just tell me to RELAX...and BREATHE

my parents' house after Hurricane Ike

Pictures from my parents' house in Galveston.  Their street got a lot of water -- they live on the ship channel and most houses on their block got anywhere from a few inches to a few feet of water.  They are very fortunate to still have a second level and to have a great construction company already taking care of the work inside.  It will take some time but hopefully the house will be back to liveable sometime soon.  In the meantime, we are very lucky to have my parents spending time here in Colorado.  We are all truly lucky.

Galveston House update

Hey everyone...

Sorry to be so slow in posting an update on what my dad found when he arrived in Galveston on Monday, but it really has been hard to continue to write about it.  I found myself getting more and more down each time I'd rehash the details (verbally, email replies, and plenty of text msgs -- AT&T cellular is going to love me this month), and so I've honestly been avoiding it.

It's hard to feel this sad about something (a house, a town, a community) that you've known, loved, and taken for granted for 35 years, when so many others have lost EVERYTHING.  My family is truly lucky -- everyone, including pets, is safe and sound.  The house is still standing and is already in the process of being cleaned out so that its main level can be rebuilt.  Throwing away furniture and rugs is NOT the end of the world.  Two totaled cars can be replaced.  You are NOT what you own. 

That said, I allowed myself to have one evening of just plain ol' being sad, and then I called it good. 

My dad and I spoke on Tuesday night after he spent two days in the house, digging through wet, smelly papers and belongings.  That was tough, hearing him talk about what he saw.  He really loves Galveston Island and I could hear in his voice how difficult it was for him to see his beloved town in such a state of destruction.  Neighbors were working in their homes, digging through their own piles of wet, moldy, sewage-soaked possessions.  Everyone is in the same boat.

Speaking of boats, I do not have Dad's pictures yet, but hope to have them on Sunday.  In the meantime, let me share a picture of the nextdoor-neighbor's new boat and oil tank...

 

 

 

...and the tank being removed...

 

Wow.  Thanks to Jim Berry for the pictures of his parents' backyard.

More later this weekend.

update from my mom on the Galveston house

My mom sent out an email today to update everyone on the status of the house and their plans.  Here is an edited version...

Hello Folks.......

I promised an e-mail this weekend, so here it is. 

Fred leaves tomorrow to head to Houston where he will base out of until Thursday... 

 

On Monday, Fred will travel down to Galveston. He will travel in with our contractor's convoy as it is difficult still to get in and out of the Island.  Supposedly, Wednesday people may come back, but they must have id's proving residence on the Island. Fred will carry in a list of supplies including gloves (rubber), boots (rubber), hand sanitizer, water, food etc.  Men have been working for 2 days in our home, trying to rescue things downstairs.  As bad as it is, we are more lucky than most. 

 

We had about a foot and half of water.  It came up from the ship channel and the bay as we are on the backside.  There was about 4 feet in the garage.  Along with this toxic firmament came all manner of debris.  Two neighbors have boats in their yard!  One of those is next door to us.  That particular neighbor also has 100, some say 1,000 gallon or more diesel "container" for lack of a better word, in that same yard.  We apparently have a bale of cotton next to our downed palm (which may have kept the cotton from damaging our home).  We are a little further back from the water than most.  Our 2 Lexus cars in the garage are inoperable.....they had over 4 feet of water.  Trees are down everywhere.  Now the fear is mold.  If you have had water, the standard is to take the wall up 1 foot above the water line.  We have painted wood, so that will pretty much mean the whole thing I think.  The upstairs seems to be okay, but again with no electricity ,humidity is not our friend, and even with electricity, our 4 A/C systems are probably toast due to the high water outside.

 

My friend Gerry Hornstein sent me the following web site set up by her brother-in-law, Armin Cantini.  Gerry's Dad Bill Levin lives down the street from us.  And Gerry's first cousin and his wife are the Seinsheimers, (they live 4 doors down from us).  Their home looks to be demolished.....I feel so sick for them.  It was a lovely home, and we have had many good times there.   When and if I have photos of our home, I will send them on.  Suffice it to say that all couches and pieces of furniture except for antiques or sentimental pieces have been tossed.

 

The website is   www.armincantini.com

(scroll down to the pictures for Seinsheimer and Levin -- they are on our block and the storm did massive damage to both).

 

Lawren

 

  

This is from Armin's website (thanks Armin!) and at the end of the street you can barely see my parents' house (it is a light brown brick color almost in the center of the pic)

 

 

This is another picture (thanks Armin!) of my parents' street, and all of the old trees that were pulled up from the force of Ike.

 

Again, from Armin (thanks Armin!), a picture of the back of the Seinsheimers' house.  We are not sure what went through the house to knock out the brick wall.

 

 

   

 

I can't believe the amount of destruction inside their home. 

 

I'm starting to feel like progress is being made, for the city and for my family.  We've heard of electricity on my parents' block (not at their house yet!) and water (but not reliable, still intermitent) and that makes me feel better about my dad planning a return to the island.  On the phone tonight, my mom talked about rebuilding, not about leaving, and I heard some optimism in her voice.

 

Tonight, I have a lot of hope.

Today's Galveston Press Conference

after a very brief "Ike Break", here is more post-Ike stuff for all of you who are still trying to get on the island...

(summary of today's press conference, written by Robyn)

"Hi,everyone... highlights of the press conference.

1. LeBlanc/Lyda Ann - think maybe within one week or "so" - residents can come back.
2. Water on - but not drinkable -but because of ALL the leaks - loosing more water than taking in.
3. UTMB is up - not perfect - but has water/power.
4. Sewage systems being repaired and should be "sort of" functional soon - waste water treatment  plant however is still NOT functioning properly.

Most important matter - stopping the leaks in the water system.

5. Lynne Cleveland spoke - said trying to come on line as soon as the services restored.  She was "very optimistic" and positive about school being able to open "soon" - maybe a week???  ( I hope i'm not being too optimistic.) She would not give an exact date."

Today's Press Conference and an upcoming "Ike Break"

Hi all...

I bet those of you who have never been to Galveston, or "Gtown" as my friends and I have called it for years, are getting a little bored/annoyed/depressed with all of this Ike talk.  Ripley, who has patiently watched all the news coverage of Ike for the past week, said,

"Can we take an Ike Break?"

So...after this post, I promise we are going to take an "Ike Break" and return you to our regularly scheduled broadcast...

Galveston held another press conference today.  Here is the summary (courtesy of Robbie again -- thank you Aunt Robbie!)

OK... press conference update.  Very little was said except this:

1. Dr. David Callender ( president UTMB/Galveston) said it could take up to 1-2 months before UTMB fully functioning.
2.The city is trying desperately to get people off the island - because of potential illnesses.
3. The city IS trying to get a NEW "look and leave" plan implemented - Steve LeBlanc said new plan to be announced "soon".
4. Evidently - according to Channel 13 - Galveston City council is "fighting" and Lyda Ann was not able too get a quorum this morning as one council person- understand it was Danny Weber - not sure but that's what I heard - walked out of meeting.
5. Jim Yarbrough said they would start roadblocks sooner so people could turn around; they think they have problem resolved making sure emergency vehicles have their OWN lane for coming into Galveston.

Update on the "Look and Leave" on Galveston

I've heard from many people today who had friends/family (or they themselves) who visited Gtown during the "look and leave" today...it sounds like it didn't go as smoothly as the city would have liked, and now they are canceling tomorrow's "look and leave".  Here is the update from my Aunt Robbie, who visited her own house:

"Hi, everyone.... just found out on TV that City manager, LeBlanc has CANCELED the "Look and Leave" for tomorrow, Wednesday, September 17.  I just heard it on Channel 13/KTRK. 

OK... here's what I saw today:  We did get in - had to go through two roadblocks, and the first officer "Tried" to make me turn around. Said "he knew NOTHING about a 12-6 "look and leave."  Well, I sort got past him and made to the next road block at Tiki and showed my drivers license and we were in.

Honestly, just to look at the city- it doesn't look that bad. They have done a really good job of cleaning the streets...I truly was not prepared for what we saw:  It was beyond my comprehension... the force of the FOUR FEET of water that rushed through our home knocked all three of my refrigerators and freezers to the floor; shoes from our closet were washed into our big room. TV, dresser drawers, sofas - all turned upside down.  Just incredible.  ... The carpet is still 2-3 inches of water.  Overwhelming.  Simply overwhelming. It appears that all of our homes in the cul de sac are in the same boat - no pun intended."

There is a new group on facebook for Galvestonians who are following the post-Ike cleanup, etc.  Be sure to add yourself to it if you haven't already, and then take a look at the pictures that were posted yesterday.  It also looks like there will be more posted tomorrow by a the same guy - he has now been on the island twice since the hurricane and took pictures of several neighborhoods.  The destruction is severe.

We are hanging tight here in CO for now.  Dad is now here with us, and we had a nice little dinner out as a family (minus James, who was dealing with some work stuff) for the first time since Ike.  I feel so lucky to have my family safe and with me.  I'm honestly completely wiped out right now, from the past 5 days with Ike and post-Ike, and from a nasty cold that has moved into a full-blown sinus infection.  Fun.  I think I'll hit the hay and do my best to catch up on some much-needed sleep.  Tomorrow is a new day.

URGENT - Galveston residents allowed a look and leave from 12 - 6pm today only

Please pass this on to anyone with relatives or friends living on Galveston Island:

The City of Galveston will allow residents to enter Galveston for a "look and leave" from 12noon to 6pm today only. 

The article is on the Galveston Daily News at this link.

Monday post-IKE update

First of all, I just want to say thank you again to all that have been in contact.  Your prayers and concern are so appreciated by my whole family.  Please keep all of Galveston and the Gulf Coast in your thoughts and prayers.

We finally have an idea of what to expect inside my parents' home, per a family friend who checked the interior, yard, and garage:

• the house is EXTREMELY secure

• the roof, gates, and walls are fine

• there is 1 1/2 feet of water, mud, and debris in the main floor of their home -- this is what we had expected, but still is devastating to hear

• the cars appear to be "done" - we don't expect that they will be in working order

• all phone lines are out at the house

 

All in all, this report is as good as we could have expected.  The upstairs is in good shape which is something for which to be very thankful.  We had an earlier report that there was a boat (yes, a boat) sitting in between our house and the neighbor's house, but upon further inspection of the satellite picture (click here to see) the boat is actually in our neighbor's backyard only, and it is not touching any homes.  Thank goodness for small favors!

There is considerable damage to other homes on their street and I think they fared as well as they could have in this storm.  There will be MAJOR work to do in the coming months.  I'm getting reports of many friends' homes that are total losses.  Please keep these people in your thoughts.

Today's Press Conference

Currently, residents are still not allowed on the island.  A press conference was held earlier today, and this is a summary as written by my dear Aunt Robbie:

Hi, everyone... here's what I know as of 1.30 CDT this afternoon... (except for #1,2, and 3 -the rest of the "update" is not in priority order)

1. City of Galveston officials DO NOT want us to even THINK about coming home at this time. ( I was told this morning from official's wife that "without permit or prior permission" you won't get on -so don't even try. (There was an email circulating that people were trying to circumvent the roadblock @ FM519 or 517 and using Hwy 3 and they got in - don't recommend this! and it's possible by now, that loophole has been closed (literally).

2. City officials said that they "would try and let homeowners/business owners in for a "look and leave" next week. But right now, they're anticipating that it could occur this week.

3. Everyone is being urged to file w/ FEMA. The process (on line) takes about 15 minutes. BE SURE and don't close out the application until you get an official FEMA ID# and that it says you are in "Disaster 1791." For those of us who know they had flood damage - please don't hesitate to do this. Also, even if you didn't have damage (you are the lucky ones!) you may be entitled to compensation for lodging and clothing expenses because you can't get home. Telephone # is 800.621.3362, www.fema.gov for the website.

4. Search & rescue continuing and hopes to complete in another day. as of 1pm- 394 rescued by air; almost 2000 rescued overall along the coastal area.

5. Cruise ship to come in (once port is open) and will be used for emergency crew housing.

6. I "heard" this morning that essentially nothing is left on Tiki Island - I don't know if this is true, but the aerial view is very discouraging.

7. There is tremendous concern about mosquitos. Steve LeBlanc said it was a VERY serious problem. In addition, still no sewage, water, or of course electricity. The Houston Chronicle this morning said that the electricity grids in Galveston were "decimated".

8. The Mayor and City Manager are strongly (not mandatory yet) urging those people who stayed - to get out.

4. For BUSINESS owners - call 409.765.3710 for information about the condition of your business. ALSO, Leblanc mentioned that they are TRYING to workout a way for businesses that are essential to the city's recovery can have priority on getting on to the island - but nothing specific.

5. 5 deaths confirmed - residential areas. no other details.

6. UTMB not functioning as a hospital - and critically ill being evacuated off the island. UTMB used now for minor injuries only.

7. some looting; 11 arrests.

8. Causeway still passable but they assessing situation as concerns heavy traffic once things get back to "normal" (yeah, right..."normal.")

9. Next press conference - Tuesday at noon.

I'll continue to post updates here as I know more.

Aerial footage of the Galveston area post-IKE

If you are interested in seeing video of Galveston after the hurricane, you can click on each of these videos:

Galveston, aerial video 1

Galveston, aerial video 2

Galveston, west end

Galveston, Jamaica Beach

There is also a forum for local reports on the status of Galveston neighborhoods on KHOU.com at this link. 

The mayor Lyda Ann Thomas held a press conference today (click here for the full press conference), and here are the highlights, as transcribed by my dear Aunt Robbie Bushong:

"Hi, everyone.... not sure how many of you were able to hear/watch the mayor's and governor's press conference. Here are the highlights:

1. UTMB (University of TX Medical Branch) is expected to take one week to be up and running. They're first on the list for city services. Steve LeBlanc said "the rest of the city is after that." He was not encouraging about an early return date. We know - according to his report a few minutes ago - that it looks like at least a week. MAYBE will change with tomorrow's press conference scheduled for 12 noon. LeBlanc said: "No water, no sewage service, no electricity, no gas - essentially the island is uninhabitable."

2. If you have relatives/friends/property that you want checked: call 409.765.3710.

3. Three bodies found so far - no indication of what part of town. Search and rescue continuing today and tomorrow.

4. City is right now evacuating another 2000 people who want off the island. They're being bussed to San Antonio (or maybe Austin, can't read my writing.)

5. Three locations have been established on the island for fuel, food, water, and ice.

6. Tx DOT confirmed that the causeway is "structurally sound."

7. Governor Perry said that FEMA would reimburse residents for damages not covered by their insurance (except for deductible.)

8. LeBlanc said that he flew over the west end yesterday. Said past 11mile road - totally inaccessible. He said he saw about 30 homes floating in the Gulf. He said "the destruction was devastating."
9. LeBlanc also said that a stretch of road at the end of the Seawall "was compromised."

 

It appears from all accounts that there will be federal $$ to help those who need it most and it appears that Texas and feds are determined Galveston will not be a repeat of New Orleans after Katrina."

Thanks Robbie for that synopsis!

My parents are still waiting to hear about re-entry to the island - we have heard many different rumors, some saying that re-entry will be happening soon, others saying it will be as long as 16 days before officials will allow residents back onto Galveston.  We are also hopeful that a family friend will be entering my parents' home to assess the damage tomorrow.  I'll be sure to post as soon as there is new information. 

Thanks everyone for your concern!

Reverse 911 call regarding Hurricane IKE

UPDATE:

My mother just received an automated reverse 911 call to her Galveston cell phone.  This was the message (excuse any typos as I was doing my best to transcribe the msg in its entirety)...

This is an important message from the city of Galveston.  Today is Sunday September 14th...

The city of Galveston is asking all residents of the city to remain patient.

Please do not try to come back.

Re-entry to Galveston Island is completely restricted to authorized emergency personnel at this time

Most homes were damaged by hurricane Ike but are still in tact and still standing

Most of the island was covered by flood waters

Power, water and gas service have not yet been restored to the island

Cell service should be restored at some point today, Sunday Sept 14th

Calls about relatives and property should be made to the city's emergency center 409-765-3710