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| Robbie the Mighty Squirrel Hunter |
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| Robbie Rosco Dog McLain |
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| Owen |
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| Neal, photographed by Owen |
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| Sarah, Ann, and the boys play board games as Robbie snoozes. |
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| Robbie and Ann |
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| Owen, Clint, Nathan |
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| Sleepy Robbie |
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| Sleepy kitties Ruby and Marble |
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Katy, Thursday August 31, 2017, 8:30 PM
Perfect weather today! Ann and I sat out on the back deck watching Robbie chase squirrels and doves.
Katy, Thursday August 31, 2017, 3:00 AM
Yesterday (Wednesday) was a busy day for us. Ann and Sarah went shopping and came back with a pile of groceries purchased at H-E-B, our local supermarket chain. They report that the meat department is just getting organized, and that many items are not in stock.
Robbie, the boys, and I went for a walk limited to sidewalk only (I have difficulty walking on uneven surfaces so we stayed on sidewalk ... artifact of my titanium knee).
I went out looking for a new copy of the DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer for Texas ... I figured Academy would certainly stock it. No such luck. Academy doesn't even stock Texas state maps! Counter guy says everybody uses GPS now. Ok, fine. But GPS doesn't work when numerous streets and closed due to flooding.
Clint went to work for a few hours ... first time his company has been open since Harvey hit.
Sarah's employer -- the Alley Theater -- is all but shut down due to flooding ... entire lower level, including one of the performance spaces, is flooded.
https://www.alleytheatre.org/tropical-storm-harvey
Sarah prepared a wonderful dinner involving shrimp and pineapple.
And we all watched a lot of television ... mostly hurricane coverage or kid cartoons. Cable service package doesn't include MSNBC -- I miss Morning Joe!
Robbie, the boys, and I went for a walk limited to sidewalk only (I have difficulty walking on uneven surfaces so we stayed on sidewalk ... artifact of my titanium knee).
I went out looking for a new copy of the DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer for Texas ... I figured Academy would certainly stock it. No such luck. Academy doesn't even stock Texas state maps! Counter guy says everybody uses GPS now. Ok, fine. But GPS doesn't work when numerous streets and closed due to flooding.
Clint went to work for a few hours ... first time his company has been open since Harvey hit.
Sarah's employer -- the Alley Theater -- is all but shut down due to flooding ... entire lower level, including one of the performance spaces, is flooded.
https://www.alleytheatre.org/tropical-storm-harvey
Sarah prepared a wonderful dinner involving shrimp and pineapple.
And we all watched a lot of television ... mostly hurricane coverage or kid cartoons. Cable service package doesn't include MSNBC -- I miss Morning Joe!
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Katy, Tuesday August 29, 2017, 7:00 PM
Some photos...
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| Owen and Ann, playing City Maze |
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| Nathan and Owen watching "educational" television |
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| This must be educational! |
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| Poor Robbie had to stay in his crate! |
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| Dabney Manor Lane, Katy, Texas, August 29, late afternoon. Katy escaped most of the flooding. And by now it's all dried up except for the gutters. |
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| Wind damage is much in evidence. |
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| The playground at the clubhouse is still flooded. |
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| Swimming pool looks normal. |
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| High water mark |
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| Back deck behind the house is still flooded. But that doesn't affect Robbie's duties as resident squirrel monitor. |
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| Clint, my son-in-law and the guy that fixes my computer whenever I screw it up. |
Katy, Tuesday August 29, 2017, 1:00 PM
Well we made it to Katy yesterday. We're now staying with our daughter Sarah and her family -- husband Clint, sons Nathan (8) and Owen (6), dog Pepper (a rescue from hurricane Katrina), and two cats (sisters Ruby and Marble).
Our trip from Brazoria to Katy took far longer than normal due to numerous roads closed due to flooding. After several false starts, we managed to get over to SH-99 (modestly known as "The Grand Parkway"), headed north, crossed under I-10 with no problem, and got to Sarah's place ten minutes later.
Since then we've been keeping an eye on Houston TV stations for flood news (with several interruptions for kid cartoons). News from southern Brazoria County is scant so we still don't know what's going on. According to NOAA the big bulge in the Brazos river caused by upstream rainfall hasn't arrived in Brazoria yet. When it hits we've been told that it will overflow and join overflow from the San Bernard to create a continuous river-to-river sheet of floodwater. If that happens it will definitely hit our house.
Here's NOAA's prediction for Richmond. Whatever happens in Richmond will hit Brazoria a day or two later.
More photos coming soon.
Our trip from Brazoria to Katy took far longer than normal due to numerous roads closed due to flooding. After several false starts, we managed to get over to SH-99 (modestly known as "The Grand Parkway"), headed north, crossed under I-10 with no problem, and got to Sarah's place ten minutes later.
Since then we've been keeping an eye on Houston TV stations for flood news (with several interruptions for kid cartoons). News from southern Brazoria County is scant so we still don't know what's going on. According to NOAA the big bulge in the Brazos river caused by upstream rainfall hasn't arrived in Brazoria yet. When it hits we've been told that it will overflow and join overflow from the San Bernard to create a continuous river-to-river sheet of floodwater. If that happens it will definitely hit our house.
Here's NOAA's prediction for Richmond. Whatever happens in Richmond will hit Brazoria a day or two later.
More photos coming soon.
Monday, August 28, 2017
Brazoria, Monday August 28, 2017, 8:30 AM
We're about to pack the car and head north. How far we get is a mystery.
This is the last post on this blog until/unless I have access to another computer or buy an iPhone.
Over and out.
This is the last post on this blog until/unless I have access to another computer or buy an iPhone.
Over and out.
Brazoria, Monday August 28, 2017, 7:00 AM
We're going to have to evacuate. County says both rivers --- the Brazos and the San Bernard --- will overflow creating a sheet of water from river-to-river. We're now under a mandatory evac order:
- Brazoria County - County Judge Matt Sebesta has issued a
MANDATORY EVACUATION for all residents living WEST of State Highway 288
and SOUTH of State Highway 6. Refer to attached map.
An evacuation route has been established for State Highway 35 Westbound to Matagorda County to Northbound State Highway 71 reaching Interstate 10. Refer to map. THERE ARE NO OTHER EVACUATION ROUTES OUT OF BRAZORIA COUNTY. State Highway 35 WILL NOT be open indefinitely and will be unpassable with additional rains and river flooding. LEAVE NOW! Residents needing a place to go can shelter in Bell County. Self-Evacuation destination in Bell County will be the EXPO CENTER, 301 West Loop, Belton, Texas. Pets are welcome!
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Brazoria, Sunday August 27, 2017, 4:00 PM
No rain since this morning and water in the yard is subsiding. Hopefully it's flowing down the ditches into the Brazos River.
The Brazos is now 0.02 feet above historic crest and still rising. If it keeps rising and overflows water may back up in the ditches.
The Brazos is now 0.02 feet above historic crest and still rising. If it keeps rising and overflows water may back up in the ditches.
Brazoria, Sunday August 27, 2017, 12:00 PM
Intermittent rain all morning. Ditches flooded and overflowing onto adjacent lawns. Maybe we should evacuate, but where? Heading to Katy at this point would be impossible -- all road are either closed due to flooding or jammed with traffic Furthermore Katy is getting even more rain that we are. .
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| Brazoria County Road 912A, looking northeast |
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| Overflowing ditch |
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| Side Yard |
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| The Toyota, parked, ready to roll if we decide to go anywhere |
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| The Ford and the Toyota |
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| Robbie, anxious to go along if we go anywhere |
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| Robbie |
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| Robbie, water up to his tummy |
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| Back inside, and a chance to dry off. |
Brazoria, Sunday August 27, 2017, 7:00 AM
well it rained all night with occasional howling winds. Ditches are full, some of the front yard is flooded. But the flooding doesn't come near the front door.
Brazos River is rising rapidly due to heavy rainfall upstream. Here's NOAA's report at Richmond, as of 5:15 AM today. If it rises further we may have a problem.
Brazos River is rising rapidly due to heavy rainfall upstream. Here's NOAA's report at Richmond, as of 5:15 AM today. If it rises further we may have a problem.
Saturday, August 26, 2017
Brazoria, Saturday August 26, 2017, 1:30 PM
Well, we're still at home in Brazoria. When Harvey came ashore this morning it was downgraded to a tropical storm. It's still windy and intermittent rain out there but ditches haven't overflowed. We've even had a few intermittent periods of sunlight.
We lost power around 6 PM yesterday. I called the power company (Texas-New Mexico Power Company), and got a recording: they were aware of the outage, crews were working on it, and they expected power to be on by5:00 AM Saturday. But it came back a few hours later.
Governor Abbott has announced mandatory evac for residents along the San Bernard River and voluntary evac for residents along the Brazos River. We're about a mile from the Brazos and the land between us and the river is heavily wooded. County Road 400 runs more-or-less parallel to the Brazos (meaning it doesn't meander like the river does). Forecasts indicate that the Brazos won't rise higher than it did last spring when it overflowed CR400 several miles south of us.
Map: http://tinyurl.com/416-912A-77422
So we're probably going to ride out the whole storm here at home. And all of our efforts to get things organized for the trip to Katy have turned into housecleaning.
The Brazos River: El Rio de los Brazos de Dios!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazos_River
We lost power around 6 PM yesterday. I called the power company (Texas-New Mexico Power Company), and got a recording: they were aware of the outage, crews were working on it, and they expected power to be on by5:00 AM Saturday. But it came back a few hours later.
Governor Abbott has announced mandatory evac for residents along the San Bernard River and voluntary evac for residents along the Brazos River. We're about a mile from the Brazos and the land between us and the river is heavily wooded. County Road 400 runs more-or-less parallel to the Brazos (meaning it doesn't meander like the river does). Forecasts indicate that the Brazos won't rise higher than it did last spring when it overflowed CR400 several miles south of us.
Map: http://tinyurl.com/416-912A-77422
So we're probably going to ride out the whole storm here at home. And all of our efforts to get things organized for the trip to Katy have turned into housecleaning.
The Brazos River: El Rio de los Brazos de Dios!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazos_River
Brazoria, Saturday August 26, 2017, 3:30 AM
Woke up around 3 AM. Howling wind, light rain. Power still on in neighborhood. Internet still working.
Checked email. Posting by Steve Cichorsky of Paso Robles on the TCI (Telecom Collectors International) list serv about "How a wireless network prepares for Hurricane Harvey". It's a COW!
http://tinyurl.com/Verizon-COW
Checked email. Posting by Steve Cichorsky of Paso Robles on the TCI (Telecom Collectors International) list serv about "How a wireless network prepares for Hurricane Harvey". It's a COW!
http://tinyurl.com/Verizon-COW
Friday, August 25, 2017
Brazoria, Friday, August 25, 2017, 11:15 PM
Well, latest news is: the Brazos River and San Bernard River are both approaching flood stage, and residents living between the rivers may expect flooding. We live between the rivers, about a mile from the Brazos. Our neighborhood escaped flooding during the major flooding last spring. But we may not be so lucky this time.
Brazoria, Friday, August 25, 2017, 5:00 PM
Not much change since this morning. Governor Abbott has been on C-SPAN spouting off about evacuating but we're staying home. We drove around town a while back and it appears that many of our neighbors are staying home too. Diamond S restaurant is closed but Subway is open. McCoy's building supply, Stewart's grocery, and the dollar stores are all open. Heritage Foundation (home of the Brazos Valley Railroad Museum) is closed.
No train whistles all day ... apparently the UPRR has shut down all shipments between Algoa Junction (Houston) and the Brownsville/Matamoros International Bridge.
Heavy rain and wind an hour ago but it's died down now ... no wind, no rain, sky overcast. Ann and Robbie are watching the Weather Channel; I'm listening to Saint-Saëns Symphony 3 via YouTube.
No train whistles all day ... apparently the UPRR has shut down all shipments between Algoa Junction (Houston) and the Brownsville/Matamoros International Bridge.
Heavy rain and wind an hour ago but it's died down now ... no wind, no rain, sky overcast. Ann and Robbie are watching the Weather Channel; I'm listening to Saint-Saëns Symphony 3 via YouTube.
Brazoria, Friday, August 25, 2017, 11:00 AM
Well, we've decoded to stay home and ride our the story here. Watching Weather Channel.
Brazoria, Friday, August 25, 2017, 8:40 AM
Sarah called yesterday ... long conversation with Ann. We've decided to seal up the house, head to Katy, and stay with Sarah and family.
I've been up since 5:00 am today straightening up the mess in my office and getting stuff off the floor in case we get flooded. Raining right now; rain gauge says 2.5 inches since yesterday. Temp around 70. I headed barefoot out to get the Chronicle (it actually came today). Friday is trash pickup day so I moved the trash container out to the curb. I'll be surprised if the trash guys actually show up.
Power still on, internet still working, TV via Dish still working. Cheerios for breakfast. Robbie begging for Cheerios as usual.
Ann is having second thoughts about heading to Katy. We may decide to stay here. Stay tuned.
I've been up since 5:00 am today straightening up the mess in my office and getting stuff off the floor in case we get flooded. Raining right now; rain gauge says 2.5 inches since yesterday. Temp around 70. I headed barefoot out to get the Chronicle (it actually came today). Friday is trash pickup day so I moved the trash container out to the curb. I'll be surprised if the trash guys actually show up.
Power still on, internet still working, TV via Dish still working. Cheerios for breakfast. Robbie begging for Cheerios as usual.
Ann is having second thoughts about heading to Katy. We may decide to stay here. Stay tuned.
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Brazoria, Thursday, August 24, 2017, 10:30 PM
Well, it looks like we're going to have to evacuate. Ann and Sarah discussed the situation at some length and the plan looks like this:
- Biggest problem appears to be local rain.
- Storm surge is predicted to reach 6 feet AMSL, and our house is about 22 feet AMSL.
- The forecast calls for heavy local rain that will fill the ditches quickly and overflow into the yard. It's possible that the water level may rise to the point where water floods the house.
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