Hello everyone! Texas, USA is being hit with a major Hurricane that isn’t giving it up. I live near Houston, Texas and we are seeing record flooding. My house is currently dry but we live on a river and it may not stay that way.
Because of this my stress levels are through the roof. We had three tornado warnings yesterday! No sleep. I am breaking out in rashes all over and my pain is unbearable. I am doing my best to relax but it really isn’t realistic. We were told to evacuate and then to stay. To pack then to stay. Too much.
Is anyone else here from the Texas areas affected by Hurricane Harvey?
I will keep you all as updated as I can. The power comes on and off at times.
I’ve been watching this on the news amielynn. Can’t believe what I’m seeing. Stay safe, keep us updated if possible. Thinking of you and your family. I’m sure you’ll be okay but it must be very difficult indeed for you right now.
We’re up in NY but have been thinking of everyone down by you. It’s so hard to ride out a giant storm that’s just sitting there, and the tornado warnings just make it so much worse. Keep your phone charged up and keep safe.
Thinking of you! It’s so hard being in the do-I-Stay-do-I-go situation!
In Aus here we always say - if in doubt, leave the house (fires as well). Your health is worth more than your home, and there are more memories in your head than there will ever be in your house.
I do hope you are one of the lucky ones, and I feel for everyone caught in that difficult situation.
Hi Amielynn,
I’ve been watching the coverage all day while stuck at home, and it’s devastating. I am sorry you’re getting conflicting advice on whether to stay or go, and I pray things improve for you soon. I can’t imagine the stress and anxiety you must be feeling. This has hit home for us too because my husband and I lived in the Memorial area of Houston for 3 yrs after graduate school while working in the oil industry. We still have a few friends there and hope everyone is ok. I will keep you in my thoughts/prayers, and please keep us updated.
You poor thing and everyone else in that area. It must be just so terrifying and so hard. But do know we’re all so much thinking of you. Lots of virtual hugs and an endless supply of positive thoughts. x
I’ve been trying to not get too pulled into the news… I already have so much stress from what I hear here on the news and on twitter! I can’t imagine what you’re going through!! I really hope you’re lucky and your house stays dry! Hug!
@Amielynn we were affected by hurricane Sandy a few years ago. We were advised to evacuate but we thought we could ride out the storm better at home. Besides we had a dog who couldn’t be accommodated at a shelter at the time. Needless to say, we should have evacuated. Our home was not destroyed like others around us because we are slightly terraced but the water only marginally missed coming into our home. We are now prepared with a leave kit for all members of the house including the fur kids. If we need to evacuate at a moments notice we won’t have to panic. We can rebuild another house we can’t replace a life. At the very least have a bag at the ready and a plan where to go.
We are not in a zone that has needed evacuation due to flooding, etc. But I have a number of cats in my house and have been a bit of a crazy in guaranteeing that I have carriers for all cats at all times.
Thankfully things have changed in terms of the ability of evacuation shelters to take in animals but it’s still not ideal, and too many people are unaware of what the options are with their pets.
Stoney, it’s interesting you mentioned the pet evacuations and how things have changed. I spent some time driving today and listening to talk-radio. I had no idea how things had improved since Hurricane Katrina, and how most people can evacuate WITH their pets now. It made me feel good. I had no idea how clueless I was about what to do with my OWN 3 cats if we ever had to evacuate.
I AM Alive!!! Hello everyone! We made it through. It was so scary and dangerous. The flood water came up to our sidewalk but no higher. Many, many homes were flooded. We lost power and water until today, 5 days! I am now typing from an A/C controlled room and it is lovely. Still lots of cleaning up to do and repairs to me made, but I wanted you to know I was alive.
Yes, we are doing well. Cleaning the house today and doing some cooking. We are still very low on food as no stores have stocked items. Also most restaurants are closed due to damage or power outage. Most of the Houston, Texas area has been heavily damaged. I have so many friends who lost their homes and cars, everything. We are very, very lucky.
Every time a news report came on about Houston, I thought of you. (And that was many times every day.) Thank goodness you’re OK, and your house is too. I know what they say “It’s only stuff”, but when you have to do what some of your friends are doing (file claims, clean up, replace, repair, and on and on) “only” hardly applies.
I’m so relieved, and I can only imagine what it’s like for you.
Thank you Seenie.
Yes, it is only stuff but when people have lost ALL their stuff it really puts it into perspective. There is also lots of damage to south Texas and the Louisiana coast line. We have family and friends sprinkled across this whole area. All of them are ok but some have lost everything or something.
I went out for a drive yesterday (it has been over a week!) and there was damage everywhere. Also still water in many places. 80% of businesses are closed due to damage. We are also running out of gasoline.
Thank you for all your comments and thoughts. I really appreciate it. This storm was a very close call.
I can’t even imagine how difficult it is to recover from storm damage like that! I’m glad to hear your situation wasn’t too bad and not too much damage to your house!
The homes that are still standing but have severe water damage must be awful to fix! What must it be like? I’d be totally depressed to try to figure out how to get my house back to normal–and all the belongings and furniture ruined!!! It’s too much to think about. I suppose when you’re faced with a situation like that you somehow manage to find the courage and strength to muddle through it, but geez…
A niece of mine is a Vet Tech at a Minneapolis Clinic–she got a trip down there to rescue dogs! I haven’t heard much more about it, but I thought it was pretty cool Vet Techs from MN went down there to help!
It made me feel good. I had no idea how clueless I was about what to do with my OWN 3 cats if we ever had to evacuate.
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