You Texans Hunker Down!!

[Sandy Glenn]

Beryl is not playing nice... Stay Safe!!

[Lee Bowen]

Thanks for your concern, Sandy.  I am well removed from the area of landfall, about 200 miles north east of the current center of   rotation. As it moves inland, there is a possibility of increased wind and rain.  Experiencing a light breeze with gusts, and a light rain, from outer bands.  KPRC, the Houston NBC affiliate, shows Lake Jackson with rain blowing sideways. Our county judge has declared a natural disaster to get the ball rolling on the Federal Assistance, if that comes into play.

[Duke Gilleland]

This has been a weird one point of contact changed so many times! Have seen flics of Galveston and Houston and they ain't nothing nice at all.
We were spared being on the NE outer edge of it. 25 MPH wind and just 8/10s" rain.
I still remember when Carla came into Houston in '61 and how bad it tore the entire town up!! Huge trees everywhere! No electricity for 2 weeks.

[Stuart Lowery]

Beryl reached Michigan last night, we've got flood watches and advisories out for 1" to multiple inches of rain, some here already and more coming the next 24hrs. Nothing we haven't had before, and trivial compared to TX. Take care, and I'm hoping to see some "we're OK..." posts from our TX members

[Duke Gilleland]

Just glad it did not stall in Texas! Right here in our Central Texas area, we have already had nearly 30 inches of rain since April 1st!!! Friends of ours west of San Antone have not had 30" of rain in 3 years! Seen more LARGE hail in the last 3 years than in the last 50+ years! Saw hail in Texas as big as pineapples just this spring!
The days of normal weather seasons that we knew as kids looks to be over for good

[Lee Bowen]

Well, I was way over nonchalant about this little disturbance in the Gulf.  Originally predicted to make land fall around Corpus or Matamoras, it seemed to make a beeline to my neck of the woods,  Polk County, as a whole, took a direct hit.  My power went out Monday at 8-8:30 a.m. and finally came back on about 5-5:30 yesterday.  Other than a bunch of limbs blown off various trees and one black gum snag that missed the northwest corner of my house, we escaped any real damage, as a whole.  My freezers kept almost everything solid, but one more day, and I would have lost everything in all three freezers, as well as the refrigerator in the kitchen.  All in all, we are very fortunate to escape any real damage, other than the oppressive heat associated with July in East Texas with no electricity and the lack of telephone service due to cell phone towers not having any power.  It makes one appreciate the luxuries and basic necessities available in these times. On the brighter side, it gave me a chance to cook a breakfast outside for a couple of my sisters and their neighbor, using up thawed T-bones, bacon, and homemade sausage that would have spoiled if not cooked.  Life is good.

[Duke Gilleland]

Lee, Glad y'all were spared! But this wild crazy weather pattern sure makes me wonder if the Lord is trying to tell US fools something!

[Lee Bowen]

Thanks, Duke.  There are still many people without power within a few miles of my home. We were very fortunate to get by with as little loss as we did. If there is a message in all this, let's hope someone is trying to break the code.
More rain predicted for the next three days (40%).

[Jim Glatthaar]

Lee, you win the WAGS award for making the best of a bad situation.  As Duke noted, these extreme weather events are becoming all too ferocious and commonplace these days.

[Lee Bowen]

Thank you, Jim.  As everyone knows, looking on the brighter side of things is far more pleasant than going around all doom and gloomy.
 FEMA sent in  MREs, ice and water to be distributed for those that need them. Combined efforts of the Sheriff's Office, Police Department, Volunteer Fire Department, and National Guard personnel from Laredo have been cooperating with each other to ensure that it is a fair distribution, and no one takes advantage of the situation.
It seems that every other vehicle on the road is an out-of-state bucket truck.  I know they are being paid big bucks, and that cost will trickle down to my electric bill, but their professionalism and willingness to leave home to provide this service makes it worth every cent they earn.  A big THANK YOU!!! to Linemen everywhere.

[Duke Gilleland]

Temple Texas has never had a damaging tornado. 2 months ago they had 3 in one
afternoon! Within hours, tree working and pole trucks were everywhere. A good many still here. My brother had enough damage to get a new roof and ALL the metal siding on his house due to hail. His roof had been replace within the last 12 months due to hail!! All the wheat and milo crops in our area was beat flat to the ground this year.
Very strange times we live in now compared to our childhood years. Hate the droughts but hate the rain WITH ALL THE HAIL.

[Lee Bowen]

You are quite correct, Duke.  I feel we are in for a rough ride.