User talk:David E. Volk

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Hurricane is coming!

Wish us well in sleepy Galveston, Tx. It looks like Tropical Storm (or Hurricane) Edouard is set for a direct hit on Galveston tomorrow morning about 8 am or so. David E. Volk 10:57, 4 August 2008 (CDT)

I keep my fingers crossed--Paul Wormer 11:12, 4 August 2008 (CDT)

Now Hurricane Ike is coming

Being about 11 miles east of Galveston, TX, in Jamaica Beach, it looks like what Eduardo left behind Ike is about to fully destroy. News reports have the current storm surge at 8 ft, and the hurricane hasn't even hit the Galveston area yet. This one looks to be a truely devastating storm for the Galveston-Houston area. For those of you watching the news, Jamaica Beach is about 11 miles west of 61st in Galveston, which they keep showing on the news. Wish us well and I hope to be back to working on CZ soon. David E. Volk 13:47, 12 September 2008 (CDT)

I wish you all the best...I hope you are prepared, and "godspeed" to your return! --Larry Sanger 13:55, 12 September 2008 (CDT)

Thanks Larry. We are holed up and safe in SW Houston area to avoid the storm surge. Unfortunately, my house, my mother-in-law's house, and those of many friends are in great peril on the west end of Galveston Island where there is no Seawall. Family, friends and pets will all be saved, and that is the important part. David E. Volk 14:50, 12 September 2008 (CDT)

I'm very glad everyone is safe, at least. --Larry Sanger 15:09, 12 September 2008 (CDT)

Well, David--it's passed now, I see. I hope you, your family, and your property are all right... --Larry Sanger 18:42, 13 September 2008 (CDT)

Tornado rips roof off of my hotel

Well, we had to be saved by the Jersey Village Fire Department after the hotel that I evacuated to had its roof ripped off during the huricane. It was the second (top) floor that I was in. About 3 am, firemen pounded on our hotel door, Motel 6 in Jersey Village, demanding evacuation. About 100 ft. of our hotel roof was ripped off by a tornado as the hurricane passed by. We leashed the dogs and rushed into the 80 mph winds and huddled in the office until the 80 or so of us were bussed to the Jersey Village Baptist Church a few blocks away. We were evacuated from our evacuation!! Pictures of the hotel have been playing all over Texas, so you might have seen it nationally as well.

On a brighter note, I saw my house in a new satelite image and the living quarters are still standing. The bottom storage area has been ripped away. My mother-in-law's house suffered similar damage. Everyone is very curious as to why the government refused fly-overs above Jamaica Beach and surrounding areas for so long. David E. Volk 02:00, 17 September 2008 (CDT)

Thanks for the update, David--amazing. I'm very glad things weren't worse than they could have been. --Larry Sanger 22:23, 19 September 2008 (CDT)

Rental house - water up to top of front door

I was able to inspect our rental house, and the water line was exactly up to the top of the front door. What an unholy smell inside! Our poor renter, a medical student, has lost everything. Yesterday, six scientists, including me, ripped out 5000 sq. ft. of muddy filthy carpet from our NMR spectroscopy center so we could save millions worth of electronics from getting ruined. Previously we determined that all four electomagnetics were still doing running, not a single quench. The university emergency power saved our pumped magnet. I still haven't been able to get to my residence yet. David E. Volk 08:03, 20 September 2008 (CDT)

How's it going? Having a break from the hard work of cleaning up? Sounds like misery. Chris Day 08:25, 24 September 2008 (CDT)

They are letting the masses back into Galveston today, so we are taking the day off to avoid many hours of traffic delays. I got to our house in Jamaica Beach, and the living quarters, being about 14 feet high, are fine, only flooding underneath in the storage area, which received about 4.5 feet of water. David E. Volk 08:41, 24 September 2008 (CDT)

If you ask me, these people (click on Street View) are very, um...brave. --Larry Sanger 08:54, 24 September 2008 (CDT)

Please join us for Biology Week!

Hello David, Yeah, with you digging out of mud, I'm sure this is going to happen, but I thought I'd just give you this anyway. I am giving you this personal invitation to join us this week for Biology Week! Please join us on the wiki and add or edit biology articles. Also, please let your friends and colleagues who are biologists, biology students, or naturalists, know about Biology Week and ask them to join us, too. Any way you can help make it an event would be most welcome. Think of it as a Biology Workgroup open house. Let's see if we can kick up activity a notch! Thanks in advance! --Larry Sanger 12:36, 22 September 2008 (CDT)

The first Biology Week took place here from Sep 22-28, 2008.

broke my right hand

I will be inactive due to breaking my hand and hurricane recovery. i hope to be back and active by mid november.David E. Volk 06:11, 30 September 2008 (CDT)