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Author Topic:   Score: Zephyr 1, Katrina 0
zephyr
Member (Idle past 4540 days)
Posts: 821
From: FOB Taji, Iraq
Joined: 04-22-2003


Message 1 of 16 (247233)
09-29-2005 9:37 AM


Just dropping a note to let y'all know I came through just fine. I was on leave in Hawaii when the storm hit. I had been there a few days visiting family, and basically got told to hang tight for what turned into another 3 weeks. Aside from worrying about my friends and my house for a while, it was a great time. I eventually heard from everyone, and they're OK, but a lot of the folks from the western side of the coast have lost everything. Many of them have already left the state permanently.
I came home Monday of last week and found my own place in pretty good shape. A lot of my fence got blown down and my roof got chewed up around the edges, but it's all DIY-able. Red Cross money should cover it. All in all, I was so lucky that I almost feel bad.
Living here now is pretty lame, to be honest. Late September and temps are still topping 90, and there's dirt and debris everywhere. I'm still dodging the top of a huge tree every time I hit the freeway exit to get home, because other things have taken precedence. Two of the main arteries into Biloxi will be out for months or years, and the most direct one remaining is marginally functional due to storm damage. My 20-minute commute has doubled, and that's if I leave in the wee hours to beat the worst traffic. The base hospital, commissary, and BX are out of commission till some time next year, and they still haven't let my people bring their families back due to this lack of services.
The worst part about this all is that Walmart is practically the only place to get a lot of your basic needs, and I EFFING HATE WALMART.
Hehe.
At least things are improving gradually... Keesler is throwing up temporary replacement facilities, the garbage in the roads is being hauled away a truckload at a time, and little by little the houses are starting to look whole again. With that, I gotta run. Take care, all.

Replies to this message:
 Message 2 by jar, posted 09-29-2005 9:41 AM zephyr has not replied
 Message 3 by Asgara, posted 09-29-2005 9:55 AM zephyr has replied
 Message 4 by berberry, posted 09-29-2005 10:01 AM zephyr has replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 384 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 2 of 16 (247236)
09-29-2005 9:41 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by zephyr
09-29-2005 9:37 AM


Just so you okay, my friend.

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by zephyr, posted 09-29-2005 9:37 AM zephyr has not replied

  
Asgara
Member (Idle past 2292 days)
Posts: 1783
From: Wisconsin, USA
Joined: 05-10-2003


Message 3 of 16 (247240)
09-29-2005 9:55 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by zephyr
09-29-2005 9:37 AM


Zeph, great to hear from you!!
We were just talking about you last night,hoping you were ok and that you'd contact us.
My cousin was in charge of the BX facilities down there (if I've got my family info correct). His house in Gulfport was demolished and he and his wife are living in a camper.

Asgara
"I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now"
select * from USERS where CLUE > 0
http://asgarasworld.bravepages.com
http://perditionsgate.bravepages.com

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by zephyr, posted 09-29-2005 9:37 AM zephyr has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 5 by zephyr, posted 09-29-2005 10:46 AM Asgara has not replied

  
berberry
Inactive Member


Message 4 of 16 (247243)
09-29-2005 10:01 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by zephyr
09-29-2005 9:37 AM


It's great to hear you're okay. Don't worry about the weather, a cold front's passing through today and temps all over the state are going down about 12 degrees or so, at least for a couple days. Maybe you can get more work done in the improved conditions.

"I think younger workers first of all, younger workers have been promised benefits the government promises that have been promised, benefits that we can't keep. That's just the way it is." George W. Bush, May 4, 2005

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by zephyr, posted 09-29-2005 9:37 AM zephyr has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 6 by zephyr, posted 09-29-2005 10:47 AM berberry has replied

  
zephyr
Member (Idle past 4540 days)
Posts: 821
From: FOB Taji, Iraq
Joined: 04-22-2003


Message 5 of 16 (247254)
09-29-2005 10:46 AM
Reply to: Message 3 by Asgara
09-29-2005 9:55 AM


My cousin was in charge of the BX facilities down there (if I've got my family info correct). His house in Gulfport was demolished and he and his wife are living in a camper.
I'm really sorry to hear that. It's happened to so many people here... that's why I feel weird about coming through so well. What are you gonna do, though
I guess the obvious answer is to get out and help. The aquarium where I used to volunteer had its contents blasted all over Point Cadet, so I need to find something else anyway.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 3 by Asgara, posted 09-29-2005 9:55 AM Asgara has not replied

  
zephyr
Member (Idle past 4540 days)
Posts: 821
From: FOB Taji, Iraq
Joined: 04-22-2003


Message 6 of 16 (247255)
09-29-2005 10:47 AM
Reply to: Message 4 by berberry
09-29-2005 10:01 AM


It's great to hear you're okay. Don't worry about the weather, a cold front's passing through today and temps all over the state are going down about 12 degrees or so, at least for a couple days. Maybe you can get more work done in the improved conditions.
Maybe so, maybe so. Did you get hit much in Vicksburg?
This message has been edited by zephyr, 09-29-2005 10:48 AM

This message is a reply to:
 Message 4 by berberry, posted 09-29-2005 10:01 AM berberry has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 7 by berberry, posted 09-29-2005 11:15 AM zephyr has replied

  
berberry
Inactive Member


Message 7 of 16 (247274)
09-29-2005 11:15 AM
Reply to: Message 6 by zephyr
09-29-2005 10:47 AM


Well, like you, I feel lucky as hell, but no, no real damage. Katrina knocked the power out for 5 days, but after 2 days my mother's power came back. I stayed with her until that Friday so I only spent just over a day in hot weather without air conditioning. We had lots of felled trees and power lines here, and for the first couple days only a very few stores were open. Very, very long gas lines formed, and for just over a week it required a considerable investment in time and effort to get a tankful. I drove to Tallulah LA, about 20 miles west, where the lines were shorter, to fill up.
The winds were tropical storm force as I understand, but we got only a little rain, I suppose because we were on the west side.
Jackson got much stronger winds, and Meridian was on the immediate east side of what was by then a cat 2 blow. Meridian, Laurel and Hattiesburg were all hit hard.
We got a LOT more rain out of Rita, so much that my basement apartment began to flood. Nothing was damaged and it took less than an hour to vacuum the carpet nearly dry. From that it was just cranking the AC and putting on sleeves until it dried completely.
I was lucky, but I've met a lot of people who haven't been lucky.

"We look forward to hearing your vision, so we can more better do our job. That's what I'm telling you."-George W. Bush, Gulfport, Miss.,
Sept. 20, 2005.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 6 by zephyr, posted 09-29-2005 10:47 AM zephyr has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 8 by zephyr, posted 09-29-2005 2:16 PM berberry has not replied

  
zephyr
Member (Idle past 4540 days)
Posts: 821
From: FOB Taji, Iraq
Joined: 04-22-2003


Message 8 of 16 (247330)
09-29-2005 2:16 PM
Reply to: Message 7 by berberry
09-29-2005 11:15 AM


Wow, I knew Hattiesburg got whacked (after seeing Gulfport, I can imagine the damage only 50 miles inland) but to hear that it reached Meridian with such force surprises me. The thing really was a bloody oversized tornado.
Rita slapped us with outer band thunderstorms for what seemed like an eternity... blow, rain, then dead calm and heat again, even at midnight. The first one was around noon on Friday and the curving path kept us on the perimeter through Sunday. I'm glad you didn't get any more water in your place. The sight of post-flood houses is so disheartening, even after seeing hundreds. If you walk downhill from my place, you start to see carpets dumped outside from minor flooding. Further down, the piles grow to include insulation, drywall, appliances, furniture, clothes, and just about everything else you can imagine. I've seen heaps 10 feet high and 50 feet long, just waiting for somebody to haul away. I see beautiful mansions, gutted because nothing was worth saving.
Yeah, it's a downer. I'm glad you beat that one. It's a shame that so many didn't.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 7 by berberry, posted 09-29-2005 11:15 AM berberry has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 9 by Nighttrain, posted 09-29-2005 11:12 PM zephyr has not replied
 Message 13 by Phat, posted 09-30-2005 9:34 AM zephyr has replied

  
Nighttrain
Member (Idle past 3984 days)
Posts: 1512
From: brisbane,australia
Joined: 06-08-2004


Message 9 of 16 (247499)
09-29-2005 11:12 PM
Reply to: Message 8 by zephyr
09-29-2005 2:16 PM


Saddest sight I saw in the `74 Brisbane flood was that of pianos, street after street of them, veneers peeling, strings rusting, all sitting out awaiting removal. One thing about floods. You can disinfect, replace the drywalls and carpeting, repaint the whole house, but on the next dull day, the mouldy smell starts coming out of the woodwork.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 8 by zephyr, posted 09-29-2005 2:16 PM zephyr has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 10 by berberry, posted 09-30-2005 3:15 AM Nighttrain has replied

  
berberry
Inactive Member


Message 10 of 16 (247521)
09-30-2005 3:15 AM
Reply to: Message 9 by Nighttrain
09-29-2005 11:12 PM


Flooding
Nighttrain writes:
quote:
...but on the next dull day, the mouldy smell starts coming out of the woodwork.
Sounds like the wood wasn't properly treated after the flood. Once the drywall has been stripped away, you can treat the wooden frame with something (I can't remember what) that kills the mold and keeps it from coming back.
I do have some experience with flooding. When Jackson flooded at Easter of 1979 I was living at a reservoir north of the city where I was safely above the water. But a substantial portion of Jackson was below water for a week, and I helped several friends and a civic organization to clean up afterward.
Most of the houses and offices that flooded survived and many are still in use. You wouldn't know they were ever flooded. But some weren't properly treated and, like you say, they'll stink forever.
In the case of New Orleans, the floodwaters contained sewerage. That no doubt changes things. I'm not sure what can be done about that.

"We look forward to hearing your vision, so we can more better do our job. That's what I'm telling you."-George W. Bush, Gulfport, Miss.,
Sept. 20, 2005.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 9 by Nighttrain, posted 09-29-2005 11:12 PM Nighttrain has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 11 by Nighttrain, posted 09-30-2005 5:06 AM berberry has not replied

  
Nighttrain
Member (Idle past 3984 days)
Posts: 1512
From: brisbane,australia
Joined: 06-08-2004


Message 11 of 16 (247539)
09-30-2005 5:06 AM
Reply to: Message 10 by berberry
09-30-2005 3:15 AM


Re: Flooding
Hi, Berb, I think it has more to do with the flood silt which penetrates into the smallest crevice and is difficult to reach. Maybe it`s hygroscopic and moisture in the air on an overcast day triggers off decay. I know many jetted out their houses with fire hoses, disinfected and still were affected when the weather changed. Having part of a house affected by fire can cause lingering smells unless you paint the smoke-coated timbers with Silvafos (a silver metal-based paint)to bind the particles. Never saw that tried with flood damage.

This message is a reply to:
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zephyr
Member (Idle past 4540 days)
Posts: 821
From: FOB Taji, Iraq
Joined: 04-22-2003


Message 12 of 16 (247608)
09-30-2005 8:56 AM


I have friends in D'Iberville who got flooded by heavy spring rain this year, and you'd never know it. They tore out their carpets, knocked all the drywall off and replaced it, and took the opportunity to repaint all their walls. The place looks better than it ever did, and I've never noticed a smell. Then again, I do tend to live in my own filth

Replies to this message:
 Message 15 by berberry, posted 10-01-2005 2:37 AM zephyr has not replied

  
Phat
Member
Posts: 18248
From: Denver,Colorado USA
Joined: 12-30-2003
Member Rating: 1.1


Message 13 of 16 (247618)
09-30-2005 9:34 AM
Reply to: Message 8 by zephyr
09-29-2005 2:16 PM


I wonder how the insurance industry is going to handle all of the costs? Does the insurance industry have enough money to handle 2 large natural disasters a year, every year?(or more?)

This message is a reply to:
 Message 8 by zephyr, posted 09-29-2005 2:16 PM zephyr has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 14 by zephyr, posted 09-30-2005 10:50 AM Phat has not replied

  
zephyr
Member (Idle past 4540 days)
Posts: 821
From: FOB Taji, Iraq
Joined: 04-22-2003


Message 14 of 16 (247644)
09-30-2005 10:50 AM
Reply to: Message 13 by Phat
09-30-2005 9:34 AM


Heh.
Yeah, insurance rates will just have to go up a little... how about 50% of the home's value, every year....

This message is a reply to:
 Message 13 by Phat, posted 09-30-2005 9:34 AM Phat has not replied

  
berberry
Inactive Member


Message 15 of 16 (247875)
10-01-2005 2:37 AM
Reply to: Message 12 by zephyr
09-30-2005 8:56 AM


zephyr writes:
quote:
They tore out their carpets, knocked all the drywall off and replaced it, and took the opportunity to repaint all their walls.
I hope they also treated the wood in the frame of the house. If the floodwater was in and out quickly it might not be as important, but in the Jackson flood I mentioned earlier the water was up for about a week. In the houses that survived but weren't properly treated you commonly have mold and mildew problems.
A friend owned one of those houses about a decade ago. Everything was fine so long as he left the A/C going all the time, even when he was away for a few days. During winter he'd sometimes have to run dehumidifiers along with the heater. Only on days with nice temperatures and low humidity could he turn everything off, otherwise a mold odor would set in for a few days.

"We look forward to hearing your vision, so we can more better do our job. That's what I'm telling you."-George W. Bush, Gulfport, Miss.,
Sept. 20, 2005.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 12 by zephyr, posted 09-30-2005 8:56 AM zephyr has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 16 by Nighttrain, posted 10-01-2005 5:00 AM berberry has not replied

  
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