Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Ike... Be gentle!

I feel for you Dave, the river here has been running red with clay for a week from all the storms around & we've gotten only a trace. The ground under the trees hasn't been wet in a long time. My pond level continues to fall.

I wish we could hear from some of the guys closer to the storm. I guess they have better things to do right now.

Two days ago it looked like ex-Ike was gonna come right over us; now it's heading for Chicago like Brettski said.

Radar shows a big line of thunderstorms sitting over the Texas coastal areas; I doubt they need that after a hurricane.

For the first time in 28 years the creek in my back yard is running backwards because of�.

Issued by The National Weather Service
Wichita, KS
3:37 am CDT, Sun., Sep. 14, 2008
THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE ARKANSAS RIVER NEAR MULVANE. * UNTIL MONDAY MORNING... OR UNTIL THE WARNING IS CANCELLED. * AT 6:00 PM SATURDAY THE STAGE WAS 19.5 FEET. * MODERATE FLOODING IS OCCURRING AND MINOR FLOODING IS FORECAST. * FLOOD STAGE IS 16.5 FEET. * FORECAST... THE RIVER WILL CONTINUE TO FALL TO BELOW FLOOD STAGE BY LATE THIS MORNING. * IMPACT... AT 20.5 FEET... FLOOD WATERS MAY BEGIN TO IMPACT HIGHWAY 53... ABOUT 1000 FT WEST OF THE RIVER BRIDGE GAGE SITE.
&&

Our problems are minor compared to our good friends down South�.God speed too you folks in South Texas.

It was odd watching a hurricaine eye trim off the SE corner of Missouri. I can't believe how organized this thing still is. Could it hit the Atlantic and reorganize again?

Bruce, My pond was 30 miles from that eye! I was up all night watching. By the time it hit us in St.Louis it tore one of my trees down. I can't even BEGIN to imagine what that thing was like in Texas!

I'm sure a LOT of pond's emergency spillways are getting a workout today. B'ski, I'm sure yours will. The ragar here in StL shows 2.5 inches of rain fell, but my bucket shows 8", and that was in less than 6 hours!

Quote by jims place

Who says water don't run uphill!

Central Indiana is getting 60 mph gusts up here from the remnants of Ike!

Amazingly, we didn't get a drop of rain in San Antonio...just some wind. Everyone I know in Houston is safe, but they have a lot of work to do. My B.I.L. is stranded there without electricity, but they have plenty of food and water.

I still haven't heard from the folks I know from Galveston and La Porte. They evacuated, so I'm sure they're safe. Their homes, though...

My stepdad was driving through Wichita on Friday, heading for our place in East Texas. He got to see some flooding in two different areas from 2 different storms in 2 days. I think he is heading home to Phoenix next week to dry out. We only got 3.5" from Ike with one gust to 47MPH....pretty tame when it came by here.

I can! WOW, WOW, WOW! I woke up at 3:30 AM to 70 MPH winds. Power went in and out, and I was able to brew two pots of coffee, take the last hot shower and arrange Ice stategically, as I have medicine that needs to be cold stored.
The power went out for good at 4:30 AM, and about 5-9 AM, I thought for sure we were going to lose all the windows.
Luckliy, this didn't happen. I got the dogs to go out without too much of a fight and it was like someone was pouring a bottomless bucket on our head. I don't know how they can gauge horizontal and upward rain.
When it settled down, we had no roof breach and no tree loss at the house. My office property was covered in Pecan leaves and I imagine the pecans flying off the trees were like shotgun shells. Small breach with a backed up gutter and fly off turbine, but will only need to replace about 300 SF of carpet.
Finally got to the Pond today (I almost forgot where I was posting!)

What a gorgeous day out there. The pond gained about 2 feet and hopefully, will gain more. Fishies were happy to see me, and the feeder was blown off it's bolts, so they were glad I hand fed them today. Boat had 3 feet of water in it. John Deere didn't fly. Lawn tractor slightly damaged.

All in all, a positive experience, although it was very scary for a while. I got power back in about 11 hours. My office neighborhood doesn't have power (as well as about 1.7 million people) so I've been shuttling Ice and filtered water in there.

As a Pond Bosser, it gave me an extra appreciation for WATER. The coast is in sad shape. God blessed me this weekend.

Thank you for that riveting report! I'm glad you're OK.

..And your fishies, too.

Wow, that was a pretty amazing storm. Here in S.E. Iowa, I got right at 6.5 inches of rain from Friday PM through yesterday evening. I didn't even look at the gauge this morning on the way to work...

E-spillway on older pond was running 3" deep for 2 days...but the prairie grass held up nicely, and I hope it kept too many little guys from swimming for freedom.

6" pipe on newer pond was submerged about 18 inches...I can't remember ever seeing that much rain for that long a time...

Hope you folks down south are all OK...

Our little slice of the Chicago area received 6.5" on Saturday due to a stationary front.
Ike rolled thru and added another 3.5" on Sunday.

I rode out the storm near IAH airport with son, wife and 4 kids. East eye nearby. It was wicked, and lasted much longer than Alicia in 83. Sat. night was a terrific lightning storm, then massive downpour. 4 grandkids aged 3-11(3 girls) were very brave. I drove to Miss. yesterday afternoon. A beautiful sight was thousands of cherry pickers, other utility vehicles, semis with rations, trucks with utility poles, military, in an endless convoy from Htown to Baton Rouge. Miss. sent 500 due to Houston helping so much after Katrina. Sad note, a wreck on Miss. River bridge at BR westbound had traffic backed up thru Baton Rouge and beyond. Center point energy stated Sunday morning that of its 2.66 million customers, 2.06 were without power. My little house in Clear Lake, near the East eyewall was spared. Unlike most of LaPorte about 5 mi. NE of me.

My sales rep for Ohio lives in Cincinnati (he and I have shared the pleasure of spending quality time with Theo at the Jaegerwald Farm). He called me this morning to let me know that he will be indisposed due to violent wind storms that tore up Cinci yesterday; sustained 40 mph with 80 mph gusts. No phone, no www, no power...and lots of trees down.
One of the gals here has a sister in Cinci; same thing. Her sis said that they had already sent all the extra crews to Texas to help down there. They are borrowing crews from West Virginia.

Two million people in Ohio lost power from the high winds Sunday, including yours truly. We're still in the dark at home; work didn't lose power and I am back in today. AEP says maybe a week for repairs; most of the Ohio repair crews were in Texas/Louisiana, or on their way back, when we got those 70 mph winds.

I can feel the love you're exuding for AEP.

I've got no problems with the repair crews or their schedulers, Sunil. Possibly they jumped South more than they should have, but that's human.

It would take freaking forever for an area to recover from major power problems like this if repair crews weren't shipped in from all over the country to help out. They drive several states and then bust their hump around the clock, in all weather. About ten years ago we were out of power for 4 days in July (miserably hot and humid). The repair crew that got us back on line, at about 1:30 in the morning, were from Louisiana. They had been working 2 days straight since they got to Ohio.

This time is also much nicer than Christmas 2004, when we lost power for 5 days after an ice storm and had temperatures in the teens and 20's.

Yes, of course.

Well,sorry I havent posted but I lost power Sat. morning and my internet is still down at home.Got 50 mph winds with gusts but no real damage.Lots of branches down so you know how I spent the week-end.Only got 1 1/2 in of rain and it came light and scattered,so no runoff dangit.

On the bright side,I found out one of my "good" nieghbors called the powercompany and raised cane with the power company because I had power and he didnt.Ha Ha Ha,my big generator is now in houston running a friend of mines brothers house.

i havent been out to my pond but I hope she is ok..

I'm in extreme eastern ohio. Ike went ripping through here sunday night with gusts of 70 mph. Lost my barn roof and power. AEP is saying power might be back on by somtime sunday. Can't imagine being on the coast when one of these things hits.

Tom, you really should secure your main breakers until your neighbor's power is restored. kidding

Quite amusing and sad at the same time, at about 2AM Saturday morning, when things really were getting ginned up, there was a local call in radio program: here are (2) comments called in:

Can you find out where there might be a Walmart open close to me; I need some groceries....honest

Can you pass the word to FEMA that there are a lot of us vegetarians out here; can they start making some vegetarian rations.......feed me, clothe me, shelter me me me me me me me.

A sign I put up in my shop many years ago.....



LACK OF PREPERATION ON YOUR PART DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN EMERGENCY ON MY PART

Sad,but I have to point at it on a regular basis.On the other hand,Ive fixed 7 generaters so far this week,all headed for Houston.

Tom,

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't they tell all 7 million people,, etc. on TV, Radio, the Weather Channel, be prepared to be without power for 2 weeks?

I gotta kick out of seeing a Generator for sale on craigslist. "Used only 40 hours". I guess he's moving before the next one! "I just want to get what I paid for it". Gosh, that's CLASSIC!

PS: SOOO much traffic, I didn't get to go to the Pond today. Really looking forward to building there. A special Want that we can all relate to. But the traffic was so bad, four way stops, Gas Shortage, First responders to consider. The Pond...A Want today, not a Need. I hated to type that.