From: mr_black@optusnet.com.au   
      
   Glad you made it through relattively ok Mike.   
   We get some nasty storms down here in Aus, but nothing like Ike, that thing   
   was HUGE.   
   Our real concern down here is fire; and heading into our summer on the back   
   of a drought, we are in for a very nasty bushfire season.   
      
   MrB   
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   <><><> ANNOYING USENET SINCE 1996 <><><>   
      
      
      
      
      
   "Gummby3"  wrote in message   
   news:48cee04e$0$4002$bbae4d71@news.suddenlink.net...   
   > To the 98% of you with a conscious of the well being of others, feel free   
   > to read.  To the other 2%, feel free to not read.   
   >   
   > We made it through on this end.  Ike definitely had a LOT of wind. That's   
   > all we can figure out.  The storm has barley gotten through Houston (I'm   
   > roughly 3 hours north) and our power was knocked out 8 am Saturday   
   > morning.  We got it back about an hour ago.  The actual storm didn't hit   
   > us until around 10 am.  That shows how big this monster was.  No real   
   > damage.  Broken tree branches mostly.  The chimney cap is missing and   
   > there still is no sign of it. LOL  For someone that has never gone trough   
   > a hurricane (this is my 3rd), it is so strange how the winds work in them.   
   > My house was relatively undamaged, but two blocks over, a tree fell and   
   > split a house in two.  Luckily, nobody was hurt.  I still believe that you   
   > have never experienced anything until you've been in the eye of a   
   > hurricane.  2-3 hours of straight wind and rain and the nothing.  Going   
   > outside, there is absolutely no wind.  No rain.  No sound.  Nothing.   
   > Depending on how big the storm is, this lasts for about an hour or more.   
   > At this point, you make sure what is nailed down is still nailed and the   
   > windows are still covered.  Then, you get the nasty side of the storm.   
   >   
   > I will say this, the oil speculators must really be on a tight leash by   
   > Congress, or they're just scared to do anything.  Gas prices here are   
   > $3.79.  That's not much more than it was pre-storm.  This was at Wal-Mart   
   > earlier today.  I have never seen a Wal-Mart with the shelves that empty   
   > before.  With employees still out of the area, this Super Store had only   
   > 13 cashiers.  They were even calling people to work on their day off, not   
   > to mention bringing in employees from surrounding stores.  There were more   
   > stockers than there were anybody else.  They had the doors on one side   
   > locked with a sign directing everyone to use the McDonald's doors.  There,   
   > they had 5-6 greeters to watch for theft.  All in all, with a storm this   
   > massive, the destruction and injuries could have been considerably worse.   
   >   
   > --   
   >   
   >   
   > Mike   
   > Gummby3   
   > -= Star Collector =-   
   > www.star-collector.net   
   > Celebrity addresses the way they should be - free.   
   >   
   >   
   >   
      
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