Hurrican Diary - Part 2

[trof]

3:20 a.m., Monday Aug. 29

Went to sleep around 8 or 9 last night. Woke a couple of times and listened. Heard nothing, but this house is pretty soundproof.

Woke at 3 and decided if I wanted at least one hot cup of coffee today I'd better make it now. Expect to lose power sometime later.

So here I sit with a cuppa and a smoke. ;-)
I can hear the wind whistling now. Turned on the outside lights, but can't see much. A clump of palmettos is rattling in the wind. Looks like the bay is still IN the bay, as far as I can tell. Not up in the yard yet, but that'll probably come.

I just hope the power stays on until daylight. Should start getting light around 5:30-6. Couple of hours to go.

Forecast winds to 65 here, with gusts to "hurricane strength".
Funny, I involuntary hunch my shoulders and duck every time a hard gust hits.

Miz t. got up to look out at 3 and is now back in bed. How does she do it?

I'll go ahead and put this up. Power could go at any time.
Many, many thanks for all the prayers, good wishes, karma from my online hometown.

:hi: all you homies!
:-)

[IdaBriggs]

1. Thoughts and prayers! nt

[trof]

3. What the hell are YOU doing up?

;-)

[IdaBriggs]

14. Insomnia. Sigh.

Not sure what I'm stressing about, but I couldn't sleep, and my tossing/turning was disturbing my hubby, so I'm sitting here reading DU with my cat ("Storm" short for "Windstorm", age 19) on my shoulder. He's purring....

Be safe, please. Keep us posted....

[Fleshdancer]

2. Do you have a cell phone?

Once the power goes out, I would feel better knowing that a DUer has a way of knowing you are safe.

How are you holding up?

[trof]

5. So far, so good...as they say. Yes have cel numbers of a few here.

NSMA and Crazy Guggenheim.
I'll send message through one of them.

[Fleshdancer]

9. GOOD!

I hate to nag, but could you put your cell phone on the charger until the power gets cut? Pretty please??? :)

[trof]

12. Charged up last night and we have a plan.

Talked to friends in the neighborhood.
If we lose power and phones before 8 a.m., we'll turn our celphones on then so we can check up on each other.
Be prepared!

[KitchenWitch]

4. Be safe trof!

We will be here when you come back!

[trof]

6. I guess WWL-TV in NOLA is off the air.

I was watching streaming yesterday, but just a black screen now.

[enigmatic]

7. thanks for this

and stay safe!

[trof]

8. Barometric pressure is rising. YESSS!!!

That's good news.
Watching weather channel.

[KitchenWitch]

10. That is great news

:hug:

[trof]

11. Some thoughts at 3:45

When you see Katrina on TV, we're in the very outer northeast edge.
I keep hoping maybe this won't be as bad as we thought.
If roof and windows just stay intact, I think we'll be OK.

The thing I dread most is days without power and air conditioning.
I'm soooo spoiled.;-)

We have a great support group of friends here.
One of my closest friends is actually in the storm clean-up business.
Lives just down the street.

He removed all the Ivan debris from our neighborhood, under contract to the city. Guy has all the chain saws, front end loaders, dozers, grapplers, dump trucks, and the people to run them. Good man to know in hurricane territory.

Winds now "down" to 155, pressure at 917.
It's really blowing here though.
Come on daylight!

[trof]

13. Amazingly, the Dish TV is still working.

Yea!

[havocmom]

28. LOL Dish TV should give you a free month or two after THAT endorsement!

Mine has only failed on a couple clear, dry, still days. Held up to 3 feet of snow just fine.

[trof]

15. 4:45 Come ON daylight!

I can sure hear it, but I want to SEE what's happening out there.
The suspense is killing me.
"How high's the water, mama?"

There's a 10' X 10' arbor (?)...pergola(?)...anyway, 8" X 8" posts on each corner with 2X4 rafters. It's over a part of our back deck right outside the sliding glass doors behind me. I'm in an office/study on the bay side with windows to my right and the door to my back.

It's covered with white canvas for shade. The tarp blew off in a recent thunderstorm. I replaced it last week.
It's gone again.
:-(

My two year old roof, guaranteed to 90 mph, made it through Ivan with no shingles out of place. Hoping for the same this time.

Got a tornado warning now. We don't usually get them this close to the water, but all bets are off in a hurricane. During Opal, one touched down right along the coastline just south of me. Took out a half-dozen or so docks.

Hey, Miz t. is up and ready for a cup.
More later, maybe.
As long as the power holds out.
Had a couple flickers.
Please, PLEASE, not until daybreak.
Thank you.
;-)

[Cyndee_Lou_Who]

16. You guys, STAY SAFE !!

[trof]

18. Daybreak-6:02, sunrise-6:27 for Mobile.

I'm about 50 miles east, so I'll see the sun just a few minutes earlier.
Well, I won't "see" the sun, not today. But at least it'll be daylight in an hour or so.
Now if the electricity just...holds...till...then.

[trof]

17. Hey! I know the Channel 5 weather guy.

John Nodar.
You can get streaming at www.wkrg.com

Nice fellow and good meteorologist.
Miz t. did a noon TV cooking segment with him a couple of years ago.
She was promoting her women's club cookbook.
I'm married to a TV star.
;-)

WHEW! About to lose power, I think.
Lights dimmed.
By for now.

[trof]

19. 6 a.m. Still have power.

Well, duh.
Faint gray in the eastern sky now. A few more minutes and I'll be able to see what's happening.
Getting some strong sounding gusts now.
Can hear the tarp that was on the arbor flapping. Guess part of it is still attached.
Haven't had that much rain.
Maybe because it's all horizontal.

If the power holds, I'll be back with a daylight report.

[trof]

20. 6:15 FIRST VISUAL!

Dock is about 2' under water.
That's GOOD!
It's the wind and wave action that rips them up.
Under water helps keep them intact.
It's a fine line we want to maintain, water high enough to keep the dock submerged, but low enough not to get in the house.
Ivan's high water mark came within about 20' horizontally, 1' vertically of the back of the house.
Man, it's whistling out there.

[progmom]

21. trof....

:hug:

[greatauntoftriplets]

22. Good luck, trof.

Please keep posting as long as you can. You and Miz T stay safe.

:hi:

[In_The_Wind]

23. Good morning ~ trof

... for you and Mrs. trof

[crispini]

24. good morning trof!

stay safe. :hug:

[trof]

25. 6:45 Full daylight.

Blowing like a summitch.
Dock is now about 3' under. Wind is straight up the bay, piling up the water in front of it.
Whitecaps and a lot of spray.

Some of my "hangers" are down.
Branches broken by Ivan, but still attached. Hadn't gotten to them yet and now Mother Nature is doing some more trimming and pruning for me.

No trees down that I can see. Just the rotten one that went yesterday.
Damn, it's rough out there.
Don't guess we'll go for our morning walk today.

[kick-ass-bob]

26. keeping it kicked...

stay safe, trof.

[Richardo]

27. Been thinking about trof and Gulf Coast DUers all weekend

Hope you all stay safe... :hug:

[havocmom]

29. Glad you are still able to post

Kicking for the left coat trof groupies just waking up

[HereSince1628]

30. Trof? You out there? Is there a post after this one?

[greatauntoftriplets]

31. NSMA talked to trof and posted a thread earlier.

His dock is gone, power was on at the time but his server was down. He and Miz T. are fine.

On edit: Here's the link. Sorry I seem to have killed your thread, NSMA!!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x3932901