Tadpoles in the Toilet
My preparations for any hurricane begin in May with the purchase of bottled water, filling up gas cans for lawn mowing, buying non-perishable food stuffs, filling up fuel tank on vehicle, and getting all my prescriptions filled. This is much like preparing for a blizzard in my native Wisconsin but here in Texas we do not have to worry about being cold.
No-one expected Harvey to turn into a sub-tropical storm. We were all prepared for a lot of rain but not 50 inches. We were supposed to be on the ‘clean’ side but Harvey bounced back into the Gulf and became subtropical wich meant our side was the ‘dirty’ side….sheets of water in bands for days. Rain started on Thursday, continued on Friday and then Saturday afternoon became very heavy. Due to the rain I was in my house until Wednesday afternoon–and then in a slicker jacket and snake boots getting soaked.
Toby and Dora–our two rescue puppies and Border collie mixes were very confused–not sure if it was day or night and neither one wanting to get their little tushies wet while taking care of business.
I had power, water, and phone/internet service (amazing for the internet as it is spotty on good days). I don’t have cable so not a lot of updates with the exception of Facebook entries.
The roads in and out of Beaumont are closed–so I truly cannot go anywhere and due to some of the neighbors I have here–reluctant to leave due to the looting probability.
I started hearing helicopters flying overhead very low on Wednesday when it was still raining heavily. Yesterday I heard them all day long–very low over my house—one of our hospitals is being evacuated.
I also woke up to no water in the taps, diminishing selections of food in my pantry, and desperately no more dog treats. Dog Food but no treats for two very spoiled dogs. Fortunately they think pond water is great drinking water especially since it is now full of tadpoles which they can chase about while I fill a bucket to flush my toilets.
Water and supplies are supposed to be on their way but the lines are very long and there is no estimate as to when we will have water again. The Neches River has not crested yet and the estimate thus far is feet above record–not inches. And that is where we draw our water from–those pumps are under water and the wells in the northern part of town are under water and failed as well.
Fortunately, the drainage system put in has worked really well–I had water to the curb several times but the parts of the neighborhood that always flood badly did not.
I don’t have photos of flooding but you can see how close the helicopters are flying over my house–and it is a steady procession from 6 in the morning until 8 at night.
For now, I am safe and dry and with some supplies—hauling water from the garden pond to flush the toilet is not my favorite task—and I wonder how long it takes tadpoles to become toads.
here is my house..looks like a mansion doesn’t it–two stories with ten foot ceilings on both floors.
All the lovebugs have been washed on the grill of my truck–it was covered!
this is looking west toward one of the hospitals. We are in the flight path of Medivac flights but they are rarely this low. Lots of helicopters flying overhead–Coast Guard, National Guard and probably many others–I don’t know types of helicopters well enough to identify all but I could have stood outside all day long taking photos of them.
More photos of helicopters if you are intrigued by them here: https://sylviaweirphotos.smugmug.com/HouseinBeaumont/Hurricane-Harvey/i-sJ67m9j/A
Sylvia Weir Art 
So glad you are safe and not flooded. Always read your posts. It takes tadpoles three weeks if I remember correctly. I had them in my pila in San Lorenzo, where we haul water in buckets for every water-related chore.
Wow. Glad you are safe and glad to read this vivid account. Wish I could haul pond water for you!
I now have some water from the taps–enough to flush toilets at long last without hauling water from the garden pond. It must be heavily chlorinated because the tadpoles all shriveled up so no longer in danger of having to chase toads about the house. Everyone here is most appreciative of the sunshine we have. Today I will wander out to see if I can help somewhere–but trying to conserve my fuel. Huge line of HEB (grocery store) Would guess Walmart has same. The distribution system of major grocery stores is amazing. We also have National Guard with heavy presence===none in my streets though–but we are relatively unscathed except for the water. I cannot leave house for very long as I must go out front door which I cannot lock from outside due to neighbors who are inclined to loot. Dogs are a huge deterrent though and I am grateful for their furry smiles and kisses.