Hurricane Ike
Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 1:20 pm
Hurricane Ike took direct aim at Galveston Island last weekend. The island getaway for many folks in the Houston area and home to some 80,000 residents has been deemed uninhabitable for now. As folks try to grasp what happened to their family, friends, homes, and lives......please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
I've been in touch with a few folks in the Houston area. One friend reports his family's home will be without power for 2 to 4 weeks, since a tree fell on the power line to his home so even if power is restored to the neighborhood his will remain off as crews are stretched thin and these items are last on the list. He's staying at his sister's house where power remained on the entire time. His folks, getting on in years and stubborn as the day is long, remained in their home powered by a generator and refused to leave for fear of looters moving in. He hopes to send them off to his sister's in Colorado until power is restored.
I saw Air Force One on tv at Ellington Field outside Houston and George Bush meet with folks before taking a helicopter ride to view the damage leading to and on Galveston Island and beyond. Instantly thought of Ellis Pauls' song Hurricane Angel. Anyway, looks like FEMA learned some lessons from Katrina and have reacted swiftly and effectively this time around. Having said that, local news reported that 300 National Guard troops arrived in Houston only to find no arangements had been made to feed them as they went about the task of patrolling the area.....Houstonians, those with power on at the house, caught wind of the story and set up an on the spot donation center at a local high school to help remedy the oversight.
Stores closed, gas stations everywhere either out of gas or the power to run the pumps. Folks without food, water, ice, gas to run cars or generators. Long lines when the news would report a station with gas. Kudos to city of Houston mayor Bill White for being the voice of reason and face of calm as Houston found it's way on the road to recovery. He was extremely hands on and when a point of distrubution center erred and sent trucks away he got up at 3 or 4 the next morning and got out there to assure that things were done right. Ready to eat meals are being handed out to thousands....thank god.
For the most part, I think Houston, as a whole came out relatively unscathed, save the major hassle of living with the shortages mentioned above. Thoughts go out to the good folks in Houston who frequent Ellis' shows in Houston at the Mucky Duck. Hope all's well soon. And to the people hardest hit by this terrible storm, my thoughts and prayers are with you. There but for the grace.....
Another friend evacuated Houston for Austin before the storm came ashore. Her kids, students at The University of Texas, insisted. She waited it out there and watched, as most of did, from a distance. Her office in downtown Houston is mere blocks from Chase Tower that lost so many windows to high winds. Her office sufffered no such damage as the building is all of 25 stories. Back now that it's safe to do so, she just sent me a link to an online photo site with more than a few great pictures of Ike's wrath.....
It's hard to imagine.....
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/0 ... fe_of.html
note of caution.......picture #24 is particularly disturbing as it shows a cemetery scene with caskets unearthed by the storm surge.
I've been in touch with a few folks in the Houston area. One friend reports his family's home will be without power for 2 to 4 weeks, since a tree fell on the power line to his home so even if power is restored to the neighborhood his will remain off as crews are stretched thin and these items are last on the list. He's staying at his sister's house where power remained on the entire time. His folks, getting on in years and stubborn as the day is long, remained in their home powered by a generator and refused to leave for fear of looters moving in. He hopes to send them off to his sister's in Colorado until power is restored.
I saw Air Force One on tv at Ellington Field outside Houston and George Bush meet with folks before taking a helicopter ride to view the damage leading to and on Galveston Island and beyond. Instantly thought of Ellis Pauls' song Hurricane Angel. Anyway, looks like FEMA learned some lessons from Katrina and have reacted swiftly and effectively this time around. Having said that, local news reported that 300 National Guard troops arrived in Houston only to find no arangements had been made to feed them as they went about the task of patrolling the area.....Houstonians, those with power on at the house, caught wind of the story and set up an on the spot donation center at a local high school to help remedy the oversight.
Stores closed, gas stations everywhere either out of gas or the power to run the pumps. Folks without food, water, ice, gas to run cars or generators. Long lines when the news would report a station with gas. Kudos to city of Houston mayor Bill White for being the voice of reason and face of calm as Houston found it's way on the road to recovery. He was extremely hands on and when a point of distrubution center erred and sent trucks away he got up at 3 or 4 the next morning and got out there to assure that things were done right. Ready to eat meals are being handed out to thousands....thank god.
For the most part, I think Houston, as a whole came out relatively unscathed, save the major hassle of living with the shortages mentioned above. Thoughts go out to the good folks in Houston who frequent Ellis' shows in Houston at the Mucky Duck. Hope all's well soon. And to the people hardest hit by this terrible storm, my thoughts and prayers are with you. There but for the grace.....
Another friend evacuated Houston for Austin before the storm came ashore. Her kids, students at The University of Texas, insisted. She waited it out there and watched, as most of did, from a distance. Her office in downtown Houston is mere blocks from Chase Tower that lost so many windows to high winds. Her office sufffered no such damage as the building is all of 25 stories. Back now that it's safe to do so, she just sent me a link to an online photo site with more than a few great pictures of Ike's wrath.....
It's hard to imagine.....
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/0 ... fe_of.html
note of caution.......picture #24 is particularly disturbing as it shows a cemetery scene with caskets unearthed by the storm surge.