Hurricane Ike Blasts Texas

You may have heard there is a hurricane named Ike in the Gulf of Mexico. Ike is almost to the coast of Texas. Ike is charted to slam into Galveston Island and move on up Galveston Bay into east Texas.

Casa Penguin is located on the west side of Houston. We do not welcome Ike but we are ready. Our abode is about 50 - 60 miles from the coast. We anticipate wind damage and power outages. The rain event is still uncertain.

We are well stocked with water, non-refrigerated food stuffs to nosh, personal items, pet food, and most importantly, we own a generator. We have several gasoline containers ready and will use the generator if power goes out for an extended length of time. My generous husband has volunteered to hook up neighbors who may be in need.

The coast has been evacuated. Low lying areas of the general area have been evacuated. We are doing what most of Houston is doing - sheltering in place. The storm's effects inland are expected to be evident by midnight tonight. Already the Galveston area is struggling to remain above water. The storm is very big in area and the storm surge will be the most devastating. Our thoughts are with the communities on the water.

FEMA, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Governor of Texas, and all the elected officials you can shake a stick at have been giving regular press conferences. Some up for re-election just can't seem to get enough face time on camera. They have no role in any of this, pre-storm, but they act as though they do. The Mayor and the Country President are in charge.

Rep. John Culberson, who represents my district and for whom I volunteer in his re-election campaign, is available via technology. You may have heard of him. He is one that the D.C. crowd point to as the most technologically savvy. I receive his Twitter updates and his is doing another live video feed at the Houston emergency response center.

Our Governor put the federal paperwork into play more than a day ago as preparations were being made to declare Texas a disaster area. We are fortunate on the Gulf Coast that all the Gulf states have Republican governors. They are all strong leaders that don't hesitate to respond. And, none sit around waiting for the federal government to save us from Mother Nature.

Everything in everyday life is touched by politics. That's a fact.

You can follow me on Twitter if you so choose. I'll be doing updates there as long as I'm able. It'll be a long night around here. The storm is moving quickly, and should have moved out of our area by around the mid morning hours Saturday. Unless it changes.

Hurricanes are like that.