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[y2dvd]

I filed a claim for my flooded car. Hopefully, I can repair the car; I'd hate shopping for another car.

 

[dskillzhtown]

I'm normally very good about keeping my cool and just letting things go, but I've lost it a few times over the past few days. I don't even have it bad at all. No power at the apartment but my mom's house does, and I'm staying there. Job is back, family is ok. I pretty much feel like a jackass for basically having to hang up on someone I was talking about that was asking me about the storm (she lives in California) because I couldn't even talk anymore. I've probably lost like 10 lbs since friday, and not due to lack of food. We had plenty. I just haven't been hungry. I've slept 18 hours since Friday night. 10 of those hours came in the past 30. I see stuff on TV that's 1000000000000000x worse than what's happened to me, and it makes me feel like more of a jackass for not being able to deal with this all that well, but well, I don't know.

Listen to some Cure and you will be fine.

Honestly, when looking at Galveston and the coastal areas, I know I don't even have the right be getting all down about it. Some of those people have lost everything. Not jsut the food in their fridges and without power for a week. These peeps have nothing. In many cases they don't even have a job to go back to because their job was destroyed too. This is not just in Galveston, I know of a neighborhhod off of Airline that is still flooded and the people there barely have enough money to live there in the first place. Also, I personally know of people who are having to go to those PODs like every other day just to survive. So no, I am not feeling down about it anymore. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for me. So many other thousands of people are really in dire straits. Actually, I am going to take in a few people at my place when I get power (hopefully Monday) just so they won't have to suffer in a house that lost part of a roof.

Not trying to sound like the old man preaching but when you think about it, many people whose biggest problem is not having lights are incredibly fortunate.

 

[MechDX]

I'm normally very good about keeping my cool and just letting things go, but I've lost it a few times over the past few days. I don't even have it bad at all. No power at the apartment but my mom's house does, and I'm staying there. Job is back, family is ok. I pretty much feel like a jackass for basically having to hang up on someone I was talking about that was asking me about the storm (she lives in California) because I couldn't even talk anymore. I've probably lost like 10 lbs since friday, and not due to lack of food. We had plenty. I just haven't been hungry. I've slept 18 hours since Friday night. 10 of those hours came in the past 30. I see stuff on TV that's 1000000000000000x worse than what's happened to me, and it makes me feel like more of a jackass for not being able to deal with this all that well, but well, I don't know.

Felt the same way this past Saturday when I had to send my family away. They are my support and strength in times like this but the situation was just so grim they didnt need to be here for this. Its human nature for most of us to at least want to feel somewhat in control but then shit like Ike happens and there is nothing you can do. You are totally out of control and you feel like you didnt do your best even though your best is never enough.

I have worked 14hr days since the hurricane hit. Just yesterday I finally got the branches, garbage,shingles etc... off my driveway when the power returned. I havent even started on the yard (total distaster) or the house (Im a renter so I just do temp fix until later) and wont be really able to till next week.

Be strong. Shit like this takes its toll on everyone affected.

 

[Miguel]

I know. It's why I felt like such an asshole about it. I've calmed down since. I also attribute it a bit to having slept about 16 hours since friday morning. Almost a full week with 16 hours of sleep = all sorts of delirious.

Should I be lucky enough to get power anytime in the next few days, I'll be making some calls to see if anyone still needs a place to stay. I know my roommate is inviting a friend of his that lives in the Woodlands, and her roommate. They're probably hosed for at least a few weeks.

 

[perfectchaos007]

I was living at a friends house who had power for a few days but now I'm home. My dad purchaced a generator since power will most likely be out for another week or so. The generator doesn't have enough power to supply the a/c but it can power my computer!!

 

[jmdajr]

I feel blessed. My situation here at my apt. is pretty much back to normal. Work is fine as well.
I almost feel bad for having it so good while others are in misery.

 

[pxleyes]

Glad most of you have your power back. I know what it's like to lose it for an extended period of time and it is the worst thing in the world. Life without power and A/C would be horrid.

 

[perfectchaos007]

The few remaining people with houses on the Bolivar/high Island area were told they would be without power for a year. My dad apparently knows some people who lived there.

 

[dskillzhtown]

I know. It's why I felt like such an asshole about it. I've calmed down since. I also attribute it a bit to having slept about 16 hours since friday morning. Almost a full week with 16 hours of sleep = all sorts of delirious.

Should I be lucky enough to get power anytime in the next few days, I'll be making some calls to see if anyone still needs a place to stay. I know my roommate is inviting a friend of his that lives in the Woodlands, and her roommate. They're probably hosed for at least a few weeks.

Seems like things are looking up already!

BTW, I still don't have power. Seems like they are not working anywhere near my area so that "By Monday" prediction doesn't seem to be that realistic for me.

 

[BigGreenMat]

Crazy pictures in this story. http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/09/18/ike.last.house.standing/index.html
Damn good house though.

 

[Vyer]

Well, my friend has a two-story house on Galveston. He managed to get in during the 'look and leave' policy and told me it was pretty surreal.

Bottom story was pretty much washed out. Fence gone, everything on the first floor destroyed, sheet rock on the walls torn up and wet and rotting. He said it looked like about 7 or 8 feet of water filled his house.

Top floor he said he opened the door and it was like another house. Everything still perfect and untouched.

As for me, my home is still without power. I'm hoping it will be on this weekend. Been a week now. Staying with a friend.


I wonder if this storm will make people be a little more serious about storm threats here in Houston now. Lots of people seemed to forget or not believe what these things could do. It had been too long since we'd got one, I guess.

I mean, has anyone heard about Bolivar? From what I understand media helicopters have not been allowed to cross over since early on. (That was where that one pic with the single house standing came from). There are all sorts of crazy rumors that most everyone who stayed died, or was washed out into the Gulf.

I think that's a little farfetched, but I still don't understand why the people right on the coast would stay.

Anyway, I'm sure this has already been posted but this article had some great pics for those of you wondering what things looked like:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/09/the_short_but_eventful_life_of.html

 

[Sax Russel]

Hard to believe so many people without power still. I've been ridiculously lucky, got power back Sunday @ 3pm and it's been on ever since. A friend of mine who lives at the other end of this road only got it back two days ago =X, and there's still tons without.

 

[Crab Shaker]

Hey Coastal GAF. I've been without power and pretty busy reporting on the various aspects of this damn storm. Just saw this recently, don't know if it's been posted and I'm super late though.

Jacki Steinhauer is one of the lucky ones. She has no damage at her Deer Park home, she has power and she doesn't have to work since her school is closed.

"Life is great after a hurricane when nothing really happened to your house!" Steinhauer says in her blog, "The Secret Life of an Uninteresting Teacher."

The most recent entries brag about all of the free MREs she's been eating -- MREs that are meant for hurricane victims who have no food because they have no power. Some of those victims have no homes.

The teacher has it down to a science, according to her blog: "I got Schlotsky's today for lunch and went again to the courthouse in Baytown to get my water, ice, and food. This time, there were different meals, but hopefully as good as the others. Then, i came home, emptied my trunk and then headed off for the Deer Park POD (Point of Delivery)."

"I think that I am falling in love with MREs. They are pretty darn good. I went around 5:30 to go get more MREs and actually got another box of real MREs, water, and ice," Steinhauer wrote on Wednesday. "Right now, I have five cases of water, two 20 pound bags of ice, four 10 pound bags of ice, and four boxes of MREs."

While stocking her pantry and frig with taxpayer-funded freebies, Steinhauer has become quite the MRE connoisseur.

"Yesterday I ate meatballs with marinara sauce, almonds, wheat bread with cheese sauce, pretzels, and the orange punch. Today's meal was chili mac, applesauce, a pop-tart, wheat bread with cheese sauce, fruit punch, and apple cider," she wrote. "It is so cool that you put a little bit of water in the bag with the food and in about a minute, there is hot food. This is great. I don't have school and getting free food!"

What Steinhauer probably didn't bank on -- in between bites of meatballs in marinara and chili mac -- is that nothing is really secret in cyberspace.

Her blog began making the rounds Wednesday and commenters from all over the country are ripping Steinhauer to shreds.

Many of the comments contain language we can't quote. Here are some of the cleaner ones:

"You are a disgusting excuse for a human being. I can't believe you are taking advantage at a time like this."

"That is just disgusting what you are doing. How can you live with yourself?"

"You are taking away food and supplies that people who really need them should get. Talk about spoiled and greedy. Karma will come back and slap you upside your head for that."

"Hope you choke on those MRE's."

We spoke with Steinhauer by phone on Thursday. She said she took the free food, water and ice because she "has no money." She initially said she's out of work right now, but then admitted she's a teacher at Baytown's Lee High School and is still getting paid while the school is temporarily closed because of Ike.

"But I spent my last $20 yesterday," Steinhauer said.

She said she wasn't aware of the flood of nasty comments.

Some of the commenters have threatened to turn the "uninteresting teacher" in for fraud. It's not clear if she would face charges. We tried calling the FEMA fraud hotline to ask, but the line was busy.

The blog disappeared Thursday evening, shortly after we talked with Steinhauer.

http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou080918_mh_teacher_MREs.8c4fa377.html

Comment below story:

I am in the National Guard and have been working at the PODs passing out food and water. The amount of people who obviously do not need the food, water, and ice is apalling. When we're lugging cases of food and water into these people's cars and trucks only to see their trunks FULL of food and water from the grocery stores, it's sickening. Many drove through to pick up their "free" food and water, while still chowing down on their fast food take out. We are out there sweating and hurting, loading 1500+ cars a day and only about 5% of those cars actually needed help. Some people even drove through two or more times to get more. THIS is why the PODs are running out of supplies! Why pay $5 a case for water when you can get it for free right?

 

[dskillzhtown]

With the revised schedule, I won't have power until Thursday it looks like.

Great. I thought Monday would be bad enough. It is very frustrating, but I can deal.


For those who want to look it up: http://www.click2houston.com/download/2008/0919/17516172.pdf

 

[Crab Shaker]

With the revised schedule, I won't have power until Thursday it looks like.

Great. I thought Monday would be bad enough. It is very frustrating, but I can deal.


For those who want to look it up: http://www.click2houston.com/download/2008/0919/17516172.pdf

You can come over to my place, though Ike managed to kill our A/C somehow. Currently dependent on the freakish cold front that came in and saved many of our asses.

 

[captive]

Hey Coastal GAF. I've been without power and pretty busy reporting on the various aspects of this damn storm. Just saw this recently, don't know if it's been posted and I'm super late though.


http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou080918_mh_teacher_MREs.8c4fa377.html

Comment below story:

Wow, I am ashamed for her. What a selfish, greedy, cunt. I have to believe karmic justice will get her, have to.

 

[dskillzhtown]

You can come over to my place, though Ike managed to kill our A/C somehow. Currently dependent on the freakish cold front that came in and saved many of our asses.

Thanks for the invite. I am staying with my folks now. It has been a good reunion, but ummm...it is starting to get a lil old. I can make it 5 more days.


As for the people who are getting MREs who don't need them, the guardsman who posted might be seeing people getting the MREs for people who can't get to a POD. I know my mom was getting some for people who had to work and the lines were shorter during the day. Even if people bought groceries, maybe those MREs will help extend their food supply a bit more. With power not coming on for awhile, people not being able to work, I am not sure we can judge people so quickly. The lady in the blog obviously wasn't in that category, but it is hard to really know the full story from the first glance at times.