Houston, Galveston and Hurricane Ike

The news is not good from the Texas Gulf Coast as you've probably seen if watching the national TV news.

I've heard by text message from our friend Grace who has been without electricity for eight days now. Water had to be boiled for a while (her gas works.)

She and her next-door neighbor got the use of a generator a couple of days ago. Stores are mostly closed; a few have generators and one used flashlights. No street lights; no traffic lights.

A distribution point for water, ice and MREs was open for a few days; food banks are supposed to open soon.

She had some wind damage to her property -- trees and fences. Houston's downtown area was among the hardest hit. From the news reports, it looks like it may take years for Galveston to recover.

The Bolivar peninsula is now three islands; mixed information on the condition of Bolivar LH.

Keep Grace and others in Texas and the Gulf Coast in your thoughts and prayers.

Glad to hear Grace is OK.

We will keep all those in the Galveston/Houston area in our prayers, especially our CF buddy Grace.

Really glad to hear that Grace is alright...was beginning to worry!
Thanks for the update John!
Will keep all in thought & prayer.

Very happy to hear Grace is okay.

Grace - I'm so glad that you made it through with only minor damage. Trees grow back and fences can be fixed. I've had to do both since the 2004 hurricane barrage that we faced in central Florida.

John, thanks for passing on the message from Grace. She's been on my mind throughout this ordeal, and I'm very relieved to hear that she's okay. Still thinking about her, and hope to hear from her soon. If you talk again, please pass that on to her.

Judy

Power came back on for Grace last Friday -- but it has taken more time to get the phone, cable and Internet to work.

Still 200,000 homes in Houston area without power for 3 weeks now.

Well, I'm finally back. Many of us have much for which to be thankful. Bolivar and Galveston certainly took the brunt and it will be a long time before they are back to "normal". Galveston kids go back to school Tuesday; that, in itself, is pretty miraculous given the extent of the damage. Bolivar and its surroundings are literally gone. There is little left and the search for the missing is still on.

Many thanks to all of you for your prayers and emails before and since the storm. I firmly believe in the power of prayer. I don't know how many rosaries I prayed the night of the storm. Buffy and I weathered it by ourselves in our house. It was very spooky but I can't say that I was really frightened. Since I had only the two of us to worry about, it was rather fascinating to watch nature in total control. I just hoped my trees wouldn't come down on the house. In 1983, when Alicia came through, I was a single parent and still had the four kids. This time, I knew that Mother was very secure at the retirement place where she lives.

After the first week, my neighbor and I used a generator for a couple of days. I was able to use a lamp to read by and to power a small fan. Unfortunately, my neighbor's borrowed generator went out after a couple of days. Fortunately, we had a cool front for part of the time. In a way, though, it was a good reminder of the many things we take for granted. Not having refrigeration or ice is one of the hardest parts. I enjoyed the dark, the peace and quiet - until some of the neighbors got generators. It was a lot harder for families with children, the elderly, and those with health problems.

It also makes one aware of the helpfulness of modern technology. When my cell phone service was restored, I was able to keep in touch via texting with the kids wherever they were. I also have a little crank radio which was indispensable, particularly throughout the first days when we had no idea what was going on in the rest of Houston, Galveston, etc.

Although my power came back after two weeks, others did without for a lot longer. Initially, it was also dangerous to be out on Houston's extremely busy streets with no traffic lights. I saw one accident where a poor lady drove her car across five lanes (she had the right of way), and then someone hit her when she was crossing the sixth and last lane. Now, we have gotten more used to it and people are more careful about taking turns. We will be glad when all of those are back.

For those of us who use cable services for internet and phone, that was very problematic. Despite Comcast's ads that they would be back when the power came back, they took a lot longer to restore service. This past week, I had very erratic service. I think it's back to stay now.

I must say that our local and county officials did a terrific job, trying to work around FEMA and state officials who just seemed to get in the way. To restore most services to the fourth largest city as quickly as they did takes a lot of foresight and organization. Incredibly, garbage pickup never faltered! Those of you who have gone through natural calamities know how important it is to get rid of the contents of refrigerators and freezers. The stench can get pretty unbearable, and there are critters, big and small, with which to contend.

Hurricane debris pickup is starting. Last week the 15 bags I filled with small debris from the yard were picked up. The limb pickup has started; those in my yard were small enough that I could drag them out to the curb.

FEMA, as usual, is another matter. Complaints abound from those whose lives were severely impacted.

I am extremely grateful that I had only minor problems. Thanks again to all my lighthouse friends for praying for us. But don't stop yet; many people in the Houston area, Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island remain without the necessities of life and need our prayers.

Its nice to know you are OK. In Charlotte NC. it can be hard to find gas as of today because of Ike. I drive down rt 74 and half the gas stations have plastic bags on the pumps.

Great to hear you are OK Grace! And that the prayers work!

Hope your mother remained well and the Buffy isn't too traumatized!

We will continue to pray for everyone in the area!

The lack of gas was definitely a huge problem, Fran. People lined up for blocks and blocks at each station. Many of the gas stations had fuel but no power; others had power but no fuel. My neighbor next door and I both stocked up on everything beforehand, including filling up our vehicles. So, for us, the biggest problem was the inconvenience of no power AND the discomfort of the heat. It could have been worse, though. It could have been in July or August when the temps were up in the high 90's. This city thrives on A/C!

Margret, Buffy got all excited when the storm really intensified around 1:00 a.m. She normally keeps on barking as long as it's raining. For some reason, she got quiet after about half an hour. I think she actually slept when the eye passed and when the really bad part of Ike came through. That was around 3:00 a.m. It probably helped that she didn't sense fear in me.