One thing everyone should know about Houston is that they are an independent, resourceful community. Told not to evacuate, they did not. Told to lay in three days of supplies, they did, as best they could depending on their resources. Now as they wait for power to be restored, Houstonians and their neighbors, wait for information. Data has become the most precious commodity after safe water, food and air conditioning. In the city, most residents are relying on radio and neighbors for the latest updates.

Radio broadcasts have been the lifesaver since so few have electricity or internet service. Local stations have done an excellent job staying on the air and forwarding information in multiple languages. The trouble with radio is that it is easy to confuse who is speaking. Was that the mayor? FEMA? The Red Cross? Some sources have more credibility within the community. It would be helpful if the public was informed of the times when updates would be released. It would be easier to conserve battery power and tune in if there was a known schedule. One of the biggest complaints I have heard is officials on the radio telling residents to log on to web sites for more information.

Phone service has been spotty. Text messages are most likely to get through. It occurs to me that a text notification system in disaster areas should be considered.

Houstonians with the elderly and medical risks are frantic for information on any place with air conditioning and ice. People have been using the a/c in their cars, burning precious gas, to keep people at risk cool. Houston got lucky and a coolcool front blew in last night providing some relief.  Ice and water are being distibuted as of this morning and at least one shelter with a generator is open in Downtown Houston. Now the trick is getting there.

Residents who evacuated are scrambling for information. In 24 hours, the major cable news outlets abandoned Ike coverage. Press conferences from the region are reduced to sound bytes. This might be in part because of the air space restrictions on the media. Nobody is being allowed to fly. People with internet access must go to several sites to get a complete picture of the situation or listen to webcasts of Houston radio. Emergency radio station in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio are only broadcasting local shelter information and referring to a hotline that has the same data. Updates to the emergency broadcast system and hotline lag significantly. Specifically, there is no news about the many small towns evacuated in the region. Evacuees listen intently for the name of their town during press conferences. Why isn’t someone reading the list of towns and updating their status?

Information on the web involves visiting multiple sites to get a complete picture. The local news stations have been the most timely source for information. State and local web sites are updated in a less timely manner. The CenterPoint web map of power outages has been overwhelmed with hits and available only to the lucky few. Systems administrators in the area are working hard to keep websites on line and updated.

From Houston we are getting conflicting reports from residents. My family has been able to drive between neighborhoods and one home (out of five in the family) has electricity. Friends in other areas are blocked in with trees and streets are impassable. The official street condition reports are unreliable. Some streets are listed as flooded even though the water has receded. Other streets are blocked with debris, but not on the list.

People are congregating in their courtyards and pooling resources. Charcoal and lighter fluid are at a premium. Perishables have mostly perished. The refrigerator waste alone is going to be a big issue in weeks to come. Grocery stores are doing their best. Stores that were open yesterday are cleaned out and waiting for supplies today. Gas stations that had gas yesterday are now waiting to be resupplied.