Hurricane Ike
I just rode out my second major hurricane since moving to Houston. Rita, 3 years ago, was small potatoes (for this area) compared to Ike.
I’m one of the lucky ones. We started preparing when Edouard appeared to be heading this way. We had ample water, food, and protection for ourselves and our property.
We did lose power for about 40 hours and water for about 8 hours. At this writing, 80% of the Houston area is still without power and/or running water.
Galveston is one of my favorite places. It breaks my heart to see the pictures of the widespread destruction down there. I pray that the island will experience a full recovery and that its people are well-cared for.
[Update 9/15/2008: I'm watching a video tour (by helicopter) of Galveston Island. Buildings along the Seawall appear to have fared well with only occasional roof damage. The buildings near the Flagship Hotel, over the water, are gone and account for much of the rubble between 25th St. and 21st St. The East End was flooded; most of the historic homes are on stilts, though, and likely suffered little damage (unless the owners turned them into "first floors"). Bolivar Peninsula, on the other hand, suffered massive losses. I'm happy that Galveston fared better than I thought (based on first impressions). Still, the city has a long road to recovery ahead of it.]
Posting may remain sporadic here for the next period of time. While we sustained no damage to speak of (except a couple of broken tree limbs) there’s a lot of clean up to do. Today, I’m going to enjoy having luxuries like air conditioning and the internet again. Tomorrow, I’ll be cleaning up my house and, as necessary, helping neighbors to do the same.
City, state and federal officials appear to be doing a good job of responding. Kudos to Mayor Bill White and County Judge Ed Emmett for the leadership during this crisis. Things here seem far less chaotic than they did before and after Rita. I’m happy to see that Governor Perry and Senators Cornyn and Hutchison are on site overseeing relief efforts.
[Update 9/15/2008: I continue to be impressed by Mayor White and Judge Emmett. They are keeping cool heads and doing what needs to be done . . . if FEMA isn't quite up to speed in an area, they are handling it instead of complaining about it! Mayor White, unfortunately, has reached his term limit or he'd have my vote next election; Judge Emmett has my vote for sure!]
A big jeer to Congressman Culberson for his rant about FEMA “dropping the ball” keeping first responders fed. Your timing, sir, was inappropriate. I’m happy that you’re helping our first responders; Lord knows they need all the help and advocacy they can get. However, the public didn’t need to hear about this right now. Still, I’m sure your performance this afternoon will get you some votes in the upcoming election. I’m not sure, though, that one of them will be mine.
Until I post again, stay well, eat raw, and love without reservation!
