I'm back

[zraver]

3 weeks in the Houston, Orange area... Glad to be back from the stink and heart break. These 4 pics show how bad it is, how fast the water came up. People could barely save themselves, let alone save life dreams. The pic of the home was taken with permission. An entire neighborhood of 500+ homes a total and complete loss as surely as if hit with artillery. Under 7-9' of water for a week. Every bit of structural wood is warped, soaked in raw sewage and covered in mold. The rescue marking were written by a rescuer standing in a boat.

[Double Edge]

Super Z

Always there to help : )

[TopHatter]

Welcome back Z

I was fortunate not to be in a flood zone for Irma, but others were not as lucky.

[zraver]

Welcome back Z

I was fortunate not to be in a flood zone for Irma, but others were not as lucky.

Glad you are Ok. I was in the Houston area. Almost went down as part of a boat team but the county judge wouldn't pull the trigger, got deployed 24 hours later anyway with my tow truck. While I was gone my fridge went out, so I came back to near the same smell I left. Go that handled today. Glad to be back with my son and animals. Hope my deathrow kitty is especially glad I am home. She was boarded with a friend but is a true one person cat and was deeply depressed until I got home, now she is glued to me. Animals area great way to clean the disaster zone out of the mind. For three weeks i had the most toxic job in America (Chevron 4 car hauler). Every time I loaded the top deck TFW that had been petri-dishing in flooded cars rained on me. It was by far the nastiest thing I have ever done. My boots did not survive the trip.

The real hereos are the locals who pitched in, and of course the FEMA and SUSAR teams. Some are still in Operation in Mexico and Puerto Rico. During Harvey, parts of all 28 FEMA USAR teams, 8 SUSAR teams and a huge number of county level water rescue teams from around the South plus the locals and the Cajun Navy were working as fast as they could too evac people. At least 2 rescuers died due to electrified water.

[Double Edge]

Out of curiosity what does the rescue marker say on that first pic ?

[zraver]

Out of curiosity what does the rescue marker say on that first pic ?

Too the trained rescuer it says ametuer. Top quadrant- person or unit doing the search. BB is pretty generic should be something like OVFD (Orange Volunteer Fire Department) or TX-TF2 (Texas Task Force 2) but should be in the Left quadrant. What should be there is the date/time the search was completed, right quadrant- date. Should be a list of hazards ie TFW (toxic flood water), rats etc. Bottom- 0 zero live, zero dead can also be listed as 0-0. or if there are victims 2-0 etc. Left quadrant- unit making search and date and time completed. The quadrants are made by 1 slash (search under way if another search team comes up and doesn't see any body it cues them to an emergency where rescuers need rescuing or an unduly dangerous hazard like an IDLH gas exists. You note date/time and unit at entry. Second line of the X means search completed and information can be noted. If you box the X then it means do not enter, structure unsafe or a deadly hazard exists. Circling the X means a new search was conducted and original findings confirmed.

[Bigfella]

Glad you are OK Z & well done yet again. Difficult work.

[Double Edge]

Cheers Z, quite informative at a glance.

[citanon]

Good job Z. Too bad they didn't let you keep the Maserati as a suvenior.

[zraver]

Good job Z. Too bad they didn't let you keep the Maserati as a suvenior.

I'd take the 64 ss Impala any day. She was a rare gem.

[Officer of Engineers]

Good show

[citanon]

I'd take the 64 ss Impala any day. She was a rare gem.

"Coincidentally" it was the one on a tow truck.

[Guest]

A++

[Albany Rifles]

Well done to you and your peers.

Glad to see some of my CFC money being put to good use!

[zraver]

"Coincidentally" it was the one on a tow truck.

My truck...