OK, this looks really serious. Possibly a Cat. 4 storm coming in to the Texas coast between Houston and Corpus Christie. Tio Pick, Tom Stoval and I are going to see a whole lot of wind and rain over the weekend. I will check in when it's over or we have the power back on, which ever comes first.

Yeah, I'm 130 miles inland from you but I think the eye may go right over the top of my head. I sent my sons who live here to visit their brother in San Angelo but the wife and the dogs and me are a-staying put if we can. I'm on a slight hill and endured 26 inches of rain in 48 hours in the '98 flood without the house taking water but I'm real concerned about the tornadoes and hurricane winds. Local news is saying sustained winds of 100 mph here - I'm probably going to board windows tomorrow.

Everybody stay safe - this one could be another Rita/Katrina.

I have been reading weather blogs by the PhD meteorologists and they say this is a wierd storm. Surface winds are still at Cat 1 while upper winds are Cat 2. The big concern is storm surge. The Texas Coast is going to get hammered from Beaumont to Corpus. They say it could be up to a 20 foot surge which means Galveston gets wet. The maps look like the eye may pass right over us but 60-70 miles in I hope it loses some punch. Gonna stay put.

You fellows haven't a post on the Prayer List but I think I will start praying for you all just in case. Hold on tight to your dreams to quote a song form my youth because it just might blow away. Hoping and praying all goes well for you.:cool:

Looks like it's moved east and going into Galveston with a full head of steam. Y'all need to get out and head west to San Antonio or Austin.

Quenchcrack,
It looks like we are out of the woods and it is heading your way. Word was with landfall in Corpus we could have had hurricane force winds as far inland as San Antonio. I would seek safe refuge. We'll pray that all goes well...
Stay Safe,
Jerry

Current storm track is to cross over Galveston Island and go right up I45 through the middle of Houston. We are about 15-20 miles east of I45 and 30 miles north west of Houston. We have been advised to stay put and that is what we are planning to do. Yeah, a few prayers would be a big help. This isn't gonna be fun.

Got your whale boat ready just in case? Remember women and children first.

Quenchcrack,
We were spared this time. Hope and pray that you and your family made it through the storm alright....
Jerry

Any word on how all you Texas blacksmiths (and your families) made out? You are all in our prayers.

We made it with no damage, just a lot of tree litter. We took a major hit and 90% of Houston residents are without power. Galveston is almost a total loss. FEMA must have rehired "Brownie" to manage the disaster because the FEMA response is a disaster. We have no power so I am on the web from work. I have heard from none of the other Texas smiths yet. Thanks for the prayers, they worked!

BuddyL had a tree hit his smithy and some water damage. He is ok and rebuilding.

Thanks Quenchcrack & Glenn for the updates. Will continue to keep you & the others in prayer. You have a long & difficult road ahead. Good luck.

Mitch

Just for your thoughtful consideration: It took FEMA 36 hours to get started distributing Ice, water and MRE's to people who were wiped out. They were kinda thirsty by that time. The POD's (Points of Distribution) are open 10 AM to 6 PM. Lines are up to 6 hours long and you get a gallon of water, two bags of ice and 6 MRE's which means you come back every day. They close on time despite hungry, desperate people still in the lines. The people who made the plans and operate the disaster response are the same people who are responsible for our national security. God help us.