Yeah, We’re Texans
Customer Rob just sent me this picture of one of our badass first responders.
Houston SWAT officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her son 13-month-old son Aiden to safety after they were rescued via boat from the flooding on Interstate 610 south in Houston on Sunday, August 27, 2017. (Louis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News)
So, if I have to call somebody to come get me, y’all send Daryl.
We are still dry and have electricity this morning. That puts us in the top 1%. Thousands of my friends and neighbors are under mandatory evacuation today because the Brazos River (which is one unforgiving sumbitch of a river) will hit 59 feet tomorrow night. That’s higher than any flood in recorded history.
We have been told to stay put. We do have a second floor.
Let me tell you what a good man I married. You know about our Republican neighbors across the street. They are so typical of Republicans – haughty and oh so much smarter than anyone else. We don’t chat much. Well, they are in their 80’s, so Bubba walked across the street in the rain and told them if it flooded, they would be welcome to come to our house since we have a second floor. They said that they appreciated the offer, but you could tell it would just kill them to ask a Democrat for help because Republicans are so damn self-sufficient and can take care of themselves.
Our neighbor beside us is the one who asked us not to have so many Muslims come to our house because Muslims are ordered by their God to kill us all. That guy can drown. I don’t care.
Sorry about the lack of news but we ain’t getting any news here. But, Nick Anderson did this cartoon.
CNN is currently repotting from Richmond – for goodness sakes stay safe.
1Y’know what you tell Republicans if their house goes underwater? Breathe deeply.
2A sober message from THE POTUS to first responders. Not that POS pretenmder in the WH.
https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/901946021437206528
Drumpf has your backside, Houston. He is busily groping it for libidinous reasons of his own. He will show up tomorrow and claim he ended the drought because of his record electoral win over crooked HRC. There now, all better.
3Morning JJ. As Sandy said, CNN just reported the expected flood level to be 60 ft. Will you guys be above that? I hope so. I guarantee you a lot of folks in this joint have known for awhile that you and Bubba are in the top 1%. Income or not.
4Don’t know if CNN is “repotting” from Richmond but they were certainly REPORTING from Richmond.
5The pictures look like a war scene. People helping other people – thanks to you and Bubba. I don’t pray but I wish and hope alot. Arpiao should be there doing community service.
6Unfortunately, high water rescues in urban environments are a young man’s game, like this HPD SWAT officer. But old farts like Arpaio (and me, frankly) can load/unload trailers, help get evacuees settled, etc etc. Everyone should serve.
7BTW, if you own a flat-bottomed boat and you are not rescuing scared, stranded people in Houston right now, why the hell not?
8Please come to Austin. You can have the guest room, no questions asked. Leave your second floor for the Republicans across the street.
9GOD I LOVE YOU! You always make me laugh and hell – we all can use more laughter!
10One of the best interviews today – guy talking about he’s using his truck to rescue folks in high water. Oh wait, had to wait until it was translated as he only spoke a few words of English.
11And today they’re saying that Sheriff Joe is thinking about running against Jeff Flake for senate, but he’s complaining that he’s being “discriminated against” because of his age, which is 85. The irony here is that the master of discrimination is complaining about discrimination. Ya can’t make this stuff up…
12Stay safe JJ. Glad you have a second story if it comes to that.
I saw this recommendation yesterday:
Don’t go into your attic unless you take an axe with you, in case you need to chop a hole in the roof to escape.
When you hear safety tips like that, you know things are getting serious.
13How about this photo?
https://www.google.com/search?q=eNewsAZ&tbm=isch&tbs=simg:CAQSlQEJ2e1RFotHZ3QaiQELEKjU2AQaAggCDAsQsIynCBpiCmAIAxIo9gr3CvgK9Ar1Ct0L-wqmFf8DpxW0JIg_1rTj2KfQ5ySuoLZItmzivOBowgq_1ET_1vBUnqWDLNyOQOrlZehf5rIpF6YG8ubbQ3kRrskNJD2cQSsX-JMyr7B6VAmIAQMCxCOrv4IGgoKCAgBEgRF5Me6DA,isz:l&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjewv2l2frVAhVh04MKHSAxBjwQ2A4IKSgE&biw=960&bih=411
14Official rainfall totals as of 9 AM CDT include 29.17″ at Richmond and a peak of 39.72″ at Dayton TX. Louisiana peak so far is 9.65″ in Lake Charles. Peak wind gust was 132 in Port Aransas. (Frankly, I think if you hang your ass out on a barrier island in the gulf or NC, you’re asking for it.) More data here: http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/nfdscc1.html
15Those so-called self-sufficient, boot strapping, poo-pooing the common good Republicans are the first ones to cry for help from the government when they get their asses in a crack. And then, it’s because think they are more deserving than those they disparage. Totally lacking in self-awareness.
16The original name of that river was Rio De Los Brazos De Dios. God is just giving you a big hug!
17Intersting source for weather info and graphics: https://twitter.com/MDA_Weather
Includes map showing that half the country has had less rain this year than Harris County TX has had so far from Harvey. DC at 28.67″ YTD may soon be added to the map. Also that Houston airport is likely to break its yearly rain record in August; graph line suddenly goes almost straight up.
18Take care JJ. Hope you come through dry and with power.
You are more kind than I would be under the circumstances. The tariff for space at the inn would require a written pledge to donate $$$ to a local charity the supports immigrant relocation and integration from any Republican.
19JJ: If I had a two story house and the lower story was flooding, those are the accommodations that I would offer my Republican neighbors. Hope it doesn’t come to that for you or your neighbors.
20Or maybe the basement?
21Evening JJ. If Daryl does have to carry you to a shelter, make sure he’s aware that Joel Osteen’s church is unavailable. According to HuffPo, it sheltered 5000 people in 2001 during a tropical storm. Maybe the flooding potential is greater this time. But it sure don’t seem very Christian.
22Um, about those neighbors. Time for a shot of Marcus Aurelius.
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.
Blessings on you and Bubba. And now we on the east coast have been told we just might have to hunker down, too. There is a big blow brewing out in the Atlantic and just may cover the coastline from South Carolina to Cape Cod at the very most, but more likely will raise its ratty head closer to the naval bases at Norfolk etc. Boy! The hits just keep coming!
23Bubba and Derrick Lewis need to meet for dinner, when it’s possible. We’d be happy to buy. They’re Texas “grit” in all the best ways!
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/08/texas-man-insisted-on-saving-his-confederate-flag-as-he-was-rescued-from-flood-by-black-mma-fighter/
24I wonder if the good governor will mention the Texans who CNN are reporting are shooting at the rescue boats who have to pass them by because they’re full? Nah, probly not. Or the ones trying to steal boats that have broken down? Probly not them either.
What’s the official NRA position on that, I wonder?
25Stay safe dear JJ. We in NJ lived through Sandy the worst storm in our history while the fat slob of a governor tiptoed around until enough people put money into the fund his wife was heading. He spent some millions of that money on TV ads and to this day there are people here who have not had a single cent to help them and are still living in trailers and motels. I do hope your governor is not this bad and help will be coming for all those suffering soon.
26Hey JJ, so glad to hear you are high and dry. I’ve been watching KHOU almost non-stop since this started and the scale of this is just astounding.
27I lived and worked through the great Brisbane flood of 1974. It would have been so great to have Twitter and streaming back then! Nevertheless, the number of folks volunteering and billeting flood evacuees was heartwarming. So good to see that human nature tends to altruism whenever there’s a disaster.
Best wishes from the land Down Under.
I have 2 honorary nieces in Houston. One happened to be in Dallas with her husband so they are staying there for now. The other has 2 young children and the 4 of them are dry for now, though water has come up in their backyard.
I lived in Washington state in 1995-96. I visited the Olympic Park several times. It’s gorgeous, an American rain forest as a matter of scientific fact. It gets 120″ of rain Per Year. PER YEAR. In less than a week Harvey may dump a half a rain forest’s Annual Total.
28Texas has more to worry about than flooding. FIRE ANTS are surviving the flood waters. What form of hell is this.
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_59a48945e4b041393a1ffc91?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
29Tomorrow Oregon is sending two big planes with members of our National Guard, and supplies, your way. Our hearts go with them to y’all. We’ve got family and friends down that way, thankfully not in harm’s way at this point. Mostly worried about hubby’s elderly uncle in Brenham. Last I heard they were OK.
Meanwhile the western part of our state is on fire, 320,000 acres at this point. Air quality is poor to awful. Wishing some of Harvey’s rain could detour our way. Would benefit both states. ::sigh::
30http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/Fire/pages/FireStats.aspx
On Sunday, our church (5,000 miles from Houston) prayed for everyone affected by Harvey. We’re wishing y’all well, although that’s no practical help. My family in Houston are all well and safe, so far.
31Speaking of practical, Osteen’s church is going to open its doors to give shelter. Not a minute too soon, looks like.
Coprolite-
That floating raft of fire ants blew me away when I saw it on TV. You’d think the ONE good thing an 800-year flood could accomplish would be to drown the little buggers. But they’re gonna outlast us all, and battle the cockroaches for dominion of the planet.
Maybe a few of them could sneak on to Trump’s plane, as a memento of his visit.
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