|
|
Post by Jaga on Sept 8, 2008 14:19:11 GMT -7
Hello James, I hope that you have a great birthday today. Thanks for help in improving my forum top folder. We enjoy your wonderful ads with Polish eagle, Black Madonna etc. You are doing really a great job promoting Polish culture! Just a reminder for all of you. James hosts two websites: www.polish-texans.com/Polish Texans and www.cafepress.com/polishheritagesells Polish products |
|
|
|
Post by Jaga on Sept 8, 2008 14:20:24 GMT -7
and Polish field poppies as a souvenir for you:  |
|
|
|
Post by karl on Sept 8, 2008 17:14:07 GMT -7
Happy Birthday James  May all that you desire be yours and may your years be long and may they be prosperous. Karl |
|
|
|
Post by Jaga on Sept 11, 2008 11:18:03 GMT -7
The parts of Texas where James lives may be affected by Ike. I hope he and our other friends from Texas will be OK!
|
|
|
|
Post by Jaga on Sept 12, 2008 7:43:28 GMT -7
I am afraid that this storm will do lots of distruction. For now it looks that it is ignored like Katrina.
In 1900 there was a huge storm that destroyed almost completely town Galveston. This storm had the most victims until probably Katrina times
|
|
|
|
Post by Jaga on Sept 12, 2008 7:43:46 GMT -7
here is what James wrote:
I'm an old veteran of hurricanes, I've been through at least three direct hits and a number of tropical storms. In fact, 47 years ago today on September 11, 1961, I ventured out in the eye of Hurricane Carla to feed and check on the livestock. Carla was one of the worst storms to hit the Texas gulf coast. I was only 9 years old, but I was the oldest of 7 children at the time and my Dad, who was a cable splicer for SW Bell had been sent to Galveston to await the storm. Mama was busy trying to keep the little kids safe and I was the one who had to take care of the farm. We had been hit with 120 - 140 mph winds for about half a day when the eye went directly over us. I still remember how calm it was with blue skies, fluffy clouds and absolutely no wind. After an hour or so, the winds were back up to 100 mph again. I can still remember that like it was yesterday. That was one bad storm and the scary part is that Ike is following almost the exact path as Carla did.
|
|
Mary
Cosmopolitan
Posts: 934
|
Post by Mary on Sept 12, 2008 15:01:21 GMT -7
Jaga,
I'm not posative, but I think the 1900 hurricane still holds the record for deaths. Terrible devistation. Occasionally the History Channel will run a program on it with old footage. There wasn't any way near the communication or safety agencies like we have now. These poor people were taken totally by surprise.
IKE is HUGE! Where exactly is James? I'll say a prayer for his, and family's safety.
Mary
|
|
|
|
Post by tex on Sept 12, 2008 16:29:42 GMT -7
Thanks for the birthday wishes and I appreciate your concern and prayers for us in the path of this storm. Mary, I live 100 miles northwest of Galveston which should put me on the clean side of the storm, west of the center, but we'll probably still see close to hurricane force winds since this is such a large storm.
My biggest concern is for my family. The vast majority of my family including the kids and grandkids live in and around Houston. Houston will likely see a direct hit from Ike. Fortunately, the winds are not too bad with this storm. Unfortunately, Ike is huge and the high winds stretch out a long way from the center.
I also hate to see the devastation that will almost certainly happen in the historic town of Galveston. My family ties to Galveston go way back and include my great great grandfather who was a ship captain who navigated a lot of ships in and out of the Galveston ship channel. His old sextant and other navigation instruments are on display at the Seafarers Museum near downtown Galveston.
My grandmother was in a group that was the last to get off of the island during the 1915 storm. She used to tell about watching the bridge to the island go under water directly behind them. The 1915 storm was not as bad as the 1900 storm but it was a large, dangerous storm that did a lot of damage and killed about 300 people.
My Dad was in the Galvez hotel when the dirty side of hurricane Carla struck Galveston in 1961. The Galvez is right on the sea wall and Dad used to tell stories of a pitch black hotel without electricity, with all of the windows blown out and waves hitting the seawall with such force that the water sprayed all of the way over the large building.
Galveston is also the port of entry of many of the early Polish immigrants in Texas.
Lots of memories and sure to be more when this one is over.
|
|
Mary
Cosmopolitan
Posts: 934
|
Post by Mary on Sept 12, 2008 16:47:57 GMT -7
James,
Thank you for the reply. Please know my prayers go out to you and everyone in the path of Ike. My cousin and his family live in Georgetown, so they should see just a lot of rain.
Please check in when you can and let us know that you and family are ok.
God bless,
Mary
|
|
|
|
Post by hollister on Sept 12, 2008 18:12:24 GMT -7
James,
Please keep us in the loop. The pictures look horrible.
Maybe a new tee shirt out of the experience?
Does anyone know if crackercrumbs is down that way too? I seem to recall she said something about being from Texas on time.
|
|
|
|
Post by tex on Sept 13, 2008 9:57:52 GMT -7
Well, I survived ol' Ike and the best thing is that I have been in contact with all of my family in and around Houston this morning and everybody is ok. It was an interesting hurricane, a little different then most of them that I have lived through. We lost electricity at 4am this morning and it was too hot to sleep without ac. My wife went across the street to sit with the old widow lady, so I did what a lot of us old Texas guys do. I sat out on my front porch and watched the hurricane blow and the tree limbs snap. Mother nature didn't disappoint me, she put on a really good show.
The interesting part is that it blew steady, probably at least 60 - 70 mph for several hours with hardly any rain. We had some gusts that were probably close to 100 mph that were a little scary. In fact, there were a couple of times when I thought I was going to be sucked into the black hole from that Swiss atom smasher. Overall, it was a pretty pleasant experience for me. We are still getting some gusty wind and now some rain, but the worst is over. The best part of the whole deal is that we already have electricity, phones and dsl restored. They are saying that Houston may be without electricity for a week or more.
|
|
|
|
Post by hollister on Sept 13, 2008 12:14:53 GMT -7
James I am so glad to hear you are okay!
|
|
Mary
Cosmopolitan
Posts: 934
|
Post by Mary on Sept 13, 2008 20:54:10 GMT -7
James,
I'm So Happy to hear you and the family faired well with Ike!
It shows how tough you Texans are!
Seriously, I'm still praying for the others affected by Ike. And so glad you checked in with good news.
Mary
|
|
