quote:

Originally posted by jehzsa:
A guide for donations.

I can personally vouch for Southern Baptist Disaster Relief and vouch against Red Cross

If you're looking for local, I can personally vouch for Star of Hope. Awesome homeless charity, and housing even more homeless than normal for Harvey.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo54:
Has anybody heard anything from 'jhe888' lately? He hasn't posted the last couple of days.

Jim

https://sigforum.com/eve/forums...230015924#5230015924

Thanks, I was a little concerned.

quote:

Originally posted by dwd1985:
My friend is talking about heading into Houston to help rescue efforts. I'm in NOLA, so he's asking me to come too. I'm entirely willing, but I'm not sure how to go about making a difference. We don't have a boat, and I'm not even sure I would be able to get into the city, with the roads in the condition they're in. We're both Marines, so we are asking our respective COs tomorrow if they will grant us leave. Can anyone give an honest answer if this is foolhardy or not?

Unless you have a boat, a helicopter or a duece and a half I am not sure how you could do anything at this point. Find somewhere local that needs manpower to load relief supplies, etc.. I don't think raw manpower is the issue right now.

quote:

My friend is talking about heading into Houston to help rescue efforts. I'm in NOLA, so he's asking me to come too. I'm entirely willing, but I'm not sure how to go about making a difference. We don't have a boat, and I'm not even sure I would be able to get into the city, with the roads in the condition they're in. We're both Marines, so we are asking our respective COs tomorrow if they will grant us leave. Can anyone give an honest answer if this is foolhardy or not?

It will be difficult getting into Texas from NOLA, and the forecast brings torrential rain to southwestern Louisiana. You can help in other ways. If you go with a group of National Guard troops that would help. You have to have a plan and need direction so you help and do not get in the way. I have personal experience from Katrina and other disasters.

quote:

Originally posted by dwd1985:

quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:

quote:

Originally posted by dwd1985:
My friend is talking about heading into Houston to help rescue efforts. I'm in NOLA, so he's asking me to come too. I'm entirely willing, but I'm not sure how to go about making a difference. We don't have a boat, and I'm not even sure I would be able to get into the city, with the roads in the condition they're in. We're both Marines, so we are asking our respective COs tomorrow if they will grant us leave. Can anyone give an honest answer if this is foolhardy or not?

Unless you have a boat, a helicopter or a duece and a half I am not sure how you could do anything at this point. Find somewhere local that needs manpower to load relief supplies, etc.. I don't think raw manpower is the issue right now.

That's almost exactly what I told him, but he is dead set on going to help. He lives in VA and is talking about driving down there. I keep asking what his plan is. Where will he get fuel? Where will he get food? How will he navigate a city he has never been to? Is he planning to link up with a relief organization? Etc. He doesn't have answers, and I'm afraid it would do more harm than good. But I also don't want to let him go by himself.

Good intentions, but without thinking ahead and have a plan of attack is foolhardy. As others have said, there are other ways to help, and rushing in blindly is not one of them. I do appreciate his good intentions sincerely, though.

The real work where help is needed will be next month and will go on for two years. Link up with a relief organization that is legit or with a formal government organization.

During the 2015 Columbia SC flood, the sheriff's department told a religious affiliated relief org to take a hike. The relief org were here within two days of the disaster and were taking volunteers off the street to gut homes. Needless to say, there was theft. Gutting homes wasn't an immediate concern. The relief org was in the way of stabilizing the situation. Good intentions, yes. Stumbling in and being in the way, not good.

I'm involved with my local emergency response organization and the tendancy, quite naturally, in the ensuing hours or days of a disaster, is to want to quickly get in there and fix or pitch in to help. Please tell your friend not to go. He will be in the way and be another element for first responders to deal with.

The ICS system is well-established to draw on resources locally, statewide, other states and from the Feds. The problem is how to get people where they are needed and your friend is not in a better position to help than others already on scene or in outlying areas staging to go in. His motives are pure but he's better off working with a local relief agency making sure supplies are headed there. Trucks have to be loaded and boxes packed to send. The water will subside soon enough but the help these people will need from your buddy behind the scenes for a long time into the future will be a better use of his energy.

Sure appreciate the help, but most of the highways are underwater, plus some of the storm is widening further the east toward the LA area. If you come be careful, the flooding can happen very fast.

Let me add that checkpoints will be established shortly, and you will not be allowed into the area. The police and National Guard will be checking credentials, and often homeowners who have left are not allowed in for days or in some cases weeks. Looting can be a real problem in some areas, and after a while social order begins to deteriorate. I think you know what that means.

quote:

Originally posted by dwd1985:
We're both Marines, so we are asking our respective COs tomorrow if they will grant us leave. Can anyone give an honest answer if this is foolhardy or not?

Not to be persnickety, but are any Marine detachments being sent for the purpose? The Corps has enough of a history of doing that overseas that some may be called on to help in Texas - especially those posted that close.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Let me add that checkpoints will be established shortly, and you will not be allowed into the area. The police and National Guard will be checking credentials, and often homeowners who have left are not allowed in for days or in some cases weeks. Looting can be a real problem in some areas, and after a while social order begins to deteriorate. I think you know what that means.

On the flip side, now we've all got moats.

Just passing this along, unreal:


"The news just reported that the Flood Control District Authority is going to release the water on 2 dams, Barker & Addicks, & that it will absolutely "inundate" the houses from 1-10 north to "clay & beyond" & from "Hwy 6 to 99".... he also said the houses would "remain inundated as a result for approx 2 months". KPRC Channel 2 news... (he repeatedly referred people to the website to view the areas that will be flooded... but the website is down)"

This are is Park 10, Cullen Park, Mayde Creek High School for those familiar with the area. Probably a couple thousand homes in this area about to be rendered uninhabitable along with hundreds of businesses. The alternative is they allow the dams to fail and all the water rushes into Buffalo Bayou at once and straight into Houston. Damn.

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2017/0...ms-houston-flooding/

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo54:
Has anybody heard anything from 'jhe888' lately? He hasn't posted the last couple of days.

Jim

https://sigforum.com/eve/forums...230015924#5230015924

Thanks for asking. My wife and I bugged out of our house this morning before we got flooded in. We got out fine and made the best preparations we could. It is very possible, even likely, that we will get water in our house. It hasn't happened yet, but it is close, and waters continue to rise and rain keeps falling. We're fine, though.

^ It's great to hear you're safe and sound. I hope your home fares as best as possible.

...

Man, that's lot of water. What a mess.

I have (off forum) friends and family that live and/or work in Kingwood, Kemah, Woodlands, Conroe, Cleveland, Montrose, Deer Park, and a few others scattered about.

Hoping the best, all things considered, for everyone.

Stay safe...

.

quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:
Just passing this along, unreal:


"The news just reported that the Flood Control District Authority is going to release the water on 2 dams, Barker & Addicks, & that it will absolutely "inundate" the houses from 1-10 north to "clay & beyond" & from "Hwy 6 to 99".... he also said the houses would "remain inundated as a result for approx 2 months". KPRC Channel 2 news... (he repeatedly referred people to the website to view the areas that will be flooded... but the website is down)"

This are is Park 10, Cullen Park, Mayde Creek High School for those familiar with the area. Probably a couple thousand homes in this area about to be rendered uninhabitable along with hundreds of businesses. The alternative is they allow the dams to fail and all the water rushes into Buffalo Bayou at once and straight into Houston. Damn.

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2017/0...ms-houston-flooding/

I watched the press conference too. CoE is damned if they do and damned if they don't:

water is coming in faster than going out and it's causing flooding upstream of the reservoir.

there comes a point when you risk damage to the reservoir dams by not letting water out. Catastrophic failure is a possibility.

you risk flooding people downstream who aren't currently flooded

I have a friend downstream who is currently not flooded considering bugging out for Austin in the morning.

---

Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:
Just passing this along, unreal:


"The news just reported that the Flood Control District Authority is going to release the water on 2 dams, Barker & Addicks, & that it will absolutely "inundate" the houses from 1-10 north to "clay & beyond" & from "Hwy 6 to 99".... he also said the houses would "remain inundated as a result for approx 2 months". KPRC Channel 2 news... (he repeatedly referred people to the website to view the areas that will be flooded... but the website is down)"

This are is Park 10, Cullen Park, Mayde Creek High School for those familiar with the area. Probably a couple thousand homes in this area about to be rendered uninhabitable along with hundreds of businesses. The alternative is they allow the dams to fail and all the water rushes into Buffalo Bayou at once and straight into Houston. Damn.

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2017/0...ms-houston-flooding/

Wow. That's incredible. I hope everyone is out.

Evidently the mayor and his minions weren't telling people to leave:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/a...ne-harvey/index.html

"Sunday morning, as Houston residents found themselves trapped on rooftops and wading through flooded streets with children riding on their shoulders, Mayor Sylvester Turner defended his decision not to order evacuations before the city was hit by torrential rain from Hurricane Harvey...
.
.
.
"If we wanted to call an evacuation, we wouldn't even know where to call it," Emmett said, "cause we don't know where the rain's going to fall and which watersheds are going to be affected. So there is absolutely no reason to evacuate from Houston or the greater Houston area."...


What's with that? Are they really that stupid, or am I missing something?

quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:
Just passing this along, unreal:


"The news just reported that the Flood Control District Authority is going to release the water on 2 dams, Barker & Addicks, & that it will absolutely "inundate" the houses from 1-10 north to "clay & beyond" & from "Hwy 6 to 99".... he also said the houses would "remain inundated as a result for approx 2 months". KPRC Channel 2 news... (he repeatedly referred people to the website to view the areas that will be flooded... but the website is down)"

Good God. How devastating for those families. I don't want to think about how awful that would be.

Things are calm for most of Houston, right now, but it's very deceiving. Another red band extending all the way from Mexico is coming up. This sucker is just not going away.

Wasn't able to get to work this (yesterday) morning, which is a blessing, because I would have been stuck there probably the next couple of days.
Just a little water seeped into my house, but my parents' was flooded, and I can't even get to them. Luckily, my brother and sister/BIL were already over there for the clean up effort.

And, we just lost power 3AM. Jones at West Rd.

Same here....Spring Cypress @ N. Eldridge; about 0245. Suprised it lasted this long...