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A few thoughts about venturing out after the storm is passed. If there is no immediate need, wait for daylight. Many things have probably been rearranged outside and you probably haven’t been sleeping well, so wait until you are rested and there is good light before going outside.

Wear heavy boots, sturdy pants, a long sleeved shirt, and work gloves. If you have access to a hard hat, wear it. You should use a mosquito repellant before going outside and take a stout stick with you.

Proceed cautiously and scan your surroundings, including what’s overhead. Stuff gets blown around, ends up in trees or on roofs, and may drop. Large limbs may have broken, but are caught in lower limbs. There are a lot of things that might fall on you after the storm, so you need to look for them.

There are a lot of creatures that don’t like getting wet, so they will climb up on to things to avoid the water, or warm up. That’s the reason for the stout stick. There’s not much point in just killing them, but with a six-foot closet rod you could encourage them to seek other accommodations at minimal risk.

A dry wooden stick may be necessary if you notice that the electric lines are no longer connected to your house. Don’t assume that the power is off. If you can locate the ends mark the area in some way and put a sign up on the power pole on the street indicating that there are down lines. The power company will have crews checking on damage, and while they probably won’t reattach them to your house immediately, they can handle the lines safely and get them out of your yard. Treat any broken wire as high voltage electrical unless you know that it isn’t.

You are surveying damage, but should concentrate on things that might cause further damage or injury if not dealt with immediately. If something is damaged to the point of instability you might want to push over in a convenient direction, as in not on your car or house. If you have roof damage you need to think about getting a tarp or plastic sheeting to cover the damage to prevent further leaking until permanent repairs.

Take a realistic look at your experience and capability before deciding to do something yourself, and hold off on anything dangerous until medical assistance is available.

Pace yourself until the power is back on and you have access to air conditioning. Drink water and rest frequently. If you have finished your yard, help your neighbors. If you have older people in your area, check on them.

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A little suggestion for emergency management officials in Texas: Why don’t you read what Alabama and Florida do for evacuations, especially concerning making major roads one-way?

When we need to evacuate officials announce the evacuation and announce the time at which they are going to turn roads one-way to facilitate evacuation. The Department of Transportation takes care of the signage and it is done by starting inland and working towards the coast to flush out the traffic already on the road.

It’s really simple to do and it doesn’t require specialized training. You also do it early in the evacuation to get people out of the way. The longer you wait, the greater the risk of creating parking lots on Interstates.

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On All Things Considered Adam Davidson’s story, Texas Towns Brace for Possible Direct Hit, deals with preparations in Jefferson County, Texas, the probable location where Rita will come ashore.

After listening to what’s being done, and what isn’t, they talk to Carl Griffith, County Judge and a member of the Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management.

The county made a decision five years ago that they didn’t have the resources to deal with an evacuation on their own, so they contracted with a company to provide 200 buses and 700 ambulances if it became necessary to evacuate.

Faced with Rita, they called, the company responded, and then the state of Texas commandeered the buses and ambulances for Houston. Jefferson County ended up with a few buses and 15 extra ambulances.

A lot of people who wanted to leave or needed to leave are stuck, left behind by the state of Texas.

Hopefully there will be few injuries or deaths from Rita, but what good does it do for local governments to plan, and pay for their plans for years, when the state steps in and seizes their emergency assets when they are most needed? Where was the state and Federal help for Jefferson County?

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Steve Bates has shut down and buttoned up to await the storm. His regular site and e-mail have been down so he has been using The YDD Annex. It is possible that he will be off-line for a while due to power and connectivity issues.

It looks like Beaumont is the new landfall target, and like the New Orleans Times-Picayune, The Beaumont Enterprise is going to be publishing on the Internet until regular printing can resume after the storm.

As Rita has moderated, we can hope that we are not looking at a large death toll again.

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Tropical Weather Outlook – Statement as of 10:30 PM EDT on September 22, 2005:

A broad area of low pressure has formed about 500 miles south of Bermuda…and a few hundred miles southwest of Tropical Storm Philippe. Thunderstorm activity is somewhat limited…but this system has the potential for some gradual development during the next couple of days.

No one wants to hear this. We all need a break. Everyone needs to decompress and process all of the information we have received.

[Editor: That link automatically updates. There are now two areas of interest.]

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[™ Kevin Drum]

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Right Foot Conspiracy

Oh, no! Busted!

[Editor: Why only right shoes?]

Friday Ark

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