Here is a synopsis of what has happened so far:
THU SEP 11: Preparations for storm
FRI SEP 12-SAT SEP 13: Hurricane Ike arrives late at night, ends in morning.
Flood water recedes around noon.
Assess damage: 1 section fence knocked down.
Air-conditioning compressor pushed off blocks, minimal apparent damage.
Garage, both cars flooded 26 in. deep, total loss of cars.
Conditions: no city water
no electricity
no phones, land line or cellelular
no gas
no cable or internet access
no mail or deliveries
no public transportation, buses or taxis
no stores open
no commecial operations of any sort
weather is thankfully cool; indeed beautiful
SUN SEP 14: Mayor orders madatory evacuation, blockade (no return), 6 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew
FEMA & National Guard open points of distribution (PODs) for water, ice, MREs
Found working public phone; it had died by the next day
MON SEP 15: Finished cleaning debris and damaged shrubs from yard
Intermittent city water, cellular service
If our problems could be solved by helicopter overflights, all would be well. It looks and sounds like an airshow.
TUE SEP 16: City water returns to full pressure; mayor warns not to drink it
Galveston County Daily News returns to publication
KUHF (88.7 FM) and KTRH (740 AM) are best sources of current information
Cellular service more reliable, not perfect
WED SEP 17: Kroger (supermarket) opens with minimal stock
Observation: (1) When you don't have vehicles or mechanical appliances and have to walk everywhere and do everything by hand, you get hungry. (2) When you're hungry, MREs taste good. (When MREs were first introduced, soldiers called them "meals rejected by Ethiopians.)
THU SEP 18: First morning coffee in a week, made over Sterno
Land telephones restored, but the cables under the house are damaged by water; I jury-rig cables above the floor
Saw a flock of turkey buzzards scavenging along the side of a major street; never saw that in the city before
FRI SEP 19-SAT SEP 20: Minor cleanup; call various insurance companies; call colleagues and relatives; walk around town to survey damage and clean-up efforts
SUN SEP 21: Electricity restored all around us, but our house is still dark; I ran a cable from an unoccupied neighbor's house that lets us charge cell phones, etc.
Kroger in nearly full operation with fresh baked goods, some fresh fruits and vegetables
Note: It has not escaped my attention that the national media are making Galveston sound like hell on earth. It is nothing of the sort. When we look around our own house, we would be hard pressed to point to signs of hurricane damage. Certainly circumstances are inconvenient, but they are improving by the day.
If you want to get accurate information, the best source is probably
http://www.galvenews.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. If you are interested, read the letters from people who evacuated and can't return. In many cases, their homes are undergoing permanent damage from flooding and mold, which could have been alleviated if they had been able to start cleaning up immediately.
Forum member Galvestonredneck is on the island, at Moody Gardens, where he works. Liberty left and I haven't heard from him. I have no information about 57Coastie, who lived on Bolivar Peninsula. There are a few other forum members who lived on the island, whom I haven't heard from for months.
I am truly grateful and touched by the many offers of help that I received from members of TexasCHLForum. As others have said, we are blockaded, and no one can get here or send anything (unless you happen to be in tight with the authorities). I have a feeling a lot of elected officials are not going to be re-elected.
I do not know when I will be able to checck this forum again. If you really need to get in touch with me, Anygunanywhere and Ncongruent know my phone numbers. I do not want to post my phone numbers publicly for obvious reasons.
- Jim
Now, if they could only get the power back on in baytown...then my mother-in-law would leave!