Alive and well in Houston, and the power just came back on!

[babylonsister]

Embrace your a/c, fans and power, everyone. This hurricane made me realize how spoiled we really are.

We made it through okay, better than a lot of people. Roofs are off, trees knocked chimneys down, split in half, we had a couple yanked out of the ground, tons of fences are destroyed, power polls are slanting towards streets, etc. But I understand there's been minimal loss of life (unless you're one of them:(). Now I need to catch up on what's really going on.

There's free ice being given away; we drove over there, but didn't want to sit in line with 3,000 other vehicles so turned around. Got back home, and the power came on. We've been tricked a few times, so this may not last, but it might.

I'm so glad it's over. Thank you, Wolverine, for providing an update, and thanks to everyone who extended advice and good wishes. Phew!

[flvegan]

1. Good to hear!

Glad you're safe.

[bleever]

2. Yay, sis!

Welcome back. So glad you're okay.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Good to see you fine and well

[malaise]

4. Welcome back

:grouphug:

[NanceGreggs]

5. So relieved to hear from you!!!

:hi:

[fight4my3sons]

6. I'm so glad you're ok!

I've been thinking of you!

:hug:

[angstlessk]

7. i hope for you it stays on...during Isabele in VA we got electricity for about an hour

then lost it for a week...GOOD LUCK!!! and glad you are safe!

[countingbluecars]

8. I'm glad that you are safe.

Take care.

[marmar]

9. Glad to see that you are safe and sound and powered-up.....

:grouphug:

[Kajsa]

10. I'm glad you're OK!

Thanks for keeping us posted.

:) :pals:

[EFerrari]

11. Thank goodness!

:hug:
:grouphug:

[Xipe Totec]

12. Yes!

:applause:

[RoyGBiv]

13. WooHoo!!!

Glad to hear you're okay.

[Tom Rinaldo]

14. Wonderful to know

I've been thinking about you. And worrying about everyone down there who were hit so hard by this.

[JeffR]

15. Glad you're OK!

:hi:

[gademocrat7]

16. Glad you and your made it through the hurricane.

Take care and welcome back.

[grannie4peace]

17. my two sisters live in lake jackson

and my brother lives in houston- i also have a wicked sister in league city. don't talk to the wicked one but still haven't heard from the others. i've been looking at video cams but no real info...thanks for your update

[babylonsister]

40. I heard earlier that Hwy 288 near Lake Jackson was closed due to

flooding; don't know anything further about the situation there.

[grannie4peace]

46. thanks

[ixion]

18. cool, glad to hear you made it through safe!

:bounce: :toast: :bounce:

[stevedeshazer]

19. Welcome back.

Glad you're well.

[hisownpetard]

20. Glad that you're safe (and back)!

[rzemanfl]

21. Cross your fingers. In 2004 our power came on four about two

minutes, then we heard a transformer explode and it was off for four or five more days.

[Ghost in the Machine]

22. Glad you're ok! Off to the Greatest Page, so everyone can see..

:hug:

[kdmorris]

23. Glad you are well, Babylonsister!!

Hurricane Frances was the one that made me realize how spoiled we are. Power was out for 10 days and I whined.. It was so hot and there was no way to get cool. Everything in our fridge/freezer was spoiled and we hated the smell of Vanilla scented candles by the end of that 10 days. We had a well in those days, so no water, either.

But, when our power came back on, Hurricane Ivan was going through Jamaica. And I was ashamed that people there were dying and I was whining about not having power. Our house wasn't really harmed, my family and pets were safe and dry inside our house, and all I suffered through was a week or so with no power.

But there were people there who watched their children washed away in the flood and who lost everything, so I could hardly look myself in the mirror anymore, if I didn't realize just how fortunate I was to have just been without power.

[merh]

24. YAY for you!!!

So good to read your words. :hug: :pals:

so glad you are safe :loveya:

[ClayZ]

25. Yay! K and R

[intheflow]

26. I'm so glad to hear from you!

I saw wolverine's post yesterday, but it's so much better hearing directly from one of my favorite DU sisters. :hug:

[tammywammy]

27. Glad you made it through okay

[texpatriot2004]

28. Yeah! So glad to hear it. BTW what part of Houston were you in?

I have family there now that I cannot reach yet. I know they made it through Ike but haven't heard anything since middle of the night Friday/Sat. They are near 290/610 on Bingle @ Tidwell.

[babylonsister]

48. I'm south of Hobby so can't help you there. But that's a busy area; I'm

sure Centerpoint is working on it.

[panader0]

29. Great news. A lot of concern here about you.

Glad about the power too, my girlfriend has relatives and friends in the city and in Spring. Hope you didn't have too much damage.

[redwitch]

30. Glad you are ok.

:hi:

[DemoTex]

31. Blessed event!

First, I'm glad to hear you are OK. But it's great, too, that the power is back. I remember those hellishly hot days and nights after Alecia in August 1983 when some people's power was off for 2-3 weeks. People were barbecuing everything from their freezers before it spoiled. Washing it down with hot beer.

What part of Houston are you in? I lived in Montrose on Montrose Boulevard.

[MuseRider]

32. Glad you are OK

and I hope your power stays on.

It has been very difficult looking at the photos. I spent a lot of time in Houston when my brother was living. He lived downtown and the photos are horrible, makes me very sad. We also spent a great deal of fun time in Galveston. He was a Musical Director and I am just worried as can be about the Strand Theater and the Opera House.

Good luck. I hope you have all the staples you will need for awhile. :hug: I am so sorry about your city.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

33. Yeah!!!! Glad you and yours are ok!!!! I was thinking about you!!!

[Lebam in LA]

34. Glad you are all ok

Stay safe and hope things get better soon.

[TexasObserver]

35. What part of town are you in?

I have family and friends stuck down there in various spots. Trying to figure out if they're getting power any time soon. I drove all the way to Waco, and power was out almost the entire way.

I drove nearly 200 miles before coming to a town that had any power at all.

[babylonsister]

39. South of Hobby airport; there were pockets on before we got

reconnected. They're definitely working on it furiously. I 'think' I heard Clear Lake, or parts of it, were also on, but I'm not positive. That's a bit further south than here. Lots of places up by the Woodlands and Kingwood are also on despite all the trees; and the stores and gas stations are attempting to open; many already are.
I'm very impressed with how fast this city is getting back to a semblance of normalcy considering all the damage.

[TexasObserver]

57. Wow! How in the world is power back on there?!

I passed about ten convoys of trucks headed there to work on the electrical while on the way to Waco yesterday. Every kind of equipment they need - buckets, crawlers, cherry pickers, scoops, etc.

Most of my folks are over in the Memorial-Spring Branch-Galleria areas, although my step bro is in Pasadena and made it through OK.

[magellan]

36. May I ask what part of Houston you're in?

I have friends near Bunker Hill Village who aren't home right now. I'm wondering if power's been restored in that area yet.

[babylonsister]

43. I'm in SE Houston. I don't even know where Bunker Hill Village is.

Can you give me a direction? I know they're slowly getting people back on line (like me!) despite the fact they warned us we could be out 2-4 weeks.

[magellan]

54. Ah, it's some distance from you then

I figured it was a long shot to ask. Google map of the area below. But I'm sure glad to hear you've got power back already and hope it stays on! We sweated it out without power for 6 days after Charley, it's not fun.

:hi:

[Igel]

60. It probably won't be much longer, unless there's some real problem.

Most of the early restoration happened on the west side, now with 7000+ lineworkers, the areas with power restored are popping up all over.

http://centerpointenergy.com used to have neat PDF maps of where power was restored. They restructured their site around noon today--I have no doubt the maps are there, just at a private link.

81% without power in the Centerpoint grid area--it was 98% at noon yesterday--but that number'll stop decreasing in a few days as repairs have lower and lower rates of return. For now, they fix a line and 1000 people get power. By this weekend, they'll be hooking up individual houses or blocks.

If they're flooded from the bayou, it'll take longer.

I wish them well.

[magellan]

66. Thanks, igil! I was able to find today's outage map

Looks like their area is still completely out. Here's a capture of the map, not good resolution but gives an idea of the huge outages:



Best to everyone affected by Ike.

[Jeanette in FL]

37. Glad to hear you are okay

Thank goodness!

[proud patriot]

38. Glad to hear it

:hi: Welcome back

[nickyt]

41. Terrific news! - and I'm amazed you have power already, but so glad

for ya!!!

[Minimus]

42. Glad to hear and I hope your power stays on.

[dogday]

44. Glad to hear it... We made it through as well...

Listening to John Culberson who is upset at Chertoff because somebody dropped the ball and did not furnish any food for first responders... I am off to drop off some food to them.. They are over here by where I live near trans-star....

Hope all our Texas DU'ers are ok.....

[babylonsister]

50. I hear ya; I hope the TX DUers check in when able. I heard that

about the first responders; we did have a radio. Guess they couldn't think of everything, but that would seem like an important point to consider, especially when no restaurants are open.

Glad you're okay, and that's right nice of you to help feed these selfless people. I have no idea where anyone is around here.

[Subdivisions]

45. Glad you're ok! =) n/t

[Lugnut]

47. I'm glad to hear you're okay.

I hope the majority of residents fared as well.

[ColbertWatcher]

49. Welcome back to the comfortable world of air conditioning and electricity!

Sorry for those without.

:-(

[Egnever]

51. Good to hear you are ok

[Patsy Stone]

52. Yay!

:hi: :hug:

[Inuca]

53. So glad that you are back and even more that you are OK n/t

[ChazII]

55. Good to read that your are safe. n/t

[DinahMoeHum]

56. Thank goodness you're OK.

:hug: :grouphug: :hug:

[spanone]

58. welcome back!

:hi:

[City Lights]

59. Hugs to you and yours, babylonsister! Glad you're safe!

:grouphug:

[Igel]

61. Welcome back. n/t

[AuntPatsy]

62. Its great to hear that your okay, I agree with you, I admit I love my electricity and am spoiled...

:hi:

[Stinky The Clown]

63. Good on ya! Pray that the power stays on

The PowerLineGod os a fickle god.

[Lochloosa]

64. My brother is there. He made it ok but still has no power.

Glad your safe.

[mnhtnbb]

65. You're very lucky to get power back so quickly. Glad you're ok!

[DeepModem Mom]

67. Woo-Hoo! Thanks, babylonsister!

[AzDar]

68. Stay safe, BS! All the best to you.....

:hi:

[lonestarnot]

69. Glad you are safe! And the aftermath begins. :(

:hug: :grouphug:

[monmouth]

70. Good on you sister, glad you're okay...n/t

[PDittie]

71. All hail babs!

We got through OK as well:

http://brainsandeggs.blogspot.com/2008/09/domestic-battery-jokes-aside.html

[applegrove]

72. Glad you are okay.

[Brundle_Fly]

73. GodSpeed! Babs

:D

[Melissa G]

74. Happy to hear you are OK!

God Bless the electrical workers and all the folks doing clean up!