Ike, Part Five

It's been almost six full days since the storm hit. We're still without power, and Centerpoint is now saying that our zip code won't be back online until sometime next week. Lori's dad brought us a generator, and we've been using it to run the refrigerator and some fans, but our whiny neighbor who lives behind us complains when we run it after 10 pm. There's nothing for me to do at my work right now (but at least the office has reopened) and both Lori's work and Kirby's school are closed until Monday at the earliest. So let me simply echo what John has to say about the present state of Houston, lest anybody from outside Houston think things are fine:

THINGS ARE NOT NORMAL HERE.

Not even close.

It's getting better. More gas stations and grocery stores are open. A lot of restaurants have re-opened (and the ones with free wi-fi are definitely getting our business), albeit with truncated menus, and several malls, museums and movie theaters have returned to operation as well. But Houston is still a long way from returning to normal. Much of the city is still without power, we're still under a midnight-to-six curfew to deter looters, the lack of operating traffic lights make driving though the city a cautious and slow task, and collective patience is beginning to fray as the lack of power, open businesses or working schools create a sense of boredom and "cabin fever" among the populace.

Houston will return to normal. But it's not there yet. Not by a long shot.

Luckily for me, I will be escaping Houston in a few hours on a previously-scheduled trip to visit my brother in Denver. He and I are going to go see the Cougars play Colorado State in Fort Collins this weekend. With any luck, by the time I get back to Houston on Sunday power will have been restored to my neighborhood. But I'm not going to hold my breath.