Ike comes knocking (updates: 2)

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12:46p.m. CST

There is really no explicit South Asian American angle to this post other than the fact the Sepia Mutiny’s U.S. Southern Region Bureau is located in Houston. Houston also has the largest desi population in the U.S. outside of NY/NJ, California, and Chicago. I have evacuated all of our staff but, as the bureau chief, have decided to stay behind and blog updates on this thread for as long as I have electrical power. Right now the eye of Ike is on a path to travel almost directly over our bureau.

I was looking for a bucket of food yesterday but the lines at the stores were too long. I was also looking for a shotgun in case I had to protect myself but I don’t know how to use one anyways so that was probably pointless (I’m not as cool as Omar unfortunately). Other than that I am just going to hunker down (Texans like this phrase) with my camera and video camera and document as much as I can (safely of course). When the storm passes I will try and see if there are any volunteer opportunities for people in more need. Luckily SM’s bureau is located on the second floor of a complex and is relatively well protected and just beyond the surge zone, so my mom is way more worried than I am. Here is the view of downtown from the parking garage:

View of Houston skyline: 12:30 p.m. CST, 9/12/08

I’ve been checking out StormPulse.com and the SciGuy at the Houston Chronicle for the best technical information on Ike. Stay tuned for more updates on this thread.

7:10p.m.

The wind is beginning to pick up outside. I cooked Indian style palak chicken and some rice. I’m going to sit down to perhaps my last hot meal for a few days given that the authorities are saying the power is definitely going to be out. In the mean time I read this funny article on Slate about the 5 stages of Hurricane Anxiety:

For much of the recent past, Texans in general and Houstonians in particular have viewed hurricanes with a degree of machismo. No one was still around to testify to the power of the Great Hurricane of 1900, the one that destroyed Galveston Island and paved the way for Houston to replace it as a boomtown, and few storms that followed were anywhere near as devastating. Over time, in fact, Texans got used to staring down their storms; they committed to staying put, to covering their windows with plywood or marking them with menacing masking-tape Xs, and to hosting foolish if festive hurricane parties. Storms still wreaked havoc–upending trailers, creating widespread flooding, paving downtown Houston in skyscraper glass–but most people accepted them as a normal if problematic part of life here, like mosquitoes, humidity, and the Bush family.

Then came the 2005 hurricane season, with Katrina in August and, not quite a month later, Rita. Within a few weeks, Houston was overwhelmed with evacuees from one angry storm and then dodged another one that ravaged the state’s southeast coastline, costing billions of dollars in damage and inspiring widespread nuttiness and worse as tens of thousands of Houstonians tried to flee at once with no discernable plan other than to “git…” [Link]

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p>I’m totally in stage 3 right now:

3. Denial. Sets in as soon as the storm does not take the hoped-for turn to the north, south, east, or west–that is, doesn’t go elsewhere. In this phase, locals note the clearness of the sky and ignore the stillness in the air. They also avoid well-meaning but anxiety-producing phone calls from faraway family and friends who want to know “how you are doing down there.” Typical responses include “They always turn in another direction” and “I left last time, and nothing happened.” Or, as one stubborn resident of Galveston told Eric Berger after the mayor declared a mandatory evacuation, “I ain’t goin’ nowhere. I’m not goin’ to let them move me like they did for the last one.” (The “last one” being Hurricane Rita, which left more than 100 people dead in Texas.) These days, deniers make theirs virtual by cracking Ike jokes on Facebook, e.g., “Y(Ike)s!” [Link]

9/14/08, 10:30 am

I’m back on the air folks. My apartment isn’t liveable right now because I have no running water. Getting by without power is very do-able but when the water stops things begin to turn unhygienic pretty fast. I went down to get a bucket full of water from the pool (I jumped the locked fence) in order to fill my toliet tank but it took more than one bucket full (wasteful toilet design) so it wasn’t very efficient. Luckily a friend that lives only 2 miles away is one of few people who got back both water and power. I have no idea why her apartment building among all the other ones got back on line so fast but I got a hot shower this morning so I am not complaining. If I had to stay in my apartment (which I went to check on this morning) I think I would have begun to feel like Will Smith in I am Legend.

As soon as I got to an internet connection I switched up my fantasy football lineup. They canceled the Texans-Ravens game so I had to bench Andre Johnson.

I also emailed back a lot of people who were kind enough to check up on me. Thanks y’all.

37 thoughts on “Ike comes knocking (updates: 2)”

  2. Get yourself a pump action shot-gun, 12guage. They are easy to learn and not expensive. Be careful.

  3. Abhi: Listen to Chicagodesidiva. Don’t do anything your old man would’nt do. Me and your mom are really worried, because we have been to your SM Houston Bureau! Why don’t you evacuate while you still can? You don’t mess with Texas…much more you don’t mess with Mother Nature. I just flew home last nite from San Antonio and am glad I did, because all over Southern Texas this Ikeman is going to create deluge. Be safe…. do you hear me?

  4. My brother goes to Houston when Mobile (or Lafayette, LA when he was there) is in hurricane range. Please be safe. I’m sending good vibes to you and everyone else there who is still in harm’s way.

  9. Be safe abhi, I think there will be power outage for a long time ( my friends in LA didnt have power for more than a week from Gustav ), so please be prepared for that. Are the SM servers running from the bunker?

  10. Been through a few hurricanes and they are not to be taken lightly. All the best.

  12. Where I am in Houston, it is all cool……….

    Do you want buy toilet tissue paper, $ 9.99 a roll.

    Then I am Hurricane Wisperer.

    Man, this is your time to be the leader of working class of Houston, go to Galveston (Galveston does not working class, though), and areas around, seek them in the hour of crisis, and you will be challenging Ms. Hutchinson next elections.

  13. Abhi, we may disagree but be safe. A tree fell on my house during my last hurricane experience.

  14. I meant: Kay Bailey Hutchison. I am serious for becoming another General Russel Honroe.

    Where I am in Houston, I have a complete different picture.

    Mayor White was (is) discouraging unnecessary evacuations, except where Houston authorities have asked to (the zip codes they think people should leave), because they do not want roads to be overcrowded, and all the resources strained. Sure, they are very serious about evacuations in Galeveston, but most of Harris County is asked to stay put.

    Houston has about 4 million people, and hundreds of thousands have been asked (or have left).

    My house is open for party during Hurricane Ike.

  15. The burb I’m from in Houston is apparently going crazy right now. Hopefully everyone who wants to evacuate will get out, and those who are staying back will stay safe.

  20. I’m in Houston as well, and I hope you guys all stay safe. Hurricanes are not to be taken lightly.

  21. First-time commenter here! Just testing. I can read myself on my internet, can you on your internet? Thanks.

  22. As a native Houstonian I completely understand the Texan mentality to “hunker down”. I remember watching all the people in Galveston boarding up their homes when I was younger. In fact, I remember once seeing people in north Houston riding rafts through the flood waters on their streets for fun! I never once remember people evacuating though in the years before Katrina. I’ve been wondering recently if all of these evacuations are due more to an increase in the intensity of the hurricanes in the past few years or if people have just become more cautious since Katrina.

    Stay safe!

  27. I’m not a regular commenter but a regular lurker. Hope you’re good Abhi. I suppose you’re one of the 4 million without power at the moment. Hope we get an update about you soon though.

  28. serial blasts have just gone off in new delhi. hope all is well with everyone’s friends and relatives out there.

  29. environmental globalization ? global warming and hurricanes

    The strongest hurricanes in the present climate may be upstaged by even more intense hurricanes over the next century as the earth’s climate is warmed by increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

    And Asian smog travels to America exacerbating global warming.

    Al Gore is probably right ?

  30. Is the urgency due to the strength of the storm itself or is the fear that whatever manmade barriers exist are too degraded to work to spec (like New Orleans)?

  31. We heard from Abhi twice. He has no power nor electricity. Otherwise he is OK. Still quite windy and lots of rain. His cell phone worked for a while, but now he goes to car to charge it frequently. Thanks for all the well wishers. Probably it will be days before the power and water gets restored. p.s. SM/HQ has two large swimming pools on either side of the second floor apartment in four story building. Once you flush the toilet – you are out of luck – until water is restored. Meanwhile bucketfull of water from the swimming pool can come handy !! Welcome to so-called “Third World” 🙂

  33. City of Houston really needs our help. Please donate time and money. A city of 4 million will appreciate all help.

    Also,

    Cafe Europe** at Fountain View, and Hooters (were always) are open………….so chill, and thank (it could been far worse) a little too. Climate change, and number occurrence of hurricane is a moot discussion, unless one is a hopeless nerd.

    ** Cafe Europe, an avant garde coffee house in uptown Houston by some strange luck always had power, and was even serving drinks and food on Saturday too.

  36. Kush: Thanks. He stayed in Houston for two days and nights – wandering from door to door in dark, looking for food and a toilet to flush – Just kidding. He finally decided last nite to flee the city. Hiding somewhere in Texas, I suppose!

  37. Kush: Thanks. He stayed in Houston for two days and nights – wandering from door to door in dark, looking for food and a toilet to flush – Just kidding. He finally decided last nite to flee the city. Hiding somewhere in Texas, I suppose!

    Well, in case, he needs a place to crash (or shit) in Houston, he is welcome @ my place. He can easily find my info through internet.

    Luckily, most of northwest part of Houston (where I live) were least affected, compared to other parts of the city. Some parts of the city, and counties are badly hit.

    Parts of city is back to normal (was always normal – there are parts of Houston because of underground wiring, and/ or most important, some strange luck, were never out of either water or electricity), and parts will take 3-4 weeks to get back to normal.

    A city like Houston has fair amount of poor people, and they are badly hurting.