h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

When is it due to make landfall?

Possibly late Friday or sometime Saturday... again, it's too early to be sure.

The predicted landfall is even further south now - between Corpus and Brownsville, so both CZ and myself will fair relatively well if that's where it goes.

Hopefully it will hit that rather unpopulated area, weaken and then head North to your area at a good clip and drop some more rain in the hill country without too much flooding. I know the Guadalupe river has been running low for the last several years.

It would be nice if it continues West into the Big Bend area as well since with all those stupid golf resorts and whatnot have drained the Rio Grande so much it hasn't actually reached the Gulf in ages.

I think that interested parties (rich golf-playing types) might have pulled some strings with their man in the White House, who in turn pulled some strings with his immediate boss (Big G) because the predicted landfall is moving north again, and Corpus is back in the crosshairs.

Just got notice that they're closing operations in the Houston area. So when are you leaving, CZ?

Huh? What?... last I heard we were at level 4... basically which means take preparations but nothing is really required yet.

To me, it looks like it will hit well South of here as a cat 3. We'll get some wind and rain and some elevated tides but nothing that should threaten the house. Even if it heads farther North, I'm not planning on leaving unless it's going to be a cat 4.


Yesterday my dad said that his plans for next year is to just take the trailer up to West (by-god) Virginia for the entire months of August and September and let me deal with watching the Family Compound.

Since last night the forecast track has had it moving almost directly over Austin on Saturday afternoon... at about the time UT and Arkansas will be kicking off and I'll be trying to get to work. We've also got a screening of Mad Max in our car park (probably projected onto the front of the building http://www.slackerwood.com/cms/system/files/alsouth_fantfest.jpg ). I haven't heard any word yet on whether it'll be cancelled.

it's going to be here at the weekend, one way or another. The only variable now is how close.

Bugger... we just went to level 3.

>>Hurricane Ike - JSC at Level 3. Due to the recent Hurricane Center Forecast, JSC management has decided to initiate LEVEL 3 preparations. Both a shift to the Northeast and intensification in hurricane Ike's forecast has elevated the threat to JSC. Employees are asked to monitor the storm, and look for direction from their organization as well as community officials.<<

I'll elevate the one computer that now remains on the floor, but that's it. If they want to bag my computers, they can, but I'm not going to make the effort.

The only reason I'll raise that one computer is I know that if I leave it for the others to do, they'll end up unplugging all the connections and it will take me a week to straighten it out.

Wednesday - scorchio minus five, no rain.

The track's moving again, back east now, towards Houston and away from Austin.

Yep... as of 7:00 am my town is under a "mandatory" evacuation order. My parent's bugged out around midnight and are now in the Fort Worth area. I've stocked up on gas before the local stations run dry and everything is mostly put away so I'm ahead of the game. I'll go down stairs and fill up a couple of 5 gallon Igloo water jugs in a bit. I heard rumors that the local water districts for Bacliff and San Leon are planning to shut down water service at 5:00 this afternoon... this is BU!!sh!T. They did that in San Leon during Rita. Rita missed us. The people that stayed had no water even though the storm didn't hit us. I'm not worried about having water to drink. I'm angry because if there's a fire, there's no water to put it out. ... Dumb-asses.

Hopefully this is just a rumor but I wouldn't be surprised if they do this.

You have to explain something to me. This morning I was listening to a report about Ike on NPR. A safety official for Corpus Christi was talking about their mandatory evacuation, and finished off by something along the lines of "Those people who stay behind, you're on your own".

What part of the word 'mandatory' am I not understanding?

They can not force you to leave your home. So basically a "mandatory" evacuation means you're on your own.

The never had anything called "mandatory" evacuations until a few years ago and as far as I can tell, having "mandatory" evacuations now changes nothing but maybe some liability issues.

I did listen to the official phone call and it did specifically mention shutting off water service at 5:00 pm today.

Holy crap... I just saw a notice on the TV that there is a mandatory evacuation for Manville... that's like 40 miles inland. They might get some flooding in low lying areas, but there's no reason for a mandatory evacuation there.

Yea, this is a big storm but there's a lot of hysteria coming with it.

I refer my honourable friend to a word in his previous post - 'liability'.

Actually, Manville is a low area, so that's not that unreasonable.

I'm watching the traffic on TV now... If I decide to leave, now is not the time... by tomorrow the roads should be clear. But it's still looking like a cat 3 so I'll probably be better off here.

Heh... The local news is showing a split screen view. On the smaller screen is a live press conference with officials in Harris County... in the larger screen is what looks like live traffic views... but it's not...it's a 1 minute loop from three different cameras showing the traffic jam on the causeway bridge leaving Galveston island... they had a wreck that was cleared an hour ago so I think they're showing scenes from that jam that's now clear...

Mediots!

I hope you don't suffer too much damage and inconvenience, CZ!

When is Hurricane season over? Before October 10, I hope! (but somehow I doubt)

Hey, Gosho!

I hope so too. They're now predicting it to be only a cat 2 at landfall tomorrow night. It didn't strengthen at all today which is good news.

The season officially ends on 30 November, but the 2005 season went all the way into the new year and they ran out of names and used Greek letters.

Damframmit. The further east it goes the less likely we are to get some good rain. You know what it's like around here for rain avoidance - I suspect it'll be no different with hurricane. Everywhere else will be ten feet underwater while Austin will be bathed in sunshine.

Again. Jeez, I can't wait for this summer to end. Feels like we've had 90° temperatures since bleedin' January.

Hello broe