Skynyrd,
You are correct. A lot of second guessing. Its infuriating. Seems the networks want to create negative news when there isn't a story there. Having been through 4 hurricanes here in the Houston area, I can honestly say that the preparedness of authorities and quality of direction was the best yet. That is from the local all the way to the federal level. We learned from Rita and Ike. During Rita, a voluntary evacuation was issued. The media scared the hell out of everyone like superstorm this and killer that...You can imagine that many people hitting the roadways at the same time. It was gridlock for 100s of miles in all directions. Literally standing still. No fuel, food, water or shelter. Medical assistance was not able to get to these folks and they spent the Hurricane in their cars. Many died on the freeways. It also hampered first responders from outside the region to get to the hardest hit areas as all lanes had been opened to be outbound.

In terms of loss of property and life, Harvey was the worst one yet due to the massive flooding and being so slow moving. It was heart warming to see complete strangers come together to rescue victims with their own boats, vehicles and equipment. They weren't whining about the lack of State and Federal assistance. They rolled up their sleeves and got to work. The real work begins now. The number of displaced persons and loss of homes is unprecedented. However, the spirit of Texans is strong and I am certain it will come back even more vibrant than before. That was what we certainly observed when Galveston was devastated by Ike. We want to thank some fine folks from Louisiana that came to assist, returning the favor from Katrina. Unfortunately, they have their own problems with Harvey now.

As for myself, I live on the outskirts of Houston to the north in a relatively hilly region. Other than downed very large trees that fortunately missed our home we were blessed. I bit the bullet and had a 48kw whole house generator installed last year and also had my own water well dug. We are pretty self sufficient in the event emergencies and the misery factor was nill. The generator payed off in this storm. However, many friends weren't so fortunate. Sky is blue today, chainsaws are busy and back up generators are humming. The clean-up begins.


Wanted: German Naval Edged Weapons and Related Accouterments