Houston, day 5 after Hurricane Ike

Well, the drive up to Houston from SPI was uneventful. I stopped in Refugio for gas and groceries (paid $3.69/gal) and then again in Wharton (again, $3.69/gal). Started out kind of sleepy, but by 9AM the phone was ringing constantly so that got me awake!

I drove straight to the house and sure enough the power is still off. Argh. But, the water heater and the stove top are natural gas so I will be able to cook and also take a hot shower! The yard looks nice because the yardman came.

There are huge piles of debris on the edge of each street. The mayor has said that heavy debris will picked up "sometime soon" by contractors other than our regular garbage folks.

I spent the balance of the day at one of our apartment complexes, meeting with adjusters and attempting to balance insurance requirements with corporate urgency. Everyone is stressed and the calls are sometimes strained. But we will get through this. It's only day 5!

As I look out over the city there are quite a few lights on - and huge swathes of darkness. It took me an hour to go the 11 miles from my house to our office in Greenway Plaza. Traffic lights were working on one block, flashing red on another, and just plain OUT on others. And it changes from block to block. Hardly anyone remembers how to handle a 4-way stop, especially on roads like Westheimer with three lanes and left turn lanes as well.

I've got a option to stay at my boss's home near the office, but will try one night at my own home just to see what it is like. Fortunately the weather is quite cool especially by Houston standards.