Friday September 12, Ike day

After waking before 1 and staying up all night, I went in to work at my regular time and found that some of the patrol guys had been released early. Only Adam Arriaga and Greg Bartlett had stayed out all night. I went out and began making rounds in the city. About 10:30 I learned that the other guys had been called back in and started arriving about 11. Adam and Greg were about out on their feet, but they hung in there. I was taken out of my patrol unit and put back into my Expedition which is much more comfortable. I was told to take my computer with me as an MDT but I had no air card. This has been an ongoing problem, but they switched some cards around and made mine work for awhile. It took some more tweaking by Ethan to make the MDT work, but it did. I lost contact with the network frequently but it was in the car with me.

About 9 o'clock Mike Jaimes had asked Capt. Bell about why there was no food bought for us to have this weekend. Mike and I went to the Valero store and bought some chips, dips and soft drinks so at least we would have something. I later saw the Chief and Capt. going to the same store to buy more snacks for us all to have. No arrangements had been made for real food but others were expected to bring us food. I don't know where food could have been stored at the PD but it seems that some sort of plan should have been made and supplies-other than chips and snacks-should have been bought.

About 10:30 or so, I was told to escort some of the public works guys over to a house that is under construction in Rodeo Palms to get some sheetrock and 2x4's to board up the PD and City hall. I documented all of this with emails to the Mayor, the Chief and to the Capt. No one had thought to have them buy the materials before now. I later learned that the P/W employees had been given off the day before because they knew they would have to work on Friday which is their normal day off when they could have been laying in the needed materials to board up city property. I later learned that Capt. Bell had gotten Greg to use his truck to pick up some other materials at another house in Rodeo Palms. Aaron told me he had called the superintendent of the project and told him what he had taken.

It rained and blew all afternoon, but nothing major came in. By this time, everyone had reported to the office and it began getting very crowded. I walked into my office and found the lights off, and without asking, I turned the lights on, which surprised and startled poor Cody who had been lying down in my office, unbeknownst to me. I asked that my quiet please sign be placed on the door to let everyone know that someone was asleep there.

I got off duty at about 6:30 and went to Adam's house. All his family had left for San Antonio, so I had the place to myself until Adam and Mike were released and came in about 9:30. They fixed some barbecue, which I ate too, and we all laid down about 10:30. I had been sitting on a love seat couch which I thought was a recliner, but could not find the handle to until Adam came in and showed me. After I found the latch, it was much more comfortable. The power went off about 11:30 but we all went to sleep. I woke up about every hour because of the howling winds-which were the worst I have ever heard-and things banging into the house. I later saw where a limb had hit the side of the Expedition and apparently gone on to damage the side of Mike's ACO truck. Another report to write!

It was a horrible night, having to sit in the dark with no idea what was going on outside, listening to the winds and rain and loud thumps. I imagined all sorts of things that night and felt very sorry for all the animals that had to stay out in the weather. I'm sure that we'll find many of them dead in the morning. Even Adam's dogs were quiet during the storm. I guess they knew something very bad was happening like animals do.

So long for now,