Ike...reports from the ground

I couldn't figure out how to label the pics, but that's her back yard, before and after, and the gully before and after. Her fence at the lower end is submerged after the surge came all the way up. as of yesterday, they still did not have power, but they have a generator. She went out 2 days ago and went to the post office and had to go around a few downed trees across streets. Lots of debris in front of every house. They only turn their computer on maybe once a day so I sent her the link for the Boston Globe site as it's a decent smattering of photos and covers just about everything...plus they are great shots. They were very lucky, no damage. Oh, they are inside the beltway, outside the loop right off I-10.

I just looked at those pics from the Boston Globe...unfathomable destruction. The house fires amidst all that water are just surreal. Continued prayers for all those affected.

www.kogt.com

Click Photos on the menu.

Galveston was hit hard, Crystal Beach is gone on the Bolivar Pen as my oldest half sister's Mother's home is gone, only pilings left, and my hometown of Bridge City is all but destroyed. Everyone I know, everyone I grew up with, went thru school with...there was a 12 - 20 storm surge depending on where you were. BC is about 30 miles from the coast, but Sabine Lake and Neches river are adjacent. The link below is of the home I used to live in in Texas. All of my friends and family are in the process of cleaning up now, pulling up carpets, knocking out plywood....everything is covered with oily mud. Refineries in Orange had about 4 feet of water in them. I was on the phone constantly with fam/friends as they couldn't contact each other, but for some reason could call me and then I could relay messages....I talked to one of my best friends as she drove to her home after evac'ing.....it was difficult to hear her see her home for the first time. She said everything inside is a total loss, pool was full of black water, fish and snakes....I've lived in that areas my entire life until I moved here in 94, NEVER has it flooded as it did with Ike. I'm just sick that I'm here and can't help...

http://kogt.smugmug.com/gallery/5953607_Nn2hu#375526092_22do2

LATB...I am so sorry for these losses, but thank you for posting. It's like a death in the family. I can't imagine what people are going through down there. My sister said today that although they have issues and still have no power, they feel blessed and lucky to have a home.

Lisa, I too am so sorry. I know it must be hard to see your home town like that. My heart goes out to all the folks up and down the coast who are dealing with this. And to you too.

Just got off the phone with friends there....Red Cross interaction as become comical, at least they haven't lost their sense of humor. One friend said Red Cross personel came by yesterday to "access the damage", asking for names....said they would "be in touch"....didn't want a phone contact???? Gave them a number to call for assistance/information....called and said there would be ice and food available in Orange (about 15 miles away)....gas is not to be found, but they drove to Orange this morning at 9 only to be told that the (Red Cross) was too busy now unpacking the trucks, that they were running late and that my friend should go back after noon.....BUT...she could have Diapers or female products now if she wanted.....Driving back to BC there was a sign "Funerals $3,500.00".....Of the approximate 3700 homes within the city limits of BC only 12 are not either damaged or destroyed. ALL of the businesses were flooded. There are probably that many if not more in the outlaying areas. I feel helpless here not being able to help. I asked her what I could do....she said, just keep answering your phone. I need someone I can talk to........

....forgot....The USPS has not missed a day delivering mail!

Just got off the phone with friends there....Red Cross interaction as become comical, at least they haven't lost their sense of humor. One friend said Red Cross personel came by yesterday to "access the damage", asking for names....said they would "be in touch"....didn't want a phone contact???? Gave them a number to call for assistance/information....called and said there would be ice and food available in Orange (about 15 miles away)....gas is not to be found, but they drove to Orange this morning at 9 only to be told that the (Red Cross) was too busy now unpacking the trucks, that they were running late and that my friend should go back after noon.....BUT...she could have Diapers or female products now if she wanted.....Driving back to BC there was a sign "Funerals $3,500.00".....Of the approximate 3700 homes within the city limits of BC only 12 are not either damaged or destroyed. ALL of the businesses were flooded. There are probably that many if not more in the outlaying areas. I feel helpless here not being able to help. I asked her what I could do....she said, just keep answering your phone. I need someone I can talk to........

wow, i can't imagine how this feels

....forgot....The USPS has not missed a day delivering mail!

Is there anything we can do to help your friend? If the mail is working, is there anything we can send to her that would help?

I appreciate it and I know she would too. I asked her the same thing...that's when she told me to just keep answering the phone.

She's trying to find Clorox now and water and ice. They still have no electricity, but the water is on and she's been able to start using hoses to wash the mud out of the house and off whatever she can salavage, which basically is not much. She said it's not like normal mud, it's oily sludge...guess that is because of all the refineries in the area. There is a 6pm curfew I think. I'm considering driving over next week. My oldest sister went to her house in Port Arthur today for the first time and it also had water in it. I have two friends that I have not been able to get in touch with, they drove all the way over here for my 50th birthday....I just pray they are okay and will check in when they are able.

After Opal the schools and churches in Bridge City took up collections of food and water and drove it here after Opal. I had been very involved with the schools there before I moved here as Justin and Hunter were both in elementary school. If I drive over I'm going to fill the back of the Surburban with that kind of stuff. Maybe just fill it up with clorox as the mold is growing everywhere.

My nephew's son's wife had a baby this morning. A baby boy. All of her baby clothes from showers and everything in the nursery was complete loss. Unfortunately they were renting and had no flood insurance. So they've lost everything. I guess FEMA is less than helpful, about as much as the Red Cross. It's so frustrating....overwhelming...

Cell phone companies in the area are giving everyone a full month of free cell calling as all the phone lines are down, thankfully they've been able to get the cell towers up and running. I'm sure looting is soon to follow.

The problem is no gas, no gas cans and no way to get any. I'll probably try to pick up several of those large gas cans and take them too.

I think right now it'd be more of an inconveninece to bring things like food, etc. as they have no where to keep it........Wish I had a way to get hot meals to them. Most everyone just has what they packed to evac with, some clothes and basic stuff. Next week I'm sure she'll be able to tell us what they all need.

I truly appreciate you offering to help.

Please keep us posted.

In the midst of all the sorry news about war, bail-outs, unemployment, high gas prices, etc. I keep thinking how thankful I am for my life, my health, my family, and the fact that we still have homes that are whole.

My heart goes out to the people who are experiencing such anguish and loss.

For those of you who follow the blog on Wunderground, this is from Dr Masters post today, 9/22. Some of the regular bloggers have been gathering supplies for Texas.

"Announcing the Hurricane Ike "NEXT TRUCK CHALLENGE"
Two wunderground members, presslord and violet312s, have announced that they will match two dollars for every dollar in contributions made to portlight.org. This charity has really made a difference in some of the hard-hit areas of Texas and Louisiana affected by Hurricane Ike neglected by the traditional relief efforts. A quote from Paul Timmons (AKA Presslord), who has helped coordinate this effort:

My wife just called...they will NOT be staying in Bridge City. They unloaded half the truck there, and the folks from Winnie TX (on the Bolivar Peninsula) called by radio and begged them to bring the rest of the supplies there. So, they are on the road to Winnie, where they will stay at the fire house in the dark. She and SJ are in tears...my wife quoted one of the Bridge City officials: "Thank God for y'all.

Your contributions do make a difference, and you can read more about the effort at at stormjunkie's blog.

Jeff Masters."

"

Wow...what a great and hopeful post NDY!

Update...PawPaw has power! It came on Saturday. One of his pals went over this morning and checked the house. One of the branches from the BA pine tree did puncture his roof and is still stuck there. Now, I have to work on getting him to call the insurance co. :roll:

Leslie just called...after 10 days, her power came on at 1 pm today! The BA pine tree has been removed from her garage roof. She and her family are happy happy to have real A/C! The grocery stores by her are still pretty bare. It is very dangerous to drive around the area because the traffic lights are out and people's nerves are out, as well. :shock:

So, PawPaw is leaving us tomorrow. He is very anxious to get back. Leslie will be there to meet him and will help get him settled and groceries bought...his fridge is empty! We will miss our PawPaw, but I know he wants to get home.

Hello to all:

I'm back home for a few days. I've been informed today from Galveston that there is more to the story than is being reported. I have no verification, however, this information is coming from parties coordinating with FEMA.

A 4 y/o child was found with a life vest on 3 days after IKE. She had initially been with her entire family, however, they are all MIA.

There was a group of 35 people who tied themselves together during the storm in an effort to survive. All were drowned except for onel.

Again, I have no verification that this is factual, except that the source is extremely reliable. I continue to hear these stories from multiple professional sources, yet no official confirmation except that FEMA did request additional DMORT teams to the region.

All the indicators are showing that the fatalities will start to increase dramatically to what is officially being reported. I hope that I'm wrong.....

Our local paper reported several days ago (and I assume it was from the AP) that they expected "swept away" fatalities to mount, but no one could even speculate on the numbers.

Very sad. I can't help but hope that the stories you heard are just wild rumors.

Wow...what a great and hopeful post NDY!

Update...PawPaw has power! It came on Saturday. One of his pals went over this morning and checked the house. One of the branches from the BA pine tree did puncture his roof and is still stuck there. Now, I have to work on getting him to call the insurance co. :roll:

Leslie just called...after 10 days, her power came on at 1 pm today! The BA pine tree has been removed from her garage roof. She and her family are happy happy to have real A/C! The grocery stores by her are still pretty bare. It is very dangerous to drive around the area because the traffic lights are out and people's nerves are out, as well. :shock:

So, PawPaw is leaving us tomorrow. He is very anxious to get back. Leslie will be there to meet him and will help get him settled and groceries bought...his fridge is empty! We will miss our PawPaw, but I know he wants to get home.

Aww Kitty, I know you'll be sad to see PawPaw go. But I know he's got to be chomping at the bit to get home and check things out for himself.

Hello to all:

I'm back home for a few days. I've been informed today from Galveston that there is more to the story than is being reported. I have no verification, however, this information is coming from parties coordinating with FEMA.

A 4 y/o child was found with a life vest on 3 days after IKE. She had initially been with her entire family, however, they are all MIA.

There was a group of 35 people who tied themselves together during the storm in an effort to survive. All were drowned except for onel.

Again, I have no verification that this is factual, except that the source is extremely reliable. I continue to hear these stories from multiple professional sources, yet no official confirmation except that FEMA did request additional DMORT teams to the region.

All the indicators are showing that the fatalities will start to increase dramatically to what is officially being reported. I hope that I'm wrong.....

This is so sad, AH. I hope you're wrong too, but thanks for reporting.

wow. so sad that after a storm passes the destruction it cased keeps lingering for months on end. We have several new generators in the box here in BR that someone from SoWal brought to us for anyone that needs them. Arkie h or LATB if you know anyone that is in need I can drive over there and deliver - as far as they will let me...

25 things learned from IKE

This was forwarded to me from my sister in Houston. I don't know who sent it to her but it probably rings true for a lot of people there.


We are fully restored with electricity, cable, and internet at home. I want to thank each of you for your continued prayers and support during this very enlightening time in our lives. I'm not going to bore you with a long spill about the horror and devestation that has surrounded us for the last 12 days. If you want that just tune to CNN and I promise you'll get your fill quite quickly. I will tell you that it was difficult but survivable. I will also tell you that I have no intention of riding out another one of these things so if you live north of me, MAKE ROOM!!!



Ok, now for the lessons learned aspect. Here are 25 things I learned from Hurricane Ike:



1. Coffee and frozen lasagna can be made on a BBQ grill .

2. No matter how many times you flick the switch, lights donʼt work without electricity.

3. My truck gets 17. 21675 miles per gallon, EXACT LY



4. Kids can survive 5 days or longer without a video game controller in their hand.

5. Cats are even more irritating without power.

6. He who has the biggest generator wins.

7. Women can actually survive without doing their hair or make-up - you just wish they didn't have to.

8. A tried and true method of non- lethal torture- cold showers.

9. There are a lot more stars in the sky than most people thought.

10. TV is an addiction and the withdrawal symptoms are painful.

11. Disposing of all perishables really does mean ALL perishables. You will quickly find the ones you forgot.

12. There are a lot of dang trees around here.



13. Animals are much smarter than humans.

14. There's a reason for that little bottle of Tabasco sauce.

15. People will get into a line that has already formed without having any idea what the line is for.

16. Not all Hummers can be driven under water!

17. Seriously, there are a lot of dang trees around here!!!


18. Tele-marketers and bill collectors funct ion no matter what the weather is doing.

19. "Shelter in Place" is a really nice way of saying "You're screwed".

20. No one really knows what the "electric feed grid" is or how it really works.



21. Laundry hampers were not made to conta in such volume.

22. If my store sold only ice, chain saws, gas and generators ... I'd be rich.

23. Tree service companies are underappreciated.

24. I can walk a lot farther than I thought.



25. I have an awesome and amazing God!



For those of you still trying to recover from this, please know that I continue to pray for you. For those who are back on your feet, I encourage you to extend to others the grace and mercy that has been bestowed upon us.

Thanks for posting ssb. Funny, sad, entertaining, enlightening.

...ssb, your sister, rocks! What a great read....typical Texan, making lemonade out of lemons.

BTW...I had thought this to myself, but yesterday, a sowaller said to me on the shellphone..."Hmmm, Don't you find it interesting that we are not hearing any information about the needs of the survivors of Ike like we heard about Katrina?" Not to disparage the survivors in NOLA, but here in Texas, we just pull up our boot straps and get it done. It also demonstrates what leadership will do for it's citizens.

...ssb, your sister, rocks! What a great read....typical Texan, making lemonade out of lemons.

BTW...I had thought this to myself, but yesterday, a sowaller said to me on the shellphone..."Hmmm, Don't you find it interesting that we are not hearing any information about the needs of the survivors of Ike like we heard about Katrina?" Not to disparage the survivors in NOLA, but here in Texas, we just pull up our boot straps and get it done. It also demonstrates what leadership will do for it's citizens.

Come to think of it, I haven't seen the Reverend in Texas raising hail about the lack of services for the great state of Texas.

BTW I think you all have the best looking governor in the U.S. !

Not to take away form the pain and devistation of Texas...but I found this to be interesting. 24 hours after Ike hit TX, it made its way up the Mississippi and we felt it here in St. Louis. I think the death toll here alone was 11 people. 12 inches of rain in 4 hours. This is from today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/ne...0B9AF9D8C527EE13862574D1001C7928?OpenDocument

I'm awestruck how powerful this storm was. I lived in Florida for a few years, I know of a lot of people who would not have dreamed of leaving for a Cat 2 or 3 storm. Makes one pause, things have change. I still pray daily for those effected by this storm, in TX and all the way up to landlock MO.