit from a major hurricane to Houston. The nations oil refineries are all in this area. We have been beyond lucky.

Most folks know of the devastation of Houston with Harvey in 2017 but it didn’t actually hit Houston directly and was a tropical storm when it blew through (stalling over the city for days and dumping 30 inches of water in 48 hours). The neighborhood we live in flooded when Lake Livingston (north of the city) released water in the middle of the night to avoid a collapse of the dam. There are still ongoing lawsuits because folks lost everything.. and in the middle of the night without warning. The dam was damaged during the recent May derecho that tore through the city, and they are unsure of its stability with a major storm. To say they are unprepared would be an understatement. A metropolitan area that contains nearly 8 million people and they continue to take a lais sez faire approach to flood mitigation and storm preparedness. It’s just a matter of time. Fortunately this storm didn’t rapidly intensify to a major category classification or we would be toast. Hopefully they use this as a wake up call. A week ago all the forecasts had this storm going west and hitting Mexico. Within the last 72 hours it has shifted east by 200 miles and caught most folks off guard (not even considering how absurd it is to have a hurricane in the gulf the first week of July). Crazy to think how quickly things change. Fingers crossed for the next 12 hours

 

[vol66]

I chuckled when I read “the infrastructure is built for this” heheh. We flood with regular thunderstorms but have been lucky over the (recent) years to avoid a direct hit from a hurricane. We moved here 7 years ago and this is the first hurricane to hit us. There was an article out a few years ago that talked about the apocalypse that would come with a direct hit from a major hurricane to Houston. The nations oil refineries are all in this area. We have been beyond lucky.

Most folks know of the devastation of Houston with Harvey in 2017 but it didn’t actually hit Houston directly and was a tropical storm when it blew through (stalling over the city for days and dumping 30 inches of water in 48 hours). The neighborhood we live in flooded when Lake Livingston (north of the city) released water in the middle of the night to avoid a collapse of the dam. There are still ongoing lawsuits because folks lost everything.. and in the middle of the night without warning. The dam was damaged during the recent May derecho that tore through the city, and they are unsure of its stability with a major storm. To say they are unprepared would be an understatement. A metropolitan area that contains nearly 8 million people and they continue to take a lais sez faire approach to flood mitigation and storm preparedness. It’s just a matter of time. Fortunately this storm didn’t rapidly intensify to a major category classification or we would be toast. Hopefully they use this as a wake up call. A week ago all the forecasts had this storm going west and hitting Mexico. Within the last 72 hours it has shifted east by 200 miles and caught most folks off guard (not even considering how absurd it is to have a hurricane in the gulf the first week of July). Crazy to think how quickly things change. Fingers crossed for the next 12 hours

Sending good vibes y’all’s way!

 

[Volprofch05]

It looks like Houston is not only going to get pounded by the hurricane, but the rotation is going to bring an incredible amount storm surge with it. I am amazed that more people in Houston didn't choose to evacuate before what looks like a probable direct hit.

I can only surmize that I'm missing something obvious that people in Houston know that I don't. For example, "the infrastructure is built for this type of event and can handle a large amount of rain, PLUS a large amount of storm surge.

Any thoughts?

Well, I'm an outsider here, but have spent enough time in and around Houston with the in-laws to chime in. First off, Houston's infrastructure is certainly not well designed to handle these storms! It is extremely commonplace for key roads and highway exchanges to be very low and even below ground level, which leads to a lot of flooding. I read a really interesting article about Houston a while back and there is very little planning that goes into zoning, i.e., it is a free for all.

Additionally, several years ago, there was a hurricane bearing down on Houston (can't recall the name) and there were severe warnings. As a result, many people evacuated late, but it is such a highly populated city that this led to severe traffic issues where everyone was stuck. However, that particular storm turned at the last minute and the city didn't take much damage, although the evacuation was a disaster.

Fast forward a bit and the next Hurricane (I believe Harvey) was bearing down on this city, and after the prior experience, most everyone decided to stay. However, Harvey did hit, and caused vast devastation. It was an unfortunate scenario of the near miss followed by the catastrophic hit. You'd think that after Harvey, there would be a lot of fear, but that was 7 years ago, so who knows. Of course, I was in Houston early this afternoon, which shows that I'm not exactly a genius when it comes to these matters...

 

[Orange.]

Wait for it!....



Boom'

 

[Volprofch05]

Opportune time to point out that one of my original job offers, other than UT, was from Tulane. If I went there, I would’ve started in New Orleans one month before Hurricane Katrina. There are numerous reasons I’m thankful I chose UT/Knoxville (including the recent addition of a baseball title!), but dodging Katrina is certainly up there as well.

 

[Orange.]

Opportune time to point out that one of my original job offers, other than UT, was from Tulane. If I went there, I would’ve started in New Orleans one month before Hurricane Katrina. There are numerous reasons I’m thankful I chose UT/Knoxville (including the recent addition of a baseball title!), but dodging Katrina is certainly up there as well.

That's when I got there! Actually a week before! Crazy time.

 

[Volprofch05]

That's when I got there! Actually a week before!

Nice! I arrived in Knoxville in July 2005, been 19 fantastic years!

 

[Orange.]

You know what else is funny? My other offers were... BC and Austin. Small world.

I have to say it, prof. UT is Tennessee. tu is Texas. TU is Tulane. You're a good dude.

 

[Drewbydoo]

I chuckled when I read “the infrastructure is built for this” heheh. We flood with regular thunderstorms but have been lucky over the (recent) years to avoid a direct hit from a hurricane. We moved here 7 years ago and this is the first hurricane to hit us. There was an article out a few years ago that talked about the apocalypse that would come with a direct hit from a major hurricane to Houston. The nations oil refineries are all in this area. We have been beyond lucky.

Most folks know of the devastation of Houston with Harvey in 2017 but it didn’t actually hit Houston directly and was a tropical storm when it blew through (stalling over the city for days and dumping 30 inches of water in 48 hours). The neighborhood we live in flooded when Lake Livingston (north of the city) released water in the middle of the night to avoid a collapse of the dam. There are still ongoing lawsuits because folks lost everything.. and in the middle of the night without warning. The dam was damaged during the recent May derecho that tore through the city, and they are unsure of its stability with a major storm. To say they are unprepared would be an understatement. A metropolitan area that contains nearly 8 million people and they continue to take a lais sez faire approach to flood mitigation and storm preparedness. It’s just a matter of time. Fortunately this storm didn’t rapidly intensify to a major category classification or we would be toast. Hopefully they use this as a wake up call. A week ago all the forecasts had this storm going west and hitting Mexico. Within the last 72 hours it has shifted east by 200 miles and caught most folks off guard (not even considering how absurd it is to have a hurricane in the gulf the first week of July). Crazy to think how quickly things change. Fingers crossed for the next 12 hours

I wrote the infrastructure comment because I've never lived near a coastal city and was somewhat aware of the last hurricane heavily impacted Houston.

It looks like rotation of the hurricane and angle it was to make landfall is ideal for pushing a wall of water at Houston from the ocean AND that's in addition to the many inches of rain forecast for the area.

I wish my gov't was more concerned about this hurricane's impact than they are about protecting other nations. It seems like a reasonable expectation, but definitely isn't reality.

 

[Volstylexx]

Well, I'm an outsider here, but have spent enough time in and around Houston with the in-laws to chime in. First off, Houston's infrastructure is certainly not well designed to handle these storms! It is extremely commonplace for key roads and highway exchanges to be very low and even below ground level, which leads to a lot of flooding. I read a really interesting article about Houston a while back and there is very little planning that goes into zoning, i.e., it is a free for all.

Additionally, several years ago, there was a hurricane bearing down on Houston (can't recall the name) and there were severe warnings. As a result, many people evacuated late, but it is such a highly populated city that this led to severe traffic issues where everyone was stuck. However, that particular storm turned at the last minute and the city didn't take much damage, although the evacuation was a disaster.

Fast forward a bit and the next Hurricane (I believe Harvey) was bearing down on this city, and after the prior experience, most everyone decided to stay. However, Harvey did hit, and caused vast devastation. It was an unfortunate scenario of the near miss followed by the catastrophic hit. You'd think that after Harvey, there would be a lot of fear, but that was 7 years ago, so who knows. Of course, I was in Houston early this afternoon, which shows that I'm not exactly a genius when it comes to these matters...

Yep. You’re thinking of Hurricane Rita 2005 that was expected to hit Houston directly as a Cat 3 major hurricane. Rita occurred just weeks after Hurricane Katrina wiped out New Orleans and so folks were understandably frightened. The storm shifted late and didn’t hit Houston directly but the evacuation of 3 million people was already in motion. Of the 120 deaths associated with the hurricane, 100 of them were attributed to the evacuation and not the storm. It is still used as a case study for when/ how to evacuate large populations of people.

 

[Volstylexx]

I wrote the infrastructure comment because I've never lived near a coastal city and was somewhat aware of the last hurricane heavily impacted Houston.

It looks like rotation of the hurricane and angle it was to make landfall is ideal for pushing a wall of water at Houston from the ocean AND that's in addition to the many inches of rain forecast for the area.

I wish my gov't was more concerned about this hurricane's impact than they are about protecting other nations. It seems like a reasonable expectation, but definitely isn't reality.

I give the details because I know you’re like me, Drewbydoo - it interests you.

Here’s the article I was referencing earlier:
Why One Expert Predicts a Major Hurricane Hitting Houston Would Be "America's Chernobyl"

 

[Drewbydoo]

Well, I'm an outsider here, but have spent enough time in and around Houston with the in-laws to chime in. First off, Houston's infrastructure is certainly not well designed to handle these storms! It is extremely commonplace for key roads and highway exchanges to be very low and even below ground level, which leads to a lot of flooding. I read a really interesting article about Houston a while back and there is very little planning that goes into zoning, i.e., it is a free for all.

Additionally, several years ago, there was a hurricane bearing down on Houston (can't recall the name) and there were severe warnings. As a result, many people evacuated late, but it is such a highly populated city that this led to severe traffic issues where everyone was stuck. However, that particular storm turned at the last minute and the city didn't take much damage, although the evacuation was a disaster.

Fast forward a bit and the next Hurricane (I believe Harvey) was bearing down on this city, and after the prior experience, most everyone decided to stay. However, Harvey did hit, and caused vast devastation. It was an unfortunate scenario of the near miss followed by the catastrophic hit. You'd think that after Harvey, there would be a lot of fear, but that was 7 years ago, so who knows. Of course, I was in Houston early this afternoon, which shows that I'm not exactly a genius when it comes to these matters...

Regardless of being an outsider, you've put thought into recalling the past and you'd have thought through probable outcomes and I know most people aren't in a position to have too many unnecessary evacuation orders in their lives before they would under react to a threatening storm, but this particular storm would have had me leaving the area by 8pm because the Gulf is so warm that the storm could get stronger in the very warm water.

Tuesday, the forecast in Houston is 92 degrees, which is brutal and dangerous for most people who don't have power and air condition given the urban environment.

Houston is the 4th largest city in the USA, the rest of Texas and the USA should be poised to tackle whatever the impact is as the storm moves out of the area; NOT a week later, but hours later, there should be a massive effort taking place. We can do that, it's just a matter of whether we do it in a timely manner or not.

 

[knoxvol52]

Braves have a 7 game West Coast trip to end 1st half of season. 4 in Arizona and 3 in San Diego. Good luck.

 

[chuckiepoo]

Braves have a 7 game West Coast trip to end 1st half of season. 4 in Arizona and 3 in San Diego. Good luck.

She’s blowing in…

 

[knoxvol52]

She’s blowing in…

View attachment 657191

How much rain will you get in Houston?

 

[Halph66]

What most people that don't live in an area impacted by hurricanes don't realize is that much like this hurricane they change course on a daily basis. In 24 hours, the landfall prediction changed several hundred miles. Employers and schools do not shut down because hurricane is in the Gulf. Most Houston residents are employed in the pretro-chem and refinery industries. Those plants are designed to run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year regardless. Power loss and flooding does impact that.

Most non-residents say just leave. Well, you can't leave every time the wind blows. It takes quite a bit of effort to secure your home. Everything outdoors that is not nailed down has to be moved indoors, everything. During bad storms, Cat 3 or greater you have to secure the windows. Most say leave if it is Cat 3 or greater. You have to shut off all utilities. Our home was rated for 130 mph winds. It was not uncommon to have 30-40 storms 10-15 times a year. There were typically 1-3 storms with 60-65 mph winds that where simply rainstorms. We slept through many storms with high winds an never knew they happened till the next morning.

If you have animals, you have to tend to those. There are a tremendous amount of folks with livestock that have to be considered. They mark the livestock with owner information. That is every head of cattle, every horse, goat, sheep, etc. has to marked in some way so that you can get them back should a flood happen or fencing is compromised. We had two horses when we lived there. You don't want to get trapped in traffic with horse in trailer with nowhere to take them off the trailer. You can only carry so much water and hay.

Gasoline for your vehicle is another issue. There are only so many ways out of town. Gas stations are overrun. If you leave early, you have to have a place to stay. Hotels are not cheap. How many days do you stay? Where do you go? How much vacation from work do you have? Do you have enough vacation for every storm that enters the Gulf of Mexico.

@Volprofch05 stated that he didn't know why the roads were below elevation. The Houston area is flat. It is only 30-40 feet above sealevel for a very long distance. The roads are designed to help divert the water away from areas the best that they can.

I lived in the Houston area during Harvey. We got 35.6 inches of rain in a 4 day period. They said that if you spread the water dumped on the Houston area across the continental United States it would be 11/16 inches deep. That's a lot of water. People would leave their home only to find a river across a road. They would turn around and find that the river was across a road that they had just traveled less than 5-10 minutes prior leaving them stranded hoping the water didn't rise anymore.

Apathy is major problem. After many close calls or false alarms, many play the odds and don't leave. Noobs typically leave at the first threat. But for all the reasons above, they don't the next time. When one makes a direct hit, many are ill prepared. It's not an easy decision. My wife said yesterday after talking with some Houston area friends, "I'm glad we don't have worry about Hurricanes anymore".

To all the VolNation Houston area folks stay safe, and batten down the hatches.

 

[CAVPUT]

What most people that don't live in an area impacted by hurricanes don't realize is that much like this hurricane they change course on a daily basis. In 24 hours, the landfall prediction changed several hundred miles. Employers and schools do not shut down because hurricane is in the Gulf. Most Houston residents are employed in the pretro-chem and refinery industries. Those plants are designed to run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year regardless. Power loss and flooding does impact that.

Most non-residents say just leave. Well, you can't leave every time the wind blows. It takes quite a bit of effort to secure your home. Everything outdoors that is not nailed down has to be moved indoors, everything. During bad storms, Cat 3 or greater you have to secure the windows. Most say leave if it is Cat 3 or greater. You have to shut off all utilities. Our home was rated for 130 mph winds. It was not uncommon to have 30-40 storms 10-15 times a year. There were typically 1-3 storms with 60-65 mph winds that where simply rainstorms. We slept through many storms with high winds an never knew they happened till the next morning.

If you have animals, you have to tend to those. There are a tremendous amount of folks with livestock that have to be considered. They mark the livestock with owner information. That is every head of cattle, every horse, goat, sheep, etc. has to marked in some way so that you can get them back should a flood happen or fencing is compromised. We had two horses when we lived there. You don't want to get trapped in traffic with horse in trailer with nowhere to take them off the trailer. You can only carry so much water and hay.

Gasoline for your vehicle is another issue. There are only so many ways out of town. Gas stations are overrun. If you leave early, you have to have a place to stay. Hotels are not cheap. How many days do you stay? Where do you go? How much vacation from work do you have? Do you have enough vacation for every storm that enters the Gulf of Mexico.

@Volprofch05 stated that he didn't know why the roads were below elevation. The Houston area is flat. It is only 30-40 feet above sealevel for a very long distance. The roads are designed to help divert the water away from areas the best that they can.

I lived in the Houston area during Harvey. We got 35.6 inches of rain in a 4 day period. They said that if you spread the water dumped on the Houston area across the continental United States it would be 11/16 inches deep. That's a lot of water. People would leave their home only to find a river across a road. They would turn around and find that the river was across a road that they had just traveled less than 5-10 minutes prior leaving them stranded hoping the water didn't rise anymore.

Apathy is major problem. After many close calls or false alarms, many play the odds and don't leave. Noobs typically leave at the first threat. But for all the reasons above, they don't it the next time. When one makes a direct hit, many are ill prepared. It's not an easy decision. My wife said yesterday after talking with some Houston area friends, "I'm glad we don't have worry about Hurricanes anymore".

To all the VolNation Houston area folks stay safe, and batten down the hatches.

Thanks for the primer. Filing this info away for when it's my turn on the East Coast.

 

[VolPack22]

Best closer in MLB this season.

He has been one of the best bullpen arms for the past few seasons now. I enjoy watching him pitch.

 

[W.TN.Orange Blood]

How much rain will you get in Houston?

Too much.

 

[VolPack22]

Braves have a 7 game West Coast trip to end 1st half of season. 4 in Arizona and 3 in San Diego. Good luck.

Will be lucky to go 2-5.

 

[W.TN.Orange Blood]

She’s blowing in…

View attachment 657191

Hunker down and hold on.