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The Rabbi hurricane thread.


Rabbi
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When I worked a typhoon back in the mid 70's we took the patrol cars off the road and issued each patrolman an individual HT220 with a spare battery and put them in flat bed trucks.  Heavier than any pickup or car they did good except for one guy who tried to get out with the wind behind him and turned a door inside out.  Ripped the nylon strap right off that was supposed to limit how far the door opened.  We lost part of the roof of our our own building, a couple of offices and a barracks were damaged.  

 

That was after the storm crossed the mountains to get to the China Straits side of the island and had weakened a lot.  As flat as Texas is, I'm glad I'm in Ohio today.

 

Good luck, I hope everyone uses sense and stays as safe as they can.

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The eye has stalled.  That was expected.  At some point it is supposed to reverse course. 

 

If this is as bad as the weather gets, it has not been a very big deal.  The problem is, if this rain keeps up for the next few days, as is expected, that is going to be catastrophic.  

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1 minute ago, Bruce said:

They just had aerial video from somewhere called Sienna Estates which seemed to be upscale homes.   Half a dozen houses that I saw had the telltale blue tarps on the roofs.

Houston area.  I heard that neighborhood had a tornado. 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Rabbi said:

Houston area.  I heard that neighborhood had a tornado. 

 

 

Yup.

I have a couple friends near it that posted some videos of it.  I saw a news report that Houston had at least 2 confirmed tornadoes.

 

 

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My in-laws live in an apartment  about 800yds from the ocean in Corpus Christi and are from Idaho.  The wife commented that going through a hurricane was on her bucket list.  I was worried they would not be smart enough to evacuate, but apparently the city has hurricane shelters and they went to one.

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11 minutes ago, Bruce said:

A lot of lightning and some tornado warnings around Houston.  It looks like some of the bad weather is probably closer to or at where Rabbi is.   I wonder if he is busy or has lost cell service.

The weather has become a non issue at this point.  It will eventually become a serious problem though from flooding if it keeps up. But for now, it is just unending drizzle with some wind  

 

We are pretty much doing normal cop stuff and watching the rivers. I am actually getting off. 

 

If it does flood, that will be a "mostly" controlled event. We know every place that will happen and we have played that game many times. We just don't know the extent. 

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About 45 or 50 guys from the fire department here that comprise an Urban Search and Rescue team are leaving for there in a couple hours.  They are bringing some dogs, the swift water rescue unit, and the typical building people that can shore up buildings and do that sort of stuff.

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Well, just a few more trees on roads today. That will keep happening as long as it is raining and still gusting.  Other than that, it is normal here.  So far we have been spared most of it. 

 

The problem now is the Houston area. They got over 20 inches last night and could get that and more today.  Their situation is dire.  We are hearing first responders there are overwhelmed. 

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12 minutes ago, Huaco Kid said:

They're talking 50" of rain in Houston and it looks like it's also going to be deluging Louisiana well into next week.  What's it going to do to gas prices?

Gas prices will go up. I'm counting on it.

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22 minutes ago, KBKEITH said:

Gas prices will go up. I'm counting on it.

Went to a GSSF match yesterday in Lewiston, ID and filled the truck with gas at the Indian casino.  $2.61 a gallon is the cheapest you can find it around this area.  I have to drive to Seattle next week and don't think I'll find gas for under $3 a gallon for a while.

 

I know complaining about $3 gas seems shallow while a lot of folks are losing everything as we speak down in Texas.  But just an example of how much this storm will end up affecting our whole country...

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I feel very sad in suggesting that from the little I have heard and seen on television that Harvey will be as historic to Houston and environs as was Katrina to New Orleans and Andrew to Dade County.

Edited by Bruce
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Just now, Bruce said:

I feel very sad in suggesting that from the little I have heard and seen on television that Harvey will be a historic to Houston and environs as was Katrina to New Orleans and Andrew to Dade County.

unfortunately, I think I would have to agree. :( 

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I am worn out. In the last 72 hours, I have worked 60 of them. 

 

While we were spared the brunt of the storm, we still got hit. In the end though, it was not a very big deal with a few exceptions. 

 

There is talk of a few of us going to Houston and reliving local officers. (in Texas this is easy as every cop in Texas has statewide jurisdiction)  I volunteered but I think it is unlikely for now. Maybe later in the week. 

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1 minute ago, Rabbi said:

I am worn out. In the last 72 hours, I have worked 60 of them. 

 

While we were spared the brunt of the storm, we still got hit. In the end though, it was not a very big deal with a few exceptions. 

 

There is talk of a few of us going to Houston and reliving local officers. (in Texas this is easy as every cop in Texas has statewide jurisdiction)  I volunteered but I think it is unlikely for now. Maybe later in the week. 

My guess is sadly your department and a lot of other departments will be helping in the Houston area for the next couple months at least.   After Andrew there were twelve hour shifts up until Thanksgiving.  Seven days a week through sometime in October and then finally one day off a week and then a second day off a couple weeks before the twelve hour shifts were cancelled county wide.  A few of the worst hit areas were still in twelve hour shifts toward Christmas.

Easy for me to say sitting in the comfort of my recliner but  in a couple ways jurisdictional issues are not a big issue in these kinds of emergencies.  Decent attorneys  can draft  mutual aid agreements if allowed by statute,  people can be sworn in if allowed by statute.   Guys from out of the jurisdiction can be used for  traffic control, many security issues and some administrative tasks even without arrest authority. And guys can be used as "force multipliers" if you will - put an out of town/out of state/federal officer with a local officer, or two with a local officer and there  is almost nothing they can not do call wise.   

My prediction is more long days ahead for you and your peers for a couple months.   And all those that do not go to an actual disaster area pick up the slack which allows those that do go to be able to go.

 

Florida Task Force Two (Miami Fire and other S FL Fire departments) left for there today and as I said Florida task Force One (MDFR) left last night.

 

Good thoughts and prayers for safety for all

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3 minutes ago, Bruce said:

My guess is sadly your department and a lot of other departments will be helping in the Houston area for the next couple months at least.   After Andrew there were twelve hour shifts up until Thanksgiving.  Seven days a week through sometime in October and then finally one day off a week and then a second day off a couple weeks before the twelve hour shifts were cancelled county wide.  A few of the worst hit areas were still in twelve hour shifts toward Christmas.

Easy for me to say sitting in the comfort of my recliner but  in a couple ways jurisdictional issues are not a big issue in these kinds of emergencies.  Decent attorneys  can draft  mutual aid agreements if allowed by statute,  people can be sworn in if allowed by statute.   Guys from out of the jurisdiction can be used for  traffic control, many security issues and some administrative tasks even without arrest authority. And guys can be used as "force multipliers" if you will - put an out of town/out of state/federal officer with a local officer, or two with a local officer and there  is almost nothing they can not do call wise.   

My prediction is more long days ahead for you and your peers for a couple months.   And all those that do not go to an actual disaster area pick up the slack which allows those that do go to be able to go.

 

Florida Task Force Two (Miami Fire and other S FL Fire departments) left for there today and as I said Florida task Force One (MDFR) left last night.

 

Good thoughts and prayers for safety for all

Yep. One way or another it is going to effect us all. Even those who dont go will have more of the work at home. 

 

This is bad. A **** sandwich of the highest order. 

 

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The news here said Houston got 56000 911 calls since the storm.  They usually get about 8000 a day.  And the weather people are saying it is raining there now and expected to rain through the night.

Edited by Bruce
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