2024 Hurricane Season thread of DOOM

[UTexasFight 9292]

52 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Is a Generac worth 5 figures if we can run to a hotel with prior notice? 
 

I could see it of you had a deep freezer with a couple thousand dollars worth of meat in it. Otherwise, I can’t make the math work. 

Dual fuel portable generator (dual so you can use propane when gas can’t be found/pumped) with a power inlet box wired into the electrical panel.

or if you’re surly 1%, go with a tri-fuel generator and split a connection off your natural gas line

[Rip76 4880]

Dew points are a little lower tonight outside so not the worst ever.

Everybody makin’ fun of them preppers.  Not me.

[immamac 41615]

I can't believe there's only one person here with batteries. Batteries are way better than a generac because you can charge them a whole bunch of different ways and they provide clean (sine wave) power. 

Maybe I'll partner with a battery seller and make some commission off this lol. 

[Telegraph_it 3350]

Centerpoint has a map up. My area is still being “assessed”. Fuck me. Guess I’ll need to push the flight out further. 

Link: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/195bcf03ae0c491f9f14bf77f2c43420

 

[General Specific 3152]

I can't believe there's only one person here with batteries. Batteries are way better than a generac because you can charge them a whole bunch of different ways and they provide clean (sine wave) power. 
Maybe I'll partner with a battery seller and make some commission off this lol. 

We gonna breakout spread sheets? This could get interesting. Costs, pad requirements, power sources and most importantly, use cases, and kW requirements. I know, first world problems!

[FartingMonk 3604]

If you aren't willing to spend money on a generator because of how little you think you would use it.  Buy a cheap inverter from Walmart and use your car as a generator.  It will power up most of your basic needs

[F250 28471]

Has Anyone just considered moving out of the Houston area? Seems like the most efficient thing to do.

[billfromlaketravis 11286]

53 minutes ago, Rip76 said:

Where’d you find a hotel, cause I’m in the market.

I found a Radisson in West Houston. It’s not surly 1%, but it’s fine for a night. 
 

If you want something nicer, the Hyatt Regency Downtown had availability last night. 

[General Specific 3152]

Has Anyone just considered moving out of the Houston area? Seems like the most efficient thing to do.

Hey now. We all are not nurses and just pack up and leave!

[TOR 5121]

7 minutes ago, F250 said:

Has Anyone just considered moving out of the Houston area? Seems like the most efficient thing to do.

I GFTO 759 miles, and the weather is mud storms with a chance of lizards.  But the lights stay on.

[F250 28471]

6 minutes ago, General Specific said:

Hey now. We all are not nurses and just pack up and leave!

My cousin in Magnolia is a nurse that keeps a house in San Antonio. She drove over to the S.A. house before the hurricane blew in. I guess it pays to nurse.

[Slacks 6691]

41 minutes ago, F250 said:

Has Anyone just considered moving out of the Houston area? Seems like the most efficient thing to do.

Suburbs of Phoenix are my fast backup, but I'm really thinking Central America.

[InkaUtexas 24932]

51 minutes ago, Slacks said:

Suburbs of Phoenix are my fast backup, but I'm really thinking Central America.

Have you lived there? Not visited, lived.

[royiv 9044]

2 hours ago, immamac said:

I can't believe there's only one person here with batteries. Batteries are way better than a generac because you can charge them a whole bunch of different ways and they provide clean (sine wave) power. 

Maybe I'll partner with a battery seller and make some commission off this lol. 

Please educate us, oracle of energy.

[HoustonHorn 1059]

Is it? 
Anecdotal but no one seems to be seeing trucks out and about like they did after the Derecho.  I went from Shady Aces to Downtown and didn't see a single truck. 

I saw several trucks driving out I-10 West Sunday before the storm. I'm assuming they were staging until the storm ended.

[Gatorubet 29538]

2 hours ago, immamac said:

I can't believe there's only one person here with batteries. Batteries are way better than a generac because you can charge them a whole bunch of different ways and they provide clean (sine wave) power. 

Maybe I'll partner with a battery seller and make some commission off this lol. 

My most recent set up uses Ecoflow battery generators.   I don’t have to worry about anyone but me, and as a former Boy Scout leader, I don’t need a lot of creature comforts like constant AC.     The set up I have allows me to run both my deep freezer and a large camping refrigerator for two days between recharges on battery.  I use a cheap Chinese knock off 1,000 watt inverter generator (that cost $150 )to charge the batteries in two hours.  What is great is the batteries will still pass-thru power the freezer / refrigerator during the battery charging so there is no interruption.   Basically, a half gallon gas gets me two days of freezer refrigerator and also powers a kitchen set up where I run a small TV and some LED lightbulbs.

I have a gas stove, which is great. The only thing I lack is constant AC   For Hurricane Ida I would use my 2500 W champion dual fuel generator to run my 12,000 BTU window unit in the same kitchen area where I lived.  I would turn it on in the morning for two hours. During those two hours, I would make breakfast, take a shower, cool off and watch the morning news.

I then ran around helping neighbors with their various issues and checking on the elderly during the day, and napping in the afternoon.  When it got around 6 PM, I would turn the gen on again for three hours.  During this time I took another shower, cooled off, and made dinner and cocktails.  I watched some more news or a Blu-ray movie, and went to bed in a pull out single chair bed that was also near the kitchen. I have several small fans that runoff USB power that can run 12 hours after an hour recharge. The kitchen was still cool when I went to bed, and the fans kept be cool throughout the night

I usually got 17 hours gen run out of a 20 pound propane bottle for the Champion, or at least three days of 5 hour gen run time under my system.  I have six of those 20lb propane tanks - which is 18 days of propane generator supply.  I also have a 30 gallon standup gas dispenser with a handle crank pump for dispensing into smaller gas cans, and another 20 odd gallons of no ethanol gas sitting around.  if the champion dies, I can use one of the Chinese knock offs to run a manual control 5K BTU window unit that only uses 470 W on Eco setting. 

I have not had to use them, but I have 1000 Watts of various solar panels that can charge the batteries I use for the freezer and refrigerator in case I ever run out of gas or propane.

I cannot have 24/7 AC, but I have cold drinks and ice and non-spoiled food with two long AC breaks to recharge and relax during the day, a fan at night, and I can keep to this schedule for months.

If I had a wife demanding the AC run 24 seven I would evacuate to a motel rather than put up with a month of shit.If you are willing to downsize your lifestyle a tad, it is a very easy way to survive for months if the worst happens and you lose power for a lengthy period of time.

At $150 I have two new small gens sitting in a box in my garage in case the outage goes months - or one of my neighbors gets in the situation where they need their freezer to have power, but their home generator crapped out.   

I hope you all get back to normal soon and that your families are all doing fine

 

 

[atomheartbevo 88912]

3 hours ago, TOR said:

Couple of days in a hotsheets motel pays for a  4.5kw generator.  By 'couple' I mean a week.  Still, hawt motel sexxay time.

Is there a heart shaped bathtub/hot tub involved?  Because that’s how you know it’s classy, especially if the bathtub/hot tub is in the room with the bed (with mirrors on the ceiling).

If not, definitely better to get a generator.

[atomheartbevo 88912]

1 hour ago, Slacks said:

Suburbs of Phoenix are my fast backup, but I'm really thinking Central America.

Just don’t follow John McAfee’s example.  Or do?

[Victor Lazlo 1741]

On 7/6/2024 at 11:48 PM, Victor Lazlo said:

 

Yeah, not liking these latest GFS runs here in northwest Harris County.

 

On 7/6/2024 at 11:52 PM, Hook1997 said:

This has to be cherry picking the most easterly noodle because there’s not much else that says that right now.  

 

On 7/6/2024 at 11:58 PM, Bert Orange said:

Yeah. Cherry-picking. 

Just want to revisit this. I wasn’t cherry picking shit. That was the latest GFS run late Saturday night.

It happened exactly as they forecast. The eyewall came right over my house, as I feared  

There is a reason that the GFS is, along with the Euro, the most reliable model.

I hope everyone without power, like me, gets it restored soon.

It is a bitch to have to deal with this twice within a couple of months time  

 

[Fudge Nuggets 18899]

7 hours ago, Grimas said:

Finally some progress - green in Oak Ridge and the most southern art of the Woodlands…

Just got my power back on. I’m in Cochran’s Crossing. 

[PRONG HORN 3086]

Ihop @ Woodridge and gulf fwy

 

 

 

[Fudge Nuggets 18899]

6 hours ago, Slacks said:

Suburbs of Phoenix are my fast backup, but I'm really thinking Central America.

Fuck that.

 

 

[Grimas 652]

2 hours ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Just got my power back on. I’m in Cochran’s Crossing. 

I was watching during the evening as it all started to finally turn green progressing from the north and spreading towards 45. I’m also in CC and mine came on between 1 and 4am.

[hornmpa96 2538]

9 hours ago, YGIFS said:

Power at the pumps is certainly an issue, which is why we specifically requested access to state gov/NG fuel pads.  We offered to pay FMV for the diesel either way, even if it just helps a handful of generators or delivery trucks or EMT/Fire vehicles.  We're not looking to grow.  The entire package was offered for free, absolutely zero charge.  Not a dime other than bonded coverage in case the truck accidentally runs off into a swollen bayou or something, but the state can certainly cover that under its current liability.  When Penske and ALDI offer to bring a community nearly a million pounds of supplies for no charge and just asks for a chance to buy diesel from a functioning station so they don't wait in line and overrun their time limit on hours behind the wheel and we got get into a whole thing with the drivers on employee protection.  The answer is "Yes."  ALDI foods, expanded by Black Horse Carriers before they were bought out by Penske.  Been delivering relief supplies since WWII for nothing, not a cent.  They've trucked in nearly 15mm euros of food and supplies into Ukraine over the last two years.  And there's not a PSA to exploit it.  And if you get ALDI, you get the multiple stores in Houston for Trader Joe's to jump in and help as well.  They've been doing this since before you and I were born.  It's not a special favor, it's a lack of leadership.  When the largest grocer and largest trucking company in the world offer you their services for zero fucking dollars, you take it.  

Who gave you the Penske file? I don’t think you’re Penske material!

[Fudge Nuggets 18899]

3 hours ago, Victor Lazlo said:

The eyewall came right over my house, as I feared  

The eastern edge of the eyewall went over the next subdivision to the west of us.  Meaning we got the full force of the eastern edge of the eyewall, aka HELL.

I've been through plenty of TS and TDs and even rode out another Cat 1 while working offshore in the Gulf (so much for safety culture, but that was back in the 90's when no one gave a shit).  I never feared for my safety during Beryl, but I was puckered plenty worrying about all the big trees in my yard.  Thankfully I had a couple of them taken out a couple of years ago.  One would have wound up blocking the street and the other would have had a good chance of coming through the roof of the downstairs study.

To be honest, we got it harder during Freezeageddon than this.  At least we kept our so we could always get a shower and flush the shitters when needed.  If we had to go another day without power then this time would have been worse.

[Fudge Nuggets 18899]

31 minutes ago, Grimas said:

I was watching during the evening as it all started to finally turn green progressing from the north and spreading towards 45. I’m also in CC and mine came on between 1 and 4am.

Seems the main transmission lines were the biggest problem in our neck of the woods.  Nothing came on for the longest, then once it started; they got most of town back up and running in pretty short order.

[crimsonlonghorn 2306]

51 minutes ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Fuck that.

 

 

I hear you, but I'll also say that I grew up in West Texas and I've spent a little time in Phoenix and Southern California and it really is the humidity that makes Houston so unbearable without AC.

Even when the temp is well over 100, if the air is dry and you can get into the shade with just a small breeze, it's tons more bearable than even 85 and humid in Houston. Just stay out of the direct sun between 9:00 and 5:00 and you won't melt like you will in Houston. A lot of the houses in Phoenix have thick stucco walls and you can sit inside with windows open at both ends and not be miserable like you would be in Houston. 

You can also run a swamp cooler - which is just a fan over a pan of water - on a portable generator compared to needing a big generator to run AC compressor. 

But yes, even in those places AC makes life more bearable just like it does in Houston.

[tokamak 6323]

7 hours ago, Slacks said:

Suburbs of Phoenix are my fast backup, but I'm really thinking Central America.

Better electricity infrastructure probably

[Fudge Nuggets 18899]

37 minutes ago, tokamak said:

Better electricity infrastructure probably

I lived in Lagos Nigeria for a spell.  The power outages there were a daily occurrence but rarely did we go 24 hours without power.

TIL I learned Lina Hidalgo is on Centerpoint's Board of Directors.  The more you know.

[Captainant 26902]

1 minute ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

TIL I learned Lina Hidalgo is on Centerpoint's Board of Directors.  The more you know.

It's wild seeing people get mad at public officials for the actions of private companies. Our state decided a long time ago that public utilities should be for-profit monopolies ran by shareholders, rather than critical civil infrastructure. 

The best we can hope for is that centerpoint decides from the graciousness of their shareholders hearts to repair and harden the infrastructure that's been withering for decades under their care

[South Austin 51564]

4 minutes ago, Captainant said:

The best we can hope for is that centerpoint decides from the graciousness of their shareholders hearts to repair and harden the infrastructure that's been withering for decades under their care

 

[Js1 82948]

10 minutes ago, Captainant said:

The best we can hope for is that centerpoint decides from the graciousness of their shareholders hearts to repair and harden the infrastructure that's been withering for decades under their care

Didn't even Florida pass a law requiring the utility companies to study and put out a 10 year plan on hardening infrastructure for weather events such as hurricanes?

Good God, we are dumber than Florida. 

[Captainant 26902]

2 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Good God, we are more business friendly than  Florida. 

Ftfy

[wildcat09 28485]

It's not exactly business friendly for all the local businesses that have been closed all week because they don't have power.

[TOR 5121]

3 hours ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Fuck that.

 

 

It's a dry heat.

[Js1 82948]

14 minutes ago, wildcat09 said:

It's not exactly business friendly for all the local businesses that have been closed all week because they don't have power.

Hey some of us are working out at the gym in the dark! 

[Storm the Field 5254]

Drew the real short end of the stick last night. Good chunk of my neighborhood got power around 8:00. Unfortunately a house behind me and a few over had a downed power line they'd reported that hadn't been fixed yet. Power came back on and fried the pole in their backyard, and apparently damn near electrocuted a kid in the yard south of them (2 down from my house). Long story short, south side of my street has power, north side of the street north of me has power.  22 houses in between, including me, are still boned. Centerpoint is aware of the problem and put in a work ticket last night, but god knows when they'll come back out since they've already re-powered our neighborhood's circuit. FML. 

"Slept" on a couch in my living room with a battery-powered fan keeping me at a temp just slightly below unlivable. 81 degrees downstairs, 85 upstairs. 

Hoping like hell a friend nearby or my brother gets power back today, or we can finally find a hotel. Can't do a 3rd straight restless night in a hot house.

Edited July 10 by Storm the Field

[Bert Orange 1094]

7 hours ago, Victor Lazlo said:

 

 

Just want to revisit this. I wasn’t cherry picking shit. That was the latest GFS run late Saturday night.

It happened exactly as they forecast. The eyewall came right over my house, as I feared  

There is a reason that the GFS is, along with the Euro, the most reliable model.

I hope everyone without power, like me, gets it restored soon.

It is a bitch to have to deal with this twice within a couple of months time  

 

Nobody said you were doing so. We argued the model was. Turns out it was fairly accurate. Who knew?

[Js1 82948]

11 minutes ago, Storm the Field said:

we can finally find a hotel

Good luck. My stepmom couldn’t find one within 50 miles for my sister and nephews. I had one booked in college station bc it was the closest I could find that was also pet friendly. But I didn’t end up needing it. Everyone seems to just be heading to SA/ATX/Dallas bc everything in between is booked up

[tokamak 6323]

CenterPoint's map is wrong as shit in my neighborhood. I checked it last night not long after they published it and it's still wrong as of right now. Tons of people on Reddit reporting the same thing. What is even the point of putting out a map that everyone knows is bullshit?

[Evil Bill Obrien 2914]

2 minutes ago, tokamak said:

CenterPoint's map is wrong as shit in my neighborhood. I checked it last night not long after they published it and it's still wrong as of right now. Tons of people on Reddit reporting the same thing. What is even the point of putting out a map that everyone knows is bullshit?

Centerpoint currently in the black hole of PR doom a-la ERCOT February 2021: damned if they don't release a map, dammed when they do and its not 100% accurate.

[NeverMarryAStripper 21765]

Anyone at Centerpoint wasting their time working on an outage map should be rounded up and put on a truck to go out and fix power lines

[YGIFS 19445]

23 minutes ago, Evil Bill Obrien said:

Centerpoint currently in the black hole of PR doom a-la ERCOT February 2021: damned if they don't release a map, dammed when they do and its not 100% accurate.

Their fiscal quarter just ended.  Usually about 30 days to prepare the financials.  They’re making a case they  fixed a Buncha areas without the CapEx.  I think there’s a word for it. 

[atomheartbevo 88912]

5 hours ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Fuck that.

Meanwhile in Vermont, it’s hot as fuck and they are getting the remnants of Beryl as we speak, leading to flooding.

[tokamak 6323]

I think my neighbor's Generac died. I can see it out my window. He's got the hood open and it has a red light on the side. Welcome to the 99%, you fucker (just kidding he's a nice guy).

[Js1 82948]

26 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

Meanwhile in Vermont, it’s hot as fuck and they are getting the remnants of Beryl as we speak, leading to flooding.

Damn, that bitch stepped on the gas to GTFO of Texas 

[Catpfish 618]

5 minutes ago, tokamak said:

I think my neighbor's Generac died. I can see it out my window. He's got the hood open and it has a red light on the side. Welcome to the 99%, you fucker (just kidding he's a nice guy).

Probably an oil level issue.  It does tend to burn some oil when it's running long term

[Chuckie Finster 22285]

2 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Damn, that bitch stepped on the gas to GTFO of Texas 

Making me jealous, tbh

[F250 28471]

5 minutes ago, tokamak said:

I think my neighbor's Generac died. I can see it out my window. He's got the hood open and it has a red light on the side. Welcome to the 99%, you fucker (just kidding he's a nice guy).

Walk over there and offer some words of encouragement.

 

[Storm the Field 5254]

1 hour ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

Anyone at Centerpoint wasting their time working on an outage map should be rounded up and put on a truck to go out and fix power lines

I think it's actually pretty clear that CP needs to hire significantly more permanent office support and non-emergency personnel. They drastically need more customer/tech support and logistics people.

I'm hearing all kinds of stories of people being unable to get through on the hotline to report downed lines. Then, when they do, the report doesn't get logged into the system. Neighbor said she reported a downed line 3 times now. On the 3rd call, they had no record of the previous 2 reports anywhere in their system.

A buddy at work said he spent a chunk of his evening trying to report a dangerous tree branch with a power line wrapped around it leaning on his neighbor's fence and CP basically told him to call 311. 311 was like "WTF, downed power lines are absolutely an issue for CP! City ain't touching that shit!" It's like if you called 911 to report a building currently on fire and they told you to call the Fire Marshall instead to schedule an inspection the next day.

All these line crews are in town and ready to roll, but reading that they end up spending a bunch of time staging and waiting for CP to actually give them marching orders,

They also have to figure out a better system for giving people at least some idea of when restortation work will occur in their area. There's no heads up that a crew has been dispatched or any kind of ETA for anything. Pretty much the only way to find out if there is a crew in your neighborhood is to see someone post about it on social media. People literally have no idea if they'll be out for 1 day or 10, so it makes it real hard to determine whether you should pack your shit and leave for an extended trip or tough it out.

Finally, they need dedicated crews that spend the entire year doing nothing but trimming limbs around lines and inspecting and flagging for replacement power poles that are likely to crap out in inclement weather.

Edited July 10 by Storm the Field