I'm praying for your son and his family. Hope all is well with them.

Is everything ok? Have you heard anything yet? Keep us posted. We worry too.

My family is safe, for now.
With all the people coming back into the Houston area, things may go from bad to worse. There are power lines down. Most of the stores are closed. There are no utilities in many areas of Houston and Galveston. No water, unless you stored some. No gasoline, except at a couple of stations. There have been shootings at gas stations, 'fueled' by those who took more gas than they needed and left none for others, maybe even people more needy than they. Other people are doing ruthless things to get to the front of the long lines and get in front of those who have waited hours in line for gas. Some lines are a mile long.
The dam for the city lake has been weakened from the storm. The high winds caused big wave surges on the lake, which pushed the boulders that hold the earthen dam to the point that it is threatening to give way. All that holds the water back now is the earthen dam. If that happens, the flooding below the dam would be catastropic. Their is a whole community built down there below that dam. (Now how stupid is that?). So the city alerted people that they had to release massive amounts of water on the morning after the hurricane and again the next morning to lower the lake so they can make repairs and shore it up. They went door to door and told them that it would most likely flood the homes closest to the river and that they had to leave. Once again, some people refused to leave their homes - the water was released.
My son and his family had been preparing for the probable advent of big, bad hurricane since Katrina hit, so they were well prepared - enough to last for weeks, he told me. To some people, it is a game, evidenced by the signs they paint on the boards over their windows. To ride the "big one out" shows you are gutsy, and not afraid. Good grief! I am glad my kids are more mature and responsible than that.
Nonetheless, I have not had much sleep all week. We talked for hours every night on what they could do to get out of there, and then when that became hopeless, what they could do to survive a direct hit - at that time, the projected path was directly through Galveston and Houston and would have followed I-45 North...right through their house near the Woodlands. It always floods there and the tall pines tend to fall over on houses and make formidable projectiles in the band tornadoes. They boarded up their house cleared the yard of any thing that would be projectiles and taped cardboard over the windows on the inside to keep glass from shattering on them. Then my son and his brother-in-law went to other areas in town to help some elderly folks board up their houses, too. I was proud of them, but I was more than worried, let me tell you!
Even after the hurricane shifted, they still got the edge of the eye bands with 100+mph winds, which the news did not mention or played down.
The bands were weird. They would come through out of the north, and then in a few minutes come back through out of the west. In between, it would be calm and the sky would even clear and there would be rainbows. Then the next band would blow in with 100-80+ mph sustained winds. This pattern repeated from 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning through Saturday afternoon when the winds finally calmed down to about 15-25 mph.
The Houston-Galveston officials kept warning people not to return to their homes. There is known structural damage to high- rise buildings, and they are worried there is more unknown. There is the potential for electrical fires from damaged lines and maybe gas fires. Power poles strew the streets and big trees lay everywhere. WHole walls of buildings collapsed and some may yet collapse. Potentially hazardess materials may be on the ground in some places and the water may be contaminated in some areas. There is limited available food, and no water, no electricity or other utilities in most areas, and then the potential flood danger in the Trinity area. The fallen trees on houses and in the streets of housing areas add to the problem. There will not be any trash pick up until Tuesday or so. No sewer in areas. SO the city officials need time to check things out and make sure it is safe for people to return.
But, many people did not listen. They no longer have faith in the officials and leaders, and who can blame them, I guess. And yet, they need to exercise an ounze of freaking common sense, something that most Americans just don't seem to have anymore.
Still, there is the fear that there maybe many more deaths in the aftermath.

And oh, by the way, my DH got a job offer from a company in Raleigh, NC.
Uh....just what I thought I really, really wanted all summer - to move to the Carolinas, so we could be closer to my daughter and closer to his folks who live in SC, and where I would be in gardeners heaven and be around all you really groovy people I have come to adore....and maybe even get back into my art, and start painting again.
Uh,....what's that old addage - "Be careful what you pray for, because you just might get it?" - something like that.
Tell me that the Raleigh area is not in the hurricane zone.
Uh, Waaaaaahhh.

~Annie

Annie - I'm afraid this area is in what you could call a hurricane zone but I've lived here for five years now and the weather is nothing like the weather out on the prairies. I would think the problems you'd face here would be similar to your kids near Houston. Lots of pine trees which tend to fall over, lots of electrical lines which tend to lay on the pavement after a storm, lots of rain after a hurricane which tends to flood low lying areas. But outside of the hurricane season it doesn't get as hot in the summer, even on days when it gets into the high 90's it is only for a portion of the afternoon not as soon as the sun comes up. The winters are mild with only a week of below freezing weather which may be scattered throughout the season. Spring is glorious and long and fall is breathtakingly beautiful. All the season are exactly what you want out of that season (my attitude is: if all you want is summer then move to Florida) and they are about equal in length.

The ocean is only a few hours away to the south southeast so hurricanes weaken by the time they get here but they still do a lot of damage.

There are plenty of things I miss about Oklahoma but the weather is not one of them!

Thanks John.
I will share your comments with DH. I am sending you an e-mail so as not to occupy this forum with personals.
Thanks for your input.

Wherever we move, I am taking my dogs and cats with me.

Annie.

Annie I just read all of you posting. I am very happy that your son and his family made it through the storm safely. I hope things have gotten better for them. I will keep them in my thoughts and prayers. Eliz33