For those of you who are not familiar with my location within
Houston, I would not expect my house to be subject to any tidal
flooding short of asteroid impact, though in Houston any place is
subject to flash flooding particularly if storm drains get blocked.
My neighbors have had minor flooding (a few inches) in other heavy
rain events when standing water has penetrated through seep holes.
I'm getting everything I can out of the garage and off the floor. I
am a couple of blocks away from Buffalo Bayou, but only a few miles
downstream from Baker Reservoir (30 sq miles or so of swampy lowlands
ringed with levees that becomes a lake only after heavy rains) which
should absorb the brunt of any runoff upstream. I'm not in the 100
year flood plane, but it does come within a block. I have never
heard any concerns about the levees failing, that would be extremely
unpleasant but they only absorb runoff, not tidal surges, and would
only be compromised from a prolonged period of near full conditions.
If Rita hits Matagorda Bay as a major hurricane, then my house would
be well within the major wind damage/power outage area. I have
several very large trees around my house that would make a very
unpleasant addition to the house if they decide to move. I rent my
house and am out of the lease, so would expect to vacate if there is
any significant damage.
Barring any clear indication that Houston is not in Rita's travel
plans, my plans are to hit the road Thursday mid-day and stay with a
friend in Ft. Worth until the storm clears. If Houston's power is
out for an extended period, I'll stay with my sister in Tulsa until
things are back to normal. The amount of computers, monitors, books,
etc I bring with me will depend on predicted path and strength of the
storm.
I'm going to forward my [EMAIL PROTECTED] and my
[EMAIL PROTECTED] email address to [EMAIL PROTECTED] I'll
continue to check all the accounts and I'd expect Time Warner to have
co-location sites for the mail servers, but using the @mac.com
address is recommended.
Mark Womack ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) has my cell numbers and contact person.
