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Rita
So, Rita is blowing into my backyard. I am finishing bagging and storing my editing gear/software (I am definitely streamlining my resources & consolidating where possible) I thought I’d say that those who document and bring us the video feeds while standing in the path of this monster certainly have my utmost respect. Jim Cantorie is standing downtown near my first gig here in Houston. Stephanie Abrams is at my family’s favorite spot on the beach (well she was earlier). The folks at CNN have been all over my stomping grounds.
I’m packing up my gear in the event I need to split though the news is better for me than those on the East side. I’ve bagged it. Boxed it. Put it near sturdy walls. Short of 2 feet of water and a tree right down my wall. I also have the el cheapo Hi8 catching shots of the Hood with the storm coming in. Plenty of snacks,water, clothes etc for personal survival… The roads were every bit a disaster as you saw on TV. The night before on my way home from work. It took me almost 4 hours for a 20 minute trip. (I took back roads). My daughter & her family tried to go up 59 & it took them 16 hours to go 60 miles. They turned around and came back before they ran out of gas. Made it back in an hour.For comparision, it only takes me 15 hours from here in Northwest Harris Co. to friends in Springfield, IL. Those reporters I think are doing a fair job of explaining & capturing the problems.
Thought I’d share before I disconnected THIS pc and began waiting for civilization to pop back up to post. Hope you fellow “cow” hands are out of harm’s way
Matt Sowder
Fiddler’s Ridge Productions -
4 Replies
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Good luck with the storm. Fortunately, it looks like it has been degraded to a category 3.
Aanarav Sareen
Adobe Certfied Expert, Premiere Pro
https://www.asvideoproductions.com/video -
Hope you’re back, safe, and in good heart.
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Yep, Rita missed… A big lesson in being prepared to flee. A lot of the crap we surround ourselves with is just that. If you have a small set up like me. Anvil cases for my computers/gear & back up copies of software (serial numbers, pouches for dongle, etc) are two things that I really wished I had. I am glad that I label my ins&outs to my rack.
Matt Sowder
Fiddler’s Ridge Productions -
I’m happy to see that you are o.k. Matt.
My kids were getting worried from the news last Tuesday so my wife and I decided to turn this thing into a vacation for them. We boarded up and headed to my in-law’s house in Kentucky on Highway 59 on Wednesday morning about 10:30, and traffic was “normal”. What a difference a couple of hours makes! I have friends at NASA that left in the early afternoon and spent the same amount of time going 75 miles that I spent going 750 miles.
On the way back, I saw a grand total of two (2) gas stations open during the last 200 miles into Houston. Luckily, there where only a few traffic jams…and those were because of those two gas stations being open 😉
But seriously… I saw several guys on four-wheelers bringing cans of gas to stranded travelers on 59. One rest stop in a hard hit area on the way back had free food and drinks for Rita evacuees. I didn’t stop, but it was a nice gesture. There are some really good people in Texas.
Anyway, you make great points about the ability to pack up in a hurry. We covered our Avids at NASA with huge plastic bags and hoped for the best. We were lucky this time. We still have some employees trying to get back, but most stores are open, and I haven’t noticed any real “shortages” of food or water. I can wait a few days to fill up the gas tank.
-Timothy Allen (…who is seriously thinking of buying a motorcycle to save gas $$.)
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