Still No Power

This is Matt reporting live from Rice University. I'm not the usual blogger, but I'd thought I'd send out a quick update. We still don't have power, which is the case for most of the city (Houston is actually under a curfew until Saturday). I came to campus today to check on my lab and get some much needed internet time. Rice is on the same underground utilities line that supplies the medical district, so power to campus was never even interrupted. We came through the storm relatively unscathed, but not everyone was so fortunate. Our area is extremely wooded and there are downed trees EVERYWHERE!! They're blocking the roads, hanging in the power lines, and have done quite a bit of damage to cars and houses. There is a house a couple of streets over (right next to Jason's school) that had a large tree crash right through their living room opening it up to the sky. That was my worst fear! What do you do if something flies through your window or crashes into your house while the hurricane is raging in the middle of the night?! We experience crazy winds and rain for about 18 hours straight, it was quite a ride!!!

Anyway, we've had a bit of luck with the weather. A cold front came through yesterday and it is beautiful. I'd have the A/C off and the windows open right now even if we did have power. Our biggest inconvenience is the lack of refrigeration. Ice (as well as all other goods and services in the city) is extremely hard to come by, but we still have plenty of food and water. We're getting by fairly well, and we've been much more fortunate than many others in the area. Those of you with T.V. probably know better than I do about the damage on the south side and in Galveston. I understand that it was quite bad.

One good thing that has come out of all this is the strong sense of community. It's like the good ol' days before A/C when people used to spend their evenings outside and everyone on the street would get to know each other. I've met neighbors that I otherwise wouldn't have. We talk and share what tidbits of information we have about what gas stations have reopened, what stores have ice, what grocery stores are open, etc. We grilled up all our chicken (because it was going to go bad) and took it over to a friend's house for lunch yesterday, and they used up a bunch of their food. Everyone on the block seems to be grilling every day (especially since you don't need electricity to grill).

Well, this post has turned out to be much longer than I'd planned on, probably because I've been starved for email and internet. I've hear rumors that our power in Spring might be on by the end of the week, but I don't know anything for sure. When we're back up and running Terri will give a real post with pictures and video. Peace out.