I've been thinking about the impact Ike is going to have on all the providers in South Texas. The sex drive is pretty powerful but if your house has been destroyed you're not going to have any extra money to hobby. I've only been doing this for 2 yrs now but all the ladies I've seen have beenjust absolutely wonderful women & I'm sure they're same in Texas.

I'm just wishing all you ladies well. Hope you're safe & times don't get too tough for you in the aftermath of Ike. I don't know how we could do it but I'd be willing to contribute to a relief fund for you - after all your sisters in CA have given me a lot of relief!!!!
Take care.

Proud Smelly keeps on posting.

Rolling, Rolling on the boards.

Thank You
2008=27

The devastation is far worse than we have seen as yet. Many lives are lost but things are being kept very low key. We are not being bombarded with photos on CNN or the Fox news..Why?

Houston will take a long time to get up and running again and Galvaston is in ruins.

Why would so many people stay behind when warned to leave. I'm a Florida lady who lived through Andrew and moved to Orlando in hopes of never feeling the wrath of nature knocking on my door. I don't think I am in any better spot than I was before but have learned how to run a whole lot faster.

I do hope all our TER members in the Texas area know we are thinking of them. I wish them a quick recovery and that their lives can be rebuilt.

My prayers go out to everyone who has lived through this horrible disaster.

Kisses Haley

-- Modified on 9/14/2008 10:43:15 AM

Louisiana, I can tell you that there is a mixture of who is there.

The old timers, well, they feel that they can "weather" it out...  why, they 'member the hurricane of aught aught, that destroyed Galveston in 1900.... or Betsy or pick the hurricane of their yut....  And guess what, some of them are use to living in low lying territories and can, they just know how to do it.  but so many do not.

Then there are those who recently moved into the area... I remember while in boot camp in Florida, we had Camille come in... we were on an island off the gulf coast of Fl.  I asked the commanding officer of our group (he was from OHIO) if we should move our cars (my only car and as a poor student - I could not afford another) inland cause of the tidal surge... his comment to me... "high tides and high water are not associated with Hurricanes..."   Then came the deluge... ignorant, but fortunately for him, the storm went west of us - and devastated Mississippi.... If a storm hits this type of person, it is simple, they die.

Then there are the thrill seekers... what can I say... they are their own special breed--- and bizzare as it may seem, they tend to get drunk and survive... go figure.

Finally, there are the poor and uneducated.  They either don't have the means to evacuate, don't understand the danger or both.  It is those, who the government should intervene with, and remove them... not just during the hurricane, but ban them from living in a dangerous place...  

The gulf coast, where I grew up, is just as beautiful and just as interesting as that other place in Minnesota- lake woebegone... but sadly we have no golden toned storyteller to regale us with his stories based upon the life that was there.  Terrebonne Parish, Morgan City... where names have an odd French sound to them... and you would have to live there to be able to either spell them - or even pronounce them.

The gulf coast, because of the geography and the natural climate, is almost perfect to incubate tropical storms (formed in the Atlantic or Carrabean) to monster hurricane strength.  Cabeza de Vaca was one of the first Europeans to experience a gulf coast hurricane... and live to tell about it... (he also kinda found pecans to be a valuable food source)....  it is a part of the history of that region - much as Earthquakes are in california, or cold in Minnesota...

Beautiful land, much maligned by those who have not spent time there.... as they characterize the people as somewhat slow and stupid... what they fail to recognize is that the gulf coast gave rise to men - ingrained in american history for good or bad - such as Etienne de Bore - to - Huey P Long - Jean Lafitte - to many many others...  

From Padre Island to South Florida and a half a dozens places in between. I too love the Gulf Coast, but mother nature is not to be taken lightly.

I have evacuated a dozen times over the years. I can't speak for anyone else, but when they say get out of town I get out of town.

Nice.

I think they are better prepared than New Orleans. So the story isn't as dramatic. Most everyone learned that lesson. I spent 10 days in NO after Katrina doing relief work & the devastation is terrible.