stormchaser06's Blog

We are being set up for another horrific scenario this Hurricane Season already.

Sounds like quite the claim, doesn't it? Well, it may have some truth to it. I came to this sudden and abrupt realization earlier this morning. I'm gonna use a four-letter word to Houstonians now. Remember Rita? (there's that ugly word!) Remember how everyone tried to leave all at once and jammed the freeways and there was no gas to be found after the storm passed? Remember how after that episode of ill-preparation, a plan was put in place to surge supplies, including gasoline, into the area along evacuation routes? Sounded like it would work at the time didn't it?

Here's what I'm getting at with all this. Since that time two and a half years ago, the price of gas has gone significantly up. (Duh). Look at this chart:

We can surge all the gas we want to into evacuation zones, but what good will it be if people cannot afford to put it in their tanks in order to evacuate to safety? Chances are that you would need more than one fill-up to get to safety, more cars on the road, more idling, more gas used. Even if the New Evacuation Zone plan works, people will still not be able to drive 70 mph up to safety.

We will end up with people unable to get out of harm's way. There will be desperate calls for help during the storm from people who would have otherwise left. The government cannot foot the bill to evacuate all those in harm's way. And I don't believe that 2-1-1 helps with this either. Not everyone can rely on 2-1-1 to get them out.

The idea behind this blog is not to be the alarmist weatherman or anything of that sort. I'm just wondering if this thought has occurred to anyone else. Plus this is also IF we are threatened by a storm this year.

So my question to you is, how do we fix this problem?

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As many of you know, I have been saying that I have been so extremely busy lately. There have been some big events and big changes happening all at once here, but there’s one main thing that has been at the center of it all. Now I feel that I should let you guys in on what that is and what is going to be happening because of it.

I have briefly said before that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints (LDS Church), a.k.a., “The Mormons.” Part of the LDS faith is that young people (especially young men) between the ages of 19 and 25 serve a two year, full-time mission sharing the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. While it is not required in order to remain a member of the Church, we believe that blessings will follow individuals and their families for the rest of their lives if they willingly serve a mission.

I have chosen to serve one of these missions. It is something that I have wanted to do my whole life, and I feel that I am ready to do it. I filled out the paperwork and sent it in to Church Headquarters in Salt Lake City. Two weeks ago, I received a response from the Church. I have been called to serve in the Philippines Bacolod Mission. In other words, I will be going to the Western Visayas Islands in the Philippines for two years to serve the people there and share our message of the living Savior with them.

First, however, I must report to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah. There, I will be taught the laws and customs of the land, the Tagalog language, and continue to build upon my knowledge of the Gospel. I have been asked to report on the 30th of July this year. I will be in the MTC for 8 weeks before I depart for the Philippines at the end of September.

By doing this, I will step out of the world and out of my life for two years and dedicate all of my time to serving the Lord and doing His work. This includes leaving the MyFoxHouston Community for that period of time.

Between now and July 30th, I have a lot that I need to do in order to be adequately prepared. I will continue to be very busy, but I will still be here on the blogs for the time being. I’m sure many of you have questions, and I will gladly answer what I can to the best of my ability. Just know that I don’t claim to have all the answers or know everything that there is to know about the LDS faith, but that’s all part of it. We are constantly learning, growing and being taught while we live on Earth. Feel free to leave your questions or comments below, or catch up with me at the picnic on the 17th.

Yesterday was quite interesting. Around lunchtime, my mum and I were heading over to Target. I was in the left turn lane stopped at a red light with one car in front of me. A gold half ton pickup pulled up behind me and stopped. A few moments later, there was a deafening "BOOM!"  I looked in my rearview mirror and saw the bed of that gold truck dropping back to the ground and the entire truck bouncing towards me. The car stopped in front took off and I pulled forward a few feet and stopped to get out of the way. I threw my car in park and got out as soon as I could open my door without it being taken off by oncoming traffic. I checked on the people in the truck, they were ok at the moment.

I then run behind the truck to see this little black sedan with the front end absolutely destroyed with antifreeze all over the road and smoke coming from the engine. They had hit that truck at full speed, about 40 mph for that road. I checked in on all four passengers, the driver and back seat passengers were ok, front seat passenger had a small cut on her head and was bleeding a little. The driver was tending to her with some napkins. I called 911 and we had emergency crews out there in a few minutes. I went back to my car and grabbed a bottle of water for the lady passenger in the truck who was very upset and shaken up by this time. My mum was standing in the door talking with her and holding her hand while her husband took care of everything else. I also grabbed a towel to offer to the people in the car if their passenger was still bleeding. I flipped on my overhead lights to warn other taffic that I was stopped there and they needed to use the next lane in order to turn left. (A lady still tried to pull in between me and the truck, I had to stop traffic in order to let her back out again.) We asked a Conroe PD officer if he needed any witness statement from us, which he did not. He said we could leave or stay with the lady in the truck. We opted to stay with her until they left.

The front passenger of the sedan was taken to the hospital and everyone else was ok. The driver of the truck came back and said, "Get this: they're a car full of attorneys." He started to laugh.

A few hours later, my mum and I were stopped at a red light again. A lady in a maroon car pulled out to turn right on red. As I watched her, she started to slow down and nearly stopped immediately after turning, looking for the entrance to a shop she wanted. "SCREEEEECH!" Black car, brakes locked, tires smoking, "BANG!" I just dropped my head back and said, "Oh......... again?!" This one wasn't nearly as bad and nobody was hurt. The guy in the black car almost stopped, just not quite. His front bumper shattered and her back bumper maybe had a dent. But still we pulled over and waited for Conroe PD in case they needed a witness. Wouldn't you know it was the same officer from the first accident that responded? He pulled up and got out, and my mum said, "You again?!" He looked at her, looked at me, and laughed. He said, "Ya'll go home...." We started laughing as well and said, "We were right there again! Don't need a witness for this one?" He didn't and we were on our way.

Now what are the odds of something like this?

Your wishes for a food list have been granted! What are you going to try and bring to the MyFoxHouston/ Blogger Picnic??

As for me, I still have no idea.

Here's the details again:

Saturday, 17 May 2008

2:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Discovery Green Downtown (Map: http://devhoustondowntownpark.schipul.net/attachments/
wysiwyg/4/DG-ParkMap-Legend-lg-040408.jpg) We will be next to the playground.

Potluck Food

Friends, Families (kids included!), and Pets of all Bloggers, Chatters, and anyone that works in the same building that houses Fox 26 are all invited and welcome! 

So what happend here? Last Tuesday I was coming home from Galveston, and as it was dark, I decided to take a detour and come up 59 from the Beltway. Why? I thought it would be neat to see the searchlight atop Williams Tower sweeping across the sky. I've seen it in person once before, and I wanted to see it again! I think it's cool!

As I was approaching 610 (just before 9 PM), I noticed something, darkness. There was no searchlight in front of me! The rest of Williams Tower was lit up, but the beacon was not. It was kind of sad really, that light is unique to Houston, and it was missing. Did the 7,000 watt bulb burn out or something??

THE VIDEO IS SIDEWAYS, SORRY! HAD THE CAMERA SIDEWAYS... I WAS FOCUSING ON DRIVING. I ACCEPT NO RESPONISBILITY FOR ANY NECK INJURIES CAUSED BY THE VIEWING OF THIS SHORT VIDEO. VIEW AT YOUR OWN RISK. :-)

Hundreds of lives were shattered at Willis High School last week. The entire student body went through the program (Shattered Lives) either directly or indirectly. This is how the program describes itself on its website:

• *Every 15 minutes a designated student is removed from class by the Grim Reaper. *These students will be put into costumes and make up to represent the “Living Dead” *A law enforcement officer will read a mock obituary to the class when the student is temporarily removed from class.
• *During a special outside assembly, a staged fatal DWI traffic collision will occur on campus. Law enforcement, Fire, and EMS units will be involved.
• *The “Living Dead” students will be returned to class in full make up but will not be allowed to speak or take part in any school activity for the remainder of the day.
• *If desired, the parents of the “Living Dead” students will receive a pre-arranged mock verbal death notice by law enforcement.
• *At the end of the day, the “Living Dead” students will be taken to a retreat with overnight lodging to effectively simulate that the student is “gone.” The students will be under the direct supervision of members of Law Enforcement, Probation, and the “Shattered Lives” committee.

Day Two

•  *After a light breakfast at the retreat area, the students will be transported back to school for the assembly.
• *The “Living Dead” students will NOT be able to have contact with friends or family prior to the assembly.
• *The video made of the previous day will be shown.
• *Various Guest Speakers will give presentations to entire student body about their views and personal experiences.
• *The “Living Dead” will present their scenario to the assembly.
• *The last, and most important visual focus of the program will be when everyone who has been touched by and alcohol-related traffic collision comes forward and stands on the stage indicating the many innocent people who stand as victims— those who pulled bodies from wreckage, who provided emergency trauma care to victims, who counseled survivors, who dealt with the grief and pain of relatives and friends."

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Every 15 minutes during Day 1, a heartbeat and flatline is played throughout the entire school using the PA system, illustrating the statistic that someone is killed in a DWI accident every 15 minutes. A student is taken from class as soon as the flatline stops.

My brother took part in the program this year. He was selected to be one of the "Living Dead" and was taken from his class by the Grim Reaper at about 11:30 am. My mum and I were waiting for another brother of mine to finish his orthodontist appointment when the notification came in a phone call about 20 minutes later.

All the students that take part in the program have an obituary written for them by the parents. Two copies are made, and once the student "dies" and is taken from class, one copy is hung in the classroom that they were taken from. The other is placed on "The Death Wall." This is usually along a main corridor in the school.

Shattered Lives is completely self-supportive. It relies on awareness of the program and donations from the community. Lots of volunteer hours go into this as well. If you can help in any way, please visit the website, www.shatteredlivesmc.com, and use the blue "Contact" link at the bottom of the page.

The first video is the one that I put together. All the photos and video in it I took. It is the longer of the two and may take some time to watch, (about 36 minutes). It features raw and uncut footage from "the accident scene," and you see it all basically from start to finish. The second video is the one that is shot and done by a professional crew with professional equipment and shown in the assembly on the second day. It is approximately 10 minutes long.

Please take the time to watch these and let me know what your thoughts are about the Shattered Lives Program. Also feel free to share any of your stories and experiences relating to something like this.

  Video 1:    

Willis High School Shattered Lives 2008

Video 2:

NOAA's P-3 Hurricane Hunter Aircraft will be visiting Galveston Scholes Field on Tuesday, April 15th. The plane will be open for the public and media to tour from 3-5 pm. I will be there, along with "RadarDude." If you can, come on out and check out the aircraft! This is all part of a "Gulf Coast Hurricane Awareness Tour" put on by the National Hurricane Center. By the way, this is FREE!

Here is a link with more information from the National Weather Service:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hgx/tropical/p3tour08.htma>

Last Friday, I went with my brother to Walking With Dinosaurs- The Live Experience at Toyota Center. I had no problem going, it looked like a neat little show that he would enjoy. However, I was really surprised. It was a PHENOMENAL production. That is really the only word I can use to describe it.

The show went like this: There was someone playing the role of a paleontologist, and we (the whole of Toyota Center) traveled with him back in time and then followed the dinosaurs through the different periods of time. The dinosaurs were amazing! They really did look real! The smaller ones were people in the suits controlling the movements and sounds, and the larger ones were animatronics. Incredible!

I have to again say "THANK YOU!" to Lanny, it was his feature report last Thursday morning that brought this production to our attention. My brother loves dinosaurs and had no idea that this existed or was in town. He didn't have a clue as to where I was taking him until we were walking down Polk Street towards the Toyota Center and I showed him the tickets. As soon as my mum and I saw Lanny's report on the morning news, we were on the web buying tickets. THANKS AGAIN LANNY!!

Watch Lanny's report here.

I took plenty of video from the production. It's a really good show! If you decide you want to see it in person, you'll have to get on a plane and fly to Charleston, South Carolina as that is the current stop for the show's North American Tour.

Video is approximately 36 minutes long. Clear some time before viewing! You won't want to stop partway through! Enjoy!

Check out Roswell's weatherman! (This is really what was printed on the back of the Roswell Daily Record, the local newspaper.)

And.... who needs a NWS Forecast Office when your town has its own "Weather Balloon Tracking Center" inside of the downtown cafe?? (It was closed down though- what a bummer!)

This is for you Snoopy. LOL. Roswell, NM is "Alien Central" after a UFO supposedly crashed there in 1947.

Be sure to notice the lamp post in the top left corner too... It's got alien eyes on it!

As promised, here are some photos from Spring Break in New Mexico. Check out Carlsbad Caverns!

"HAS RESULTED," not "MAY RESULT"

I thought it looked like melting ice cream. But it's solid rock.

No service 700 feet underground??

Would you still give me a ride?

This is what happens when I get bored on a road trip...

"More bars in more places. Nowhere, New Mexico, for example. Cingular-- raising the bar"

A few months ago, I wrote a blog asking why there were no tornado sirens around the Houston area. Read that blog here. 

I actually was looking at the issue again now that we are moving into prime severe weather season. While I was looking, I stumbled upon some information about Houston and Tornado Sirens. Houston did have tornado sirens at one point. Apparently, Houston used to have "Thunderbolt" outdoor warning sirens made by Federal Signal. ("Thunderbolts" included Model 1000, 1000T, and 1003's. A thunderbolt is pictured at right).

Anyhow, I found my answer on wikipedia. (of course!) This is what the article said:

"Houston, TX Began removing many thunderbolts in the mid. 1990's due to sound pollution ordinance. None were operational by 2004. No sirens have been put back in their place."

Are you kidding me?!

This new information prompted me to go in search of Houston's City Ordinances and find out what this "sound pollution ordinance" actually said. I found this in Chapter 30 Section 30-6:

"Maximum permissible sound levels.

(a)   In addition to the violations established by the preceding sections of this chapter, no person shall conduct, permit, or allow any activity or sound source to produce a sound discernible at any location beyond the property lines of the property on which the sound is being generated that when measured as provided in section 30-7 of this Code exceeds the applicable dB(A) level listed below for the property on which the sound is received:

(1)   Residential property:   

a.   65 dB(A) during daytime hours.

b.   58 dB(A) during nighttime hours.

(2)   Nonresidential property:  68 dB(A) at all times.  

Any sound that exceeds the dB(A) levels set forth in this section under the conditions and measurement criteria set forth in this chapter is a violation of this chapter. Evidence that an activity or sound source produces a sound that exceeds the dB(A) levels specified in this section shall be prima facie evidence of a sound nuisance that unreasonably disturbs, injures, or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace, or safety of others in violation of this chapter.

(b)   Regardless of the measurable dB(A) level established above and measured as provided in section 30-7, below, the generator of any sound of such a nature as to cause persons occupying or using any property other than the property upon which the sound is being generated to be aware of sympathetic vibrations or resonance caused by the sound shall also be prima facie evidence of a sound that unreasonably disturbs, injures, or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace, or safety of others in violation of this chapter. (Ord. No. 01-945, § 2, 10-17-01)"

unreasonably disturbs, injures, or endagers the comfort, repose, health, peace, or safety of others?

NOT having the warning sirens endagers the safety of others I think! It's a CIVIL DEFENSE warning system, and civil defense can also be read as PUBLIC SAFETY, right? Check out this statement in Section 30-9:

"Defenses.

The following defenses shall apply to any offense established in this chapter: (a)   The emission of any sound was for the purpose of alerting persons to the existence of an emergency, danger, or attempted crime

(Ord. No. 01-945, § 2, 10-17-01)"

I don't know about you, but I consider a tornado or (heaven forbid) an attack on the Port or a refinery explosion to all be emergencies and dangers! If it is ok for a sound greater than 68 dB(A) to be heard in order to alert persons to the existence of an emergency, then why were the sirens removed?

I come from a family of nerds. We all went outside tonight to see if we could see the International Space Station pass over. It had been kind of cloudy, but we decided to give it a shot anyway. Wouldn't you know that there was a big break in the clouds over us right at the time the ISS was scheduled to pass over?

We saw it, and something else too. There were two "things" orbitting the earth (ISS included) that we saw. Both were equally bright and moving at the same speed and in the same direction. What was the second object in the sky with the ISS?

I took a video as they were passing over us. You may or may not be able to see anything, sorry! And again I'm warning you, I come from a family of nerds. Enjoy listening to the bunch of us get all excited about it and start spouting off different theories of what the second object may be.