Hurricane Ike
September 13, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008 - 7:00 am
I got up early which was easy as I hadn't slept much during the night after having been awakened
by a whelping dog. She was in full labor and scared. The weatherman said the pressure was
dropping rapidly which explained her early labor. I got up and got ready to leave having packed
the night before. I had no intention of getting stuck on the highways for 53 hours again like I
had while evacuating Hurricane Rita in 2005 so I waited until today and left early in the
morning. After walking through the house to make sure I hadn't forgotten to do something, I put
the leashes on the dogs and headed for the van. I had planned to stop and get a drink for the ride
from Sonic or Red Cap but they were both closed already as was Jack in the Box. So, I stopped
at a gas mart and got a bottle of root beer and 2 donuts to serve as breakfast for my journey.
Before setting out again, I stopped and checked my directions one last time and then headed for
Kevin's house. I was amazed at how few cars were on the road. I made good time until I came
to a spot with too many options and took the wrong turn. But even that only cost me around 5 or
6 minutes…especially since a Houston Cop pulled up right behind me and came up and gave me
directions.
On arriving we got all of the dogs out of the van and into his backyard. Kevin carried the pet
crate with Ginger and the new puppy in it. It was a male pup that we named Ike after the storm.
Ginger was obviously still pregnant but wasn't contracting so there wasn't anything I could do for
the time being. I'd just watch her and help if needed.
Ginger and baby Ike only hours old
We were all enjoying sitting outside on my brother's patio and had the dogs outside including
Ginger in her crate. Pretty soon, my niece said that Ginger was having a puppy and I looked and
sure enough, she did, but it was still born as was the one that followed. She'd had two initially
and one of them died and then the last two later on were both still born. We buried them in my
brother's backyard and my nephew made crosses and put them out where the graves were. Not
long after that, we started feeling raindrops and went inside.
We watched TV tracking the storm for as long as we could. There were already candles lit in
anticipation of losing power. After making dinner and eating we cleaned up and everyone took
showers and got ready for bed. I was to sleep in the den with the dogs so they would not be
scared but I didn't do much sleeping. There was too much noise from the storm keeping me
awake. The wind roared through my brother's chimney in a rhythmic fashion that sounded like a
train engine coming right through the room. Then, about 11:30 we lost power. It was quite eerie
sitting there in the dark listening to that noise and wondering what was happening outside.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
When daylight finally broke, the storm was still raging outside. We watched through gaps in the
boarded windows as the trees bent nearly in half and watched the rain blowing sideways. We
listened to the wind blowing down the chimney and wondered at every noise outside what had
blown loose now.
When it was finally pretty much over my brother went outside to discover he had a good bit of
roof damage from missing shingles. And my nephew soon came downstairs to let us know that
the rain was leaking in through the roof and ceiling. Everyone scrambled for buckets and pans to
catch the drips while my brother and the oldest nephew prepared to climb up on the roof and try
to put a tarp on it. But the roof was too steep and the storm was still blowing and raining enough
that it was just too dangerous and they came back down. Photos were taken of the damage and
even of the two men trying to cover it. Those would be shown to the adjuster.
Kevin attempting repairs on his roof
Not a lot to do without power so we sat and napped and read and finally Saturday evening, the
power came back on. But it was only on for a few moments and went right back off. It wasn't
until Sunday morning that it came on permanently.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Cable service was restored a short while later. As soon as I could get online, I filed a claim with
FEMA. Right after that I decided it was time for me to leave. My furbabies were restless and
needed to be in less chaotic surroundings. So, I left and headed for my mother's house in League
City. She had no power but at least it would be quiet and peaceful for the new mom and Ike.
I stopped in Alvin first to see David and his store damage. It was awful! He had spent the night
of the storm in the store office and around 2am there was a loud whooshing sound and the roof
lifted and then sat back down. Unfortunately, it lifted off it's supports and the rain started
pouring in. There was nothing he could do. He found a dry place and tried to rest. Next
morning he had skylights that were never intended to be there. And you could get your shower
while sitting on the toilet in the store restroom. No power. Most of the merchandise soggy and
useless. About 2 inches of water on the floor. This was not going to be a fun time for any of us.
The roof damage to David's store
After leaving David's store I went by my office and determined that it was fine. It had no power
but also had no damage other than trees down and limbs down in the yard. Then I headed home.
My office
David had warned me what I would find as he had already been there. I pulled up to the house to
see that I had a new atrium and skylights. No, I didn't want them and they weren't there before.
The entire yard was covered in huge limbs and debris. The rubber roof of the travel trailer was
ripped off. Water had poured inside again. There was a tree leaning into the house with
branches forced through the roof and some even through the ceiling. When I got inside,
everything was wet and smelled of mildew already. All I could do was stare at it. Where do you
start to clean up something like this? I certainly didn't know. I was flooded like this once before
but had the kids and my ex to help. Who would help me this time? I found what I could in the
dark and hauled it out to the van…my clothes and some of the bedding. I pulled other things,
mostly bedding, out to the back yard and hung them out to dry. I don't know how some of the
things managed to get wet but seems everything did. So, I finished loading the odds and ends I'd
rescued and headed out again for my mother's house. I already knew it was undamaged and I
was praying it would have power.
As I was nearing her house my ex-husband called to tell me he had power on the other side of
town. I was hopeful that Mom's would be on as well but it wasn't. I unloaded the dogs and the
things I needed for the night and went inside and opened the windows and settled in for the
night. I thought I would sleep like a baby but the pups were still nervous and woke and barked at
every sound. Thank goodness that cool front blew in and cooled it down a bit for us making the
"camping" more tolerable at least through the nights.
The driveway Tree on roof Internal damage
Mold on collapsing ceiling Damage around ceiling fan
Limb penetrating ceiling 6 holes in roof
Largest hole in roof appox. size of basketball Looking through ceiling after largest limb removed
Moldy ceiling collapsing Sheetrock and paint chips on David's bed
Monday, September 15, 2008
I went to the house again the next day looking for shoes and clothes and things I could salvage.
Not a lot of luck but I did bring out the rest of the food. I'd emptied the refrigerator of food
before the storm so I wasn't worried about it. I locked the big freezer and have no intention of
ever opening it again. No way I'm cleaning that thing out. It will go out "as is" loaded with the
rotten food.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
On Tuesday morning, Miranda and Steve came home and called to tell me their condo was
totally destroyed and they'd lost everything. Well, not exactly everything. They had signed
papers on the 3rd floor condo and moved in on September 3 leaving most of their personal
possessions in the ground floor storage unit. They left on September 6 on their honeymoon in
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. They flew over the storm as it was approaching Cuba. Once
they arrived, they found there was little or no communications with the US. They were
desperately trying to call us and we desperately tried to call them. They tried getting info from
the TV but the only US news station they could find was CNN who was more interested in the
political news than the hurricane. They were also limited to 15 minutes of internet a day which
was slow and unreliable. By the time they could log on and get a connection, it had timed them
out. They were finally able to get an email to us on Thursday but could not access the ones we
sent them. So, when they finally were able to get a flight back after having to stay an extra night,
they arrived to find Steve's truck had been submerged under 9 feet of water and the storage unit
with all their personal possessions had been destroyed and all their things washed out into the
bay. It was devastating standing there seeing people's whole lives laid out before me spread
across that parking area. Miranda was walking through it looking for some of her things and
stopped and picked up something wet and soggy…some sort of fabric. After she turned it over
we realized it was some blankets and things that I had made years before when she was a baby.
We gathered them up and took them home and washed the grime and mud and God only knows
what all off of them. We worked all day Tuesday and all day Wednesday and finally got all of
their things moved off of the 3rd floor which had not been affected by the storm. There were 12
truckloads of furniture and appliances. Some came to mom's house. Some went to her dad's
house. And some went to a friend of Steve's. All the clothes that they had were dirty as they
were the ones they had taken on vacation with them. So, we found them some clean clothes and
Miranda started looking for an apartment. She found one that had been damaged but was already
repaired and ready for occupancy.
Steve's truck washed out of parking area Miranda searches for personal items and finds blankets
Parking and storage areas Looking out from the balcony
Saturday, September 20, 2008
So, on Saturday, we loaded them up and moved them one more time. The move was so spur of
the moment that we didn't pay attention to what was packed where. If we found something that
we could pack things in, we packed anything that would fit with no logical plan to it. It's been a
couple of weeks and Miranda is still trying to find some things that we know were moved but
don't know where they ended up. I told her to just keep unpacking. They'll all turn up
eventually.
After several days of heat and darkness the power had finally come back on Friday night rather
late. I called mom first thing Saturday morning and told her she could come home. She packed
up and arrived in time for lunch. It was good to have her there and I know she felt better being
where she was comfortable in her own home. Then we started picking up sticks and limbs,
although there was very little damage at her house.
Miranda and Steve showed up shortly after mom with a moving crew to start moving things
again into their new apartment. We teased them and told them this was the last move since we'd
moved them 3 times in 5 days. I told them they are not allowed to move again for at least 6
months.
Tuesday, September 22, 2008
On Tuesday I met with FEMA and we walked through the house while he took pictures and
filled out paperwork. Then we came to David's room and walked in to see a big raccoon sitting
on his bed. The inspector screamed like a little girl and ran out of the house. He said I'd hear
something in 10 days and got in his car and took off like a bat out of hell. 3 days later there was
a deposit in my account of $4,600.00. The paperwork didn't arrive for another week and said our
house was uninhabitable and we were eligible for temporary housing, food stamps, and
reimbursement of things we had to buy like chain saws and assistance in the repairs or cleanup. I
filed an appeal but it may be quite a while before we hear anything.
Saturday, September 26,2008
The next weekend, Miranda invited me over to play water volleyball. Hunter was there and I
enjoyed playing with him and playing water volleyball was good for me as well. I thought I'd be
sore and tired after but instead I felt invigorated. It was nice to be around other people for a
while and being able to forget about the house for a little while. When Rhianna and I were ready
to leave, they invited us back the next weekend to go out on the boat and then go fishing from
their boardwalk.
Condo from lake view Sunken Sailboat in center of lake Yacht washed ashore
Yacht washed up between houses Restaurant for lease
Saturday, October 4, 2008
We went back the on Saturday and went out on the boat. We went over to their condo and
checked it out from the water. Then we went back to the south side of the lake and went down
the shoreline and looked at all the destruction and then went under the bridge and out through the
channel to see the boardwalk and the Seabrook side. The destruction is amazing and on the
Seabrook side almost total. There is almost nothing left. We went out a little way into the Bay
but there were 3 - 4 foot swells and it was just too rough. So, we turned back and went down the
north side of the lake for a ways and then back to the south side and back to the apartment. O,
did I mention that their apartment is right on the marina? They are able to tie up right outside
their apartment. We also fished from right outside their apartment. We didn't catch anything
worth keeping but several people were catching big redfish as well as trout.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Sunday, we went back out again with Rhianna and Chris. We made approximately the same
route as the day before but once again we couldn't go out to Redfish Island because the surf was
too rough. But, over the two days I got about 400 pictures of debris and destruction around the
lake.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Another week of work going to work then to the house to see what else I could salvage and then
home to my mother's house in League City.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Chris came on Tuesday and helped us get the twin bunk bed out of Rhianna's room so that he
could have something to sleep on at his dad's house.
David also called me with a strange request today. He wanted me to come by the store and pick
up something and "run and errand" for him. I had no idea what it was about but I went and he
handed me some brochures from Palm Harbor Homes on the Gulf Freeway. He wanted me to go
and check some of them out. So, I called Rhianna and she went with me. We had to enter the
office first and then "Marty and Scott" the two salesmen who David had spoken to the night
before came and took us into Marty's office to try and sell us a home…SIGHT UNSEEN! We
sat and listened to them for 1 hour and 20 minutes before they ever let us go out and look at the
model homes. And, then they wouldn't take us to see the ones we wanted to see that David had
seen the night before. I was totally fed up with them and actually fairly offended by many of
Scott's comments. As we left, Marty asked for a contact number and I refused. The last thing I
need is him calling me every day trying to pressure me into something I don't want. Those
homes are about 8 times as expensive as I wanted. I might find one but have to be able to afford
it before I can buy it.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
I went back to David and told him what happened at Palm Harbor Homes and that NO WAY was
I going to deal with those two idiots. He agreed as the idiots wanted us to sell our land and buy a
smaller piece.
Friday, October 10, 2008
On Friday I went back to the house and pulled the upper bunk bed out so Miranda and Steve
could pick it up for Hunter to sleep on. I never could find the side rail so I don't know what
happened to it. I went by Sutherlands and picked up some carriage bolts to put it together with.
Then I got home in time to sit and talk to mom for a short time before Kim came to pick her up
to go and spend the night with them and then go in and sign papers on Kevin's load the
tomorrow. She'll be home on Saturday evening.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Saturday morning I went over and helped them put it together. We put it together upside down
so that they wouldn't have to worry about Hunter falling off of it.
Then I left and drove down to Bacliff and San Leon to see how some of our old friends and
neighbors had fared. I found my grandmother's old house and couldn't believe that it was still
standing although it had moved over about 10 feet off it's piers. Still, it was pretty much intact.
I'm not sure they'll be able to afford to move it back but I think it is possible.
Grandma's bay house
Then I drove to Texas City and out to the dyke. The Texas City dyke used to be about 5 miles
long. It now appears to be about a half mile long and all of the docks and bait shops are gone.
All that is left are some pilings. It's currently closed and they are not making any predictions as
to how long until it is opened again. Sure was some good fishing for drum and redfish out at the
end at the drum hole, as they referred to it. I would imagine that it will never be the same.
Texas City Dyke was decimated
From there I headed back out through LaMarque to the Gulf freeway and south to Galveston. I
was astonished that a month after the storm the causeway and feeder streets were still littered
with boats and yachts of all sizes. The piles of debris were huge and beginning to smell. I saw
rats running through some of them.
Huge boats on the causeway Debris on 61st Street Marina 61st Street apartment destroyed
Down every block the view was the same. Piles and piles of water soaked and moldy carpet and
pads, furniture, sheetrock, limbs, broken glass, appliances, and all sorts of household goods that
were damaged by the storm surge and hurricane force winds. I drove down 61st street to find the
fishing pier at the end completely gone. Turning east on the seawall I was overwhelmed with the
amount and variety of debris still prominent on the seawall and in the rocks below. Places where
there used to be a large beach area with plenty of room for people to play and enjoy themselves.
Now in those same areas the waves break right on the seawall. In other places like near the
Flagship Hotel where there was only a narrow strip of beach there is now a huge beach.
Near the statue that memorializes the 1900 storm, the power of the waves and storm surge
pushed thousands of boulder sized rocks up the seawall and onto the roadway and dug out the
pavement on the traffic lanes. It undermined the seawall in places making it dangerous and
beginning to cave in. The waves ripped the beautiful bronze plaques off of the huge marble
blocks in front of that 1900 Storm statue. It broke corner chunks off of a beautiful granite plaque
and the dolphin statue is nowhere to be found.
Cement block missing plaque Fort Crocket buried under boulders
On down the beach a little farther the Flagship Hotel was decimated. The entrance ramp had
broken and fallen to the surf below and the exit ramp has a hole the size of a VW Bug in it so
that any cars still on the pier cannot be driven off. The upper corner rooms on the front wall of
the hotel are destroyed. The east and north walls are missing and you can see the interior of the
room. Most of the furniture is missing but you can still see some of the room décor inside them.
Flagship Hotel rooms destroyed Flagship Hotel ramp destroyed
Further down the seawall I should have come upon several buildings that stood on tall piers over
the waves. All that was left was a small showroom and a few pieces of walls. Incredibly, the
visible back wall had some plaques that were still hanging where they'd been places with
merchandise hanging below them. Pieces of the merchandise littered the beach and rocks
nearby. As I was watching, a young girl picked up a flashlight and a bamboo wind chime. Very
nice souvenirs but I'm not sure if she understood their implications. I walked through those same
rocks and saw debris that I wondered how the storm managed to tear it apart. I even found the
sprinkler system for one of the buildings complete with sprinkler heads still intact.
Murchoch's Pier destroyed Inside wall at Murdoch's Pier Looking at that wall from far away
From that area I drove east all the way to the end of the seawall at the Houston Ship Channel.
Along the way I saw the impressive playground that used to sit near Stewart Beach. All that was
left were colorful twisted pieces of pipe that used to be swings and other playground equipment.
Further down the Sandpiper Hotel looked like a bomb had gone off.
Driving down to the end I was impressed with the amount of debris that had yet to be picked up.
There are still 40 people missing from Galveston Island alone and I couldn't help but wonder if
any of their remains were buried in that debris. When I reached the end I parked and locked the
van and stared in disbelief at the literally tons of debris that had washed ashore most likely from
Bolivar and Crystal beach homes. You name it and it was there. There was furniture,
appliances, Christmas trees and decorations, toys, dishes, clothes, pillows, beds, ladders, a
rocking horse, a see-saw, duck decoys, and too many more things to name them all. Suffice it to
say that if you could name it, it was most likely there. I picked up a "milk crate" that appeared
undamaged and put a few things in it to bring home. I was picking up a small duck decoy when I
saw something pink…not just pink, but Pepto Bismol pink. It was a board and it had to be from
Mirabelles, the bar near the channel between the boardwalk and Seabrook that had washed up
somehow down the ship channel. I had also picked up a piece of wood from the Balinese Room.
I keep remembering stories of my grandmother sneaking in there to play the games and see the
actors like Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby who used to be booked there. What fun that must
have been. I walked about a mile down the beach taking pictures and then walked back to the
car trying to help when I could and picking up a few things that were worth more than debris and
that I might find a use for.
Debris along ship channel Child's horse sits alone 5 story pile of debris
89th Street Fishing pier destroyed 89th Street fishing pier
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Went to church and then to lunch with mom. Spent most of the day just resting and reading or
watching TV. The dogs have finally accepted that at least for now, this is home. They are
beginning to accept mom and mind her. Ike is growing like a weed and I'll probably start
feeding him this week. I've noticed lately that Ginger seems to be trying to wean him. She
doesn't sleep with him anymore. In fact, sometimes, Dixie gets in his basket and sleeps with
him. I think she's quite fond of her little brother as she plays with him all the time. A little
rough at time but he seldom complains.
David surprised us by coming by tonight. He wouldn't stay but he did take a hot shower and said
he felt much better after that. He didn't leave his clothes or I would have washed them for him
also.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Another week at work as usual. Tonight is Session meeting so packets have to be made. Sure
wish people would get their paperwork in to me on time so I wouldn't have to always do this at
the last minute. It'll never happen. ~~sigh~~ Went to the post office after work and my FEMA
letter finally came. It said they allowed $2,900 to repair the roof and $1,700 for temporary
housing. Yea right. That won't buy the shingles much less the sheetrock, decking, tar paper,
paint, etc. or replace all my furniture. Time to file another appeal and this time with all their
forms as documentation. Here's hoping that they will reconsider and give us more.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Rhianna and I carpooled for the first time today. I drove to her house and then rode the rest of
the way in with her. We stopped for breakfast at Kelly's and she will be bringing in some more
tickets to sell to my waitress, Bonnie. Bonnie is so excited! She's never been. Hope she has a
good time. The carpooling worked out great. It was nice having breakfast with Rhianna and
having someone to talk to on the way home was equally nice.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
So, the carpooling yesterday was great. Wish we could do it every day. Still trying to help Chris
find a job. He wants to work but can't find anything. He's going to San Antonio for his weekend
warrior thing on Friday. I'll most likely have to pay for his gas in order for him to go. I won't
complain as long as he stays away from Omaira. She is so bad for him and has been the cause of
most of his problems.
Dave was to have his heart procedure today. I'm still waiting to hear how it went.
Kimberly called this afternoon and is coming to take mom and Rhianna and I to dinner tonight.
We went to Cracker Barrel and the food was good but the company was better. I got a kick out
of the waitresses face when she told them she wanted her steak very rare. She told her "chop off
it's head, wipe it's but and throw it on the fire for 30 seconds on each side." She said they did it
just right. After dinner we went back to mom's house and I showed her the pictures of my house.
She was shocked.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Pouring down rain this morning and a cool front should come through some time today. We
carpooled again. Finished eating quickly as the adjuster for the church insurance was coming out
to inspect our damage here. He said he didn't think we'd meet the deductible as it is 2% per
building. Then the organ man came to repair the organ and when I opened the foyer door there
were 3 huge earthworks in there, one dead and 2 dying as well as a 2 inch long gecko that went
scampering across the floor. I threw the worms in the flower bed but couldn't catch the gecko as
he'd disappeared. Rhianna left early today from lunch to read to the class at Passmore
Elementary. She is really enjoying that. Then she went back to class and came back to pick me
up at 2:30. We waited hoping UPS would come but they never made it so we left about 3:30 and
first we got some more keys made for her and then got gas and then headed towards home.
Friday, October 17, 2008
No rain this morning but much cooler. It felt really good, too. I spoke to Dave today and he is
doing fine. What a relief that is. I was so worried about him. Paul is going to pick him up and
get him out of the house so he doesn't get too bored.