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I Drive Into Hell
allen griggs
Member Posts: 35,692 ✭✭✭✭
I am in Greenville SC. I am supposed to take a load to Laredo Texas tomorrow morning.
I was checking out the weather on the computer, a massive snow and ice storm is predicted from here, to Atlanta, to Mobile and Baton Rouge, and all the way to San Antonio.
I could get chains but there is no way the interstates will be open that entire route. I think I will be spending tomorrow night on the shoulder of Interstate 85 outside of Montgomery in a massive traffic jam.
I just fueled up, I have 290 gallons of diesel so I have heat, I got food, I got water. Should be intersting.
I was checking out the weather on the computer, a massive snow and ice storm is predicted from here, to Atlanta, to Mobile and Baton Rouge, and all the way to San Antonio.
I could get chains but there is no way the interstates will be open that entire route. I think I will be spending tomorrow night on the shoulder of Interstate 85 outside of Montgomery in a massive traffic jam.
I just fueled up, I have 290 gallons of diesel so I have heat, I got food, I got water. Should be intersting.
Comments
I am in Cusseta Alabama tonight.
Yesterday I put the hammer down to get through Houston and Beaumont and get out of Texas! It was rainy for 300 miles, but no wind, no big deal.
I beat the hurricane! Goodbye, hurricane.
Got to Atlanta to deliver a load of Whirlpool refrigerators.
Got turned around to go back to Beaumont.
Hello, hurricane.
Just heard on CNN that Beaumont will get 10 inches of rain between now, and 10 am.
The land is all flat there, no where for the water to go.
If I can deliver there am likely to get a load to Laredo. You have to go through Houston to get there.
Houston is getting 8 inches tonight and 8 inches tomorrow.
I can build a log cabin but the question is, Can I build an ark?
I would bet Houston is closed down to thru traffic.
http://abc13.com/traffic/weekend-road-closures-you-need-to-know-about/2136087/
3 main lanes west bound water over roadway, eastbound water on shoulder (Delay / Detour)
District:
County:
Condition:
Roadway:
Direction:
Time:
Limits: Houston
Harris
Flood
IH0010
Eastbound
2017-08-26 7:44 PM to 2017-08-28 7:00 PM
174.24 Feet West of UA0090 on IH0010 to
Description: Water over roadway.
IH 10 EASTBOUND RIGHT BEFORE MCCARTY EXIT, THE RIGHT MAIN LANE HAS HIGHWATER , IT IS PASSABLE AT THIS TIME AND HIGHWATER SIGNS HAVE BEEN PLACED. PUBLIC SHOULD USE CAUTION WHEN TRAVELING THIS AREA.
District:
County:
Condition:
Roadway:
Direction:
Time:
Limits: Houston
Harris
Flood
IH0010
Eastbound
2017-08-26 6:31 PM to 2017-08-28 7:30 PM
1.012 Miles East of FM0526 on IH0010 to
Description: Frontage road only, main lanes are open.
The roadway is closed due to high water.
Water over roadway.
Here is one case of 3 lanes closed on I 10, another case of the frontage road closed.
This flood has just gotten started! Eight more inches of rain tonight, and 8 more inches tomorrow.
Houston will be shut down on Monday. It will be a disaster area on a record scale. People are going to die in Houston.
If I can get into Beaumont.
Thank you kimi I will take a close look at that route.
If I can get into Beaumont.
You do that. You should not have a problem in Beaumont. I'll call my Bud there in the AM, and check out the flooding aspect. Where do you have to go there to unload an d load?
You do have a laptop you travel with right?
This is if you can get into Beaumont on the freeway - of course, they are telling people not to drive to begin with:
Yesterday and today the city has been in a tornado alert...typical stuff for this weather. It's been raining there for the past day. Still you should not have any trouble at all on the freeways - if you can get in.
My advice would be to talk with the folks where you are due to unload and load and take their advice on where to drive, and steer clear of any underpass, but you would know that...just ask to make sure there are not any on the route they tell you to take. I've never seen water deep enough to stop a semi in Beaumont, unless it was an underpass, or way off the beaten path, unless other, smaller vehicles were blocking their way. I've seen it deep enough to slow them down, back in my day, when we would hop on the back of them and ride them out of town on the highway., but the drainage systems are vastly improved now. Just be safe...my friend...and keep us posted on how you fare. My prayers are with you and other travelers.
Are you hauling in emergency supplies or critical medical equipment? If not I'd tell the dispatcher to shove that assignment up his hind end! Sending unnecessary personnel into a mess like that is flat out irresponsible and dangerous.
That ^^^^^ I agree with 100% [;)]
"Never do wrong to make a friend----or to keep one".....Robert E. Lee
quote:Originally posted by NeoBlackdog
Are you hauling in emergency supplies or critical medical equipment? If not I'd tell the dispatcher to shove that assignment up his hind end! Sending unnecessary personnel into a mess like that is flat out irresponsible and dangerous.
That ^^^^^ I agree with 100% [;)]
This is the best advice yet, Allen! And, if you find yourself in that area on high ground, stay there until it's safe to move.
Just talked with one of my grand nephews who makes daily trips into Beaumont to the hospital to see their mother, Brenda. They drive pickups that have been lifted and have no problem getting in and out of there. He said the best bet to get across Texas for a run from Beaumont would be to go north to Lufkin and cut west from there. He also stated that highway 105 near Wes Hardin and Cleveland might be barricaded off due to flooding.
I am taking them to a place called Goodpack on West Cardinal, exit 849 on I 10. About 1/2 mile south of the interstate.
These crates come from a Goodyear tire plant in Virginia.
They are taken back to Goodpack where they are steam cleaned, and then shipped to one of the many refineries in the Beaumont/Lake Charles area.
There, they are filled up with 72 pound blocks of synthetic rubber. Synthetic rubber is made, of course, from oil. These big blocks of rubber look like taffy, or vanilla fudge. They are wrapped in a kind of cellophane.
Then the synthetic rubber is shipped to a tire plant, perhaps in Virginia, or Greenville SC, where it is used to manufacture tires.
Next time you buy a new set of Michelins you can thank me, no synthetic rubber, no tires.
Kimi thanks for the inside scoop. When coming from the east, and getting off at exit 849, you do indeed travel on an underpass, going under I 10. I wouldn't be surprised if that underpass is flooded.
However, I could go a few miles past that exit, and take the next exit and flip back, where I would not go on an underpass.
If you get the chance kimi talk to those guys tomorrow morning. It will rain all night in Beaumont and might be flooded at 9 am.
Also I will call the Goodpack place and ask them if they are open. It is possible that the employees got flooded out and have better things to do than to go to work.
I am staying for the night at a truck stop in Port Allen La, right next to Baton Rouge. This is on the periphery of the storm, won't be power outages or flooding here, so I can run down to Beaumont in the morning if the place is open. Three hour drive in the morning.
My BIL is staying at their house in LC as long as possible, but some miserable POS stole all of his sandbags last night night. They grabbed the next door neighbors as well[:(!]
Here is a link to closures in the L.C. area for roads and such.
http://www.kplctv.com/story/36218094/latest-closures-hurricane-harvey
You're welcome. I wish I could have been more helpful. One of my nephews works at Exxon Mobile near city center and he cannot get out of the refinery to go home...but he is not close to the Interstate, like Goodpack is.
The idea of calling Goodpack to see if they are open is the best idea here so far. Obviously, if they are not open then no reason to attempt a run to Beaumont, and, if they are open they will be able to tell you for certain whether or not you can get in and out.
Goodpack is so close to the Interstate/Freeway system according to the map at the below link, my guess would be that if any traffic at all is moving through Beaumont on I-10 & 287/69 that it would certainly appear to be an easy place to access...emphasis on "certainly appear".
The type underpass I had in mind was those where the road goes down and then up, all in a short stretch, to go under an overpass, where flood waters typically pools up. I would think/recall that any underpass on the Interstate/Freeway system in Beaumont would be on a level road where vehicles could run at highway speed, so there would be no reason to pass up your exit if this is the case.
I'll make a couple of calls in the AM and see what I can find out, Allen, but, knowing where Goodpack is located...they will be able to tell you for certain whether or not you should try to make a run to their business.
Are you hauling in emergency supplies or critical medical equipment? If not I'd tell the dispatcher to shove that assignment up his hind end! Sending unnecessary personnel into a mess like that is flat out irresponsible and dangerous.
I agree, I think it is insane to even consider driving toward that area. Think of the millions that are clogging the roads with no where to go as they frantically evacuate. Stupid decision IMO. After reading years of Allen's stuff I am kind of surprised he'd make that decision.
Got up at 3AM here in the Northwest. Called my buddy in Beaumont. This is what we talked about outside of you calling Goodpack for information and advice. We think it is best for you to stay high, dry, and safe, rather than chance a run to Goodpack in Beaumont, for the following reasons:
1 - The news is not sufficient enough to ascertain whether or not the city's Interstate/Freeway system is completely open for safe travel. And some warnings indicate barricades are in place, but we do not know where they are located. Plus, we do not know of any online site that is being kept up to date to help travelers and truckers like yourself regarding this issue.
2 - It's flooding and raining hard in Beaumont now and has been all night according to my friend. He said it was announced last night that the dams were going to be opened sometimes this morning. Dam B is about fifty miles north of the Port of Beaumont on the Neches River and this is going to make flood matters somewhat worse between there, Beaumont, and the coast, than it is right now.
3 - My other contacts in that part of the country are north of Beaumont, and the daily runs they have been making to the hospital includes Hwy. 69 to near Exit 853B, so they cannot speak to runs East or South of that point...which is where you would have to travel to reach Goodpack. I will say they have not missed a morning yet to visit their mother at the hospital, but today just might be a different matter.
Stay safe, Allen.
Yes Beaumont got 6 inches of rain since midnight.
I have called Goodpack several times and they aren't answering.
I can't even get hold of my dispatch, back in Columbia SC.
We run on a normal day 45 trucks through Houston and Beaumont, so you can imagine our operations are in chaos.
Looks like I made a good move to park for the night in Port Allen/Baton Rouge. Just getting some sprinkles here.
I sent an email to headquarters a half hour ago, have to wait for hq to figure out what to do.
Thanks for all the info kimi.
Yes Beaumont got 6 inches of rain since midnight.
I have called Goodpack several times and they aren't answering.
I can't even get hold of my dispatch, back in Columbia SC.
We run on a normal day 45 trucks through Houston and Beaumont, so you can imagine our operations are in chaos.
Looks like I made a good move to park for the night in Port Allen/Baton Rouge. Just getting some sprinkles here.
I sent an email to headquarters a half hour ago, have to wait for hq to figure out what to do.
That would surely make for some chaos, Allen!
I kind of figured Goodpack would not be answering any calls, even though they are right next to the freeway.
Hopefully, you will get some good news from hq, and soon.
Later, man.
You were smart to stop and ask for guidance hopefully you will get good advice from HQ.
I told him I did not want to go to Beaumont today, due to flooding.
He replied that if I refused to go to Beaumont, I would just have to wait here in Port Allen all day, and then try to deliver tomorrow.
So I told him that I will just wait in Port Allen all day.
Gotta keep an eye on the storm, don't know if it will be safe to drive to Beaumont tomorrow either.
Kimi keep me posted.
I am keeping my brother up to date on my misadventures, he sent me a song "Galveston, oh Galveston, I am so afraid of drowning..."
Where are you? At the Loves by the highway or at Cash's Truck park.
If you want some good chow try Bergeron's boudain and meats, if I remember right its is just down the road from Cash's.
I have spent a lot of time in Port Allen. I had a real good friend who lived there and we Duck hunted together in the Atchafalaya.
I loved living in Louisiana and I sure miss it.
Across town in West Houston, my cousins had water in their front yard yesterday, this morning it's gone but still in all of the intersections. They are without electrical power.
With all of the other problems going on, it looks to me like the drainage system is handling the water in East and West Houston...albeit rather slowly. Still that is good considering they got so much rain last night.
My Bud in Beaumont, tells me the raining has stopped for now and the water is receding there too. I won't hear from my people there for a few hours yet.
http://static.drivetexas.org/#11/30.0709/-93.9874
www.DriveTexas.org
TXDoT website that they keep pretty updated, especially during an event like this.
Todd
Beaumont is getting flooded. Saw 12 inches of water on most of the access roads. Drove through town at 7:15, not much of a rush hour, nobody going to work today in Beaumont. Saw lots of houses and businesses standing in a foot of water.
I took exit 849, no problem.
Then went 1/2 mile on US 69, got to the exit to Goodpack. The exit ramp was flooded. I stopped there on the shoulder and checked it out, I was just 300 feet from the terminal.
The water there was too deep to drive through, so I went on down the road to the next exit. It was flooded.
Went 2 more miles to the next exit, it was flooded, I saw 2 cars that had tried to run it but their engines stalled, they were stuck in the flood.
Went 2 more miles to the next exit, it was not flooded, turned around, and got back on to I 10, and I got the hell out of Beaumont.
It was raining hard at the time, if the rain keeps up Beaumont will be a real disaster.
I went back east 20 miles to Orange Tx to the big Flying J truck stop. No flooding around here, yet.
I drove down into Beaumont this morning.
Beaumont is getting flooded. Saw 12 inches of water on most of the access roads. Drove through town at 7:15, not much of a rush hour, nobody going to work today in Beaumont. Saw lots of houses and businesses standing in a foot of water.
I took exit 849, no problem.
Then went 1/2 mile on US 69, got to the exit to Goodpack. The exit ramp was flooded. I stopped there on the shoulder and checked it out, I was just 300 feet from the terminal.
The water there was too deep to drive through, so I went on down the road to the next exit. It was flooded.
Went 2 more miles to the next exit, it was flooded, I saw 2 cars that had tried to run it but their engines stalled, they were stuck in the flood.
Went 2 more miles to the next exit, it was not flooded, turned around, and got back on to I 10, and I got the hell out of Beaumont.
It was raining hard at the time, if the rain keeps up Beaumont will be a real disaster.
I went back east 20 miles to Orange Tx to the big Flying J truck stop. No flooding around here, yet.
Thanks for the update, Allen. At least we all know that you are safe, and a bit closer to your drop point. Maybe someone from Goodpack would be kind enough to let you know when the flooding at the exits recedes.
From Gulf Coast Weather, posted on fartbook 38 minutes ago:
**FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY** Beaumont/Port Arthur/Orange, if you have any family that way make sure to contact them to check on them. The situation developing there is life-threatening, if they are in a safe place then tell them to stay there.
Allen if you read this get out of Orange if you haven't already.
From Gulf Coast Weather, posted on fartbook 38 minutes ago:
**FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY** Beaumont/Port Arthur/Orange, if you have any family that way make sure to contact them to check on them. The situation developing there is life-threatening, if they are in a safe place then tell them to stay there.
+1. Get out while you can. The storm cleared us yesterday, but we're pretty isolated as a community now. Most of the major roads in and out of town have flooding. Stores are bare with no deliveries expected for at least a couple days. Same goes for fuel. People upset and b1tching. They should have prepared. Idiots.