HR Coffee Corner

Re: Those in TX

HRforME — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:39:19 GMT

Luckily power came back on at the office this weekend...now just a week behind!

Re: Those in TX

IT HR — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:55:54 GMT

HRforMe - sorry to hear that you are going through all of this. It does sound like you planned ahead to make sure you were able to take care of your employees (which many companies don't plan like this). Let us know if you need anything. It may take some time for FedEx, UPS, etc to deliver but we will do our best to get the items to you.

I will definitely say my prayers!

Re: Those in TX

HRforME — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:34:25 GMT

I am pretty much in the middle of it all...Luckily my house got power back Sat evening, but my parents are still out so they are currently living with us. Not the best situation...since their house is less than 2 miles from mine. We did have a leak in the roof where shingles had blown off....one of my daughters will be getting her room redecorated since there was water in the wall and ceiling and they are now peeling/buckling.

We still have no power at our corporate offices. Yesterday, I helped rebuild fencing there and pick up tree branches (yes, I am very sore!). I learned to use a tablesaw too *Ü* Other employees kept asking me if my workers compensation code (HR/clerical) covered me -- since I am always reminding them about safety...at that point, I didn't even care.

Today, I processed payroll on a laptop for the company we purchased on the 3rd of sept...luckily they have had power although internet and phones have been spotty. Our controller put Quickbooks on his laptop on Thursday on the off chance that this happened. Of course 3 of us need the same laptop, so we have to coordinate usage (to keep data from getting out of sync). I am not found of laptop keyboards (no 10 key). But I managed to get 41 checks calculated and written today. This was my first payroll for the new company -- they have a gazillion pay codes/rates/calcs....we are definitely going to change it to make it more efficient! I had used my mini-laptop to create my payroll spreadsheet last week. I did have to tweak it, but it worked as well as could be expected.

Most restaurants and stores are still closed. My mom found milk today along with some ice cream and a few other treats. School has been out all week and one middle school was irreparably damaged. Other areas of Houston are much worse.

If you say prayers, those in this area could use them.

Re: Those in TX

IT HR — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:45:52 GMT

Thinking about all of you in Texas. I hope none of you were in the middle of this mess. If so, let us know if you need anything.

Re: Those in TX

hr_gmc — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:17:27 GMT

INCOMING!!! (maybe) http://www.weather.com/newscenter/hurricanecentral/2008/gustav.html?nav=3&#navbar?from=hurricane_tracker

Re: Those in TX

hr_gmc — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:32:28 GMT

I happened to be watching MSNBC the morning the "storm" came on shore. The anchor was absolutely disappointed when interviewing their person live in Galveston. The conversation went something like this:

Anchor: Ted, can you hear us over the storm ok?

Ted: I sure can, the wind has really died down and it's pretty easy to hear you.

Anchor: Oh, ok. *brief pause* Can you tell us how bad the wind got overnight?

Ted: Well, at one point I saw some debris being blown down the street (anchor looks happy), but it was just small stuff like tree branches and garbage bags (anchor looks upset). Overall, it was pretty gusty for a couple of hours, but that was about it.

Anchor: Well we've had reports of severe flooding from that area.

Ted: Severe? I wouldn't say so. (anchor looks disappointed) We had some good, hard rain down here, but it's mostly passed us by. I would say we got a good 4-6 inches in a hurry, but that's mostly gone now.

Me watching: Wow, glad I wasn't in such a catastrophic storm. I could've gotten my hair wet! Next story please!

Re: Those in TX

HRforME — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:53:23 GMT

TXHRGuy:
It's raining in Houston but it was downgraded to a tropical storm last I heard. I think that's HRforME's territory....

Luckily I got to watch the weather on the 'net from Destin Florida where we had large waves from the Tropical storm as it passed! *Ü*

But everyone here in the Houston area told me it was no worse than a thunderstorm. I really hate how the weathermen get so stinking excited over the possibility of a storm! I am at the point where they seem be crying wolf more often. One would think with the better technology/models that the predictions would get better not worse!

Re: Those in TX

TXHRGuy — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:06:14 GMT

Let me know if you come up to DFW.

Re: Those in TX

hr_gmc — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:45:48 GMT

I'm with a business on the north east side of town close to I-35 and Judson Rd. My lawn would surely appreciate another hurricane since Edouard was such a disappointment. Dolly gave my house about 2 inches of rain so that was a welcome relief. I'm not asking for LAST summer's constant monsoons, but can't we find a happy medium?

Believe it or not, my email address is HR_GMC@yahoo.com. Feel free to contact me there anytime.

Re: Those in TX

SubGrapHR — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:35:48 GMT

HR_GMC--

Located right behind the airport next to the Nationwide building in the Arion Pkwy business park--work for a San Antonio IT firm. And yourself? We really got left out on the rain from these two storms. I agree with you, bring on the larger storm (barring any loss of life, etc.) for some much needed rain. Melting everyday I drive home. Take care!

Re: Those in TX

hr_gmc — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:18:09 GMT

Hey SubGrapHR, where in San Antonio are you located?

Re: Those in TX

hr_gmc — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:25:50 GMT

Also live and work in San Antonio. It seems like Edouard really fizzled out once it made landfall. Earlier predictions were for 1-3 inches of rain down here...now they say MAYBE 1/2 an inch in some areas. I heard that the BCS area over to Austin was expecting massive rainfall (6-8 inches in 24 hours), but now they're saying 30%-40% chance of rain altogether.

So we've had a minor hurricane hit the extreme southern tip of Texas and a minor hurricane (if that) hit the extreme eastern edge of Texas.....so here comes a Cat 4 or 5 smack dab in the middle of Texas!

Re: Those in TX

SubGrapHR — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:16:41 GMT

San Antonio is awaiting the rain, should be here within a few hours. Looking forward to cooler temps. Thanks again for the concern.

Re: Those in TX

TXHRGuy — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:05:10 GMT

It's raining in Houston but it was downgraded to a tropical storm last I heard. I think that's HRforME's territory....

Re: Those in TX

IT HR — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:27:54 GMT

Are any of you in the path of this next storm? It seems like TX is going to bear the brunt of the hurricane season this year!