Galveston, let's make lemons out of lemonade (actually pencils out of trees)

Hello all who may be still tuned (the financial thing kinda wrestled the news away from Galveston kinda quickly). Many houses have been worked on, but not many completed. Between walking around town and driving on Broadway I have been paying attention to the trees. The city has done a beautiful job on the medians of Broadway (few parts left to put bricks on but each end of every median has new oleanders and shrubbery planted and mulched with automatic watering systems installed). They have been and are still watering every live oak. Unfortunately despite best efforts it looks like less than half are budding. I walked around the East End Historic District and every deciduous tree (trees with leaves) is daad (dead as a doornail). This area had several feet of brackish water for about 36 to 48 hours contaminating the soil and it burned many plants. After the storm we were lucky as there was little to no rain to come in through the damaged roofs but we were unlucky as there was little to no rain to wash the salt away.
Ok, so in order to help the economic state of things I vote to use the wood constructively. Take a tree or two and make Galveston pencils and other doodads. Sell the rest of the trees to wookworkers. Live oak (note to those not from the area - that is the name of the tree, not their state of being) is a marvelous wood, very strong and good to machine. these trees are also, unfortunately for us but good for woodworkers, about 100 years old. You really can't get great wood like that these days. Old, great wood with historical significance should sell for a decent price. That's something the City could use. Oh, and since I thought of it I only have two stipulations. I want a piece (a small branch'll do) and I want a part of the money to go for new planting and bicycle lanes first, then other stuff. Why bike lanes? Being green is in, that's all.
Good luck Galveston, and remember that you are not alone.

Sorry, have been tired and tied up

Well, the past few weeks have certainly been exciting!!! Have hooked up and / or had lots o'stuff installed - hot water, washer / dryer, furnace and a/c. Still, many without electricity (they were close to the Bayous and had a surge destroy their home). People are coming back in little bits. Many are still in hotels and other dwellings (rented and friends). This certainly was bad and I don't think that folks elsewhere have seen the whole picture (other newsworthy items affecting them) and the lack of coverage makes it difficult to judge.

The large central debris field on Broadway and 59th street has been cleared and cleaned. There were stories about it possibly being a spot to put a FEMA trailer park. Visited the Post Office trailers, they will be here a while.

With the massive cuts going on at UTMB (while it may not look that way from the reports that they are laying off 3800 from about 12000, and since about 800 have already left or retired, they only have to decrease by about 3000) the island will be slower to recover. The layoffs affect the hospital side only essentially (research and the hospital prison are relatively unaffected due to their stable funding) which has a cadre of just under 5000 personnell. Go to the Galveston Daily News and you can also google utmb layoffs to find more info.

I will try to get out and photograph a few things and post them as well as keep up a bit better. I hope that you all are okay, and remember that you are not alone :).
Thanks

Stuff and please post personal points on disaster preparedness...

Hello there. We all have alot of it. We accumulate, despite not liking it, not using it, or just not remembering it. People will be logging hundreds of items (if they are "lucky" enough that the "stuff" did not just get washed away) on each of their insurance claims. You see evidence of it all around in all of the piles. Some things were probably loved and used frequently, other things just cataloged and passed into the street.

Notes to self: Every once in a while, at least, walk through the house with a video camera slowly and capture everything. Also make sure that everything that you put away in your "emergency" kits not only are in a safe place (i.e. not near ground level, not under other things and only in plastic containers) but also have been played with (a disaster is the wrong time to figure something out or realize it is broken. Also make sure that you focus on things that really mean something to you so that you don't realize you should have focused on other things with your time.

What tips do you have for disaster preparedness? Please leave a comment. NOTE: You can leave a comment anonymously, you don't have to sign in if you don't wish.

Remember that you are not alone.

There's a hole in the roof, dear Liza, dear Liza...

Hello there all, tall and small, wet and dry, fixed and not. I went to check on the water heater in the attic after the storm, and noted a defect in the roof (you can see the moon thru the hatch).





An access hatch had blown off into the yard, revealing a neat place to look through. It also, in this great post storm weather is providing a nice ventilation port. The wind at rooftop height is more active and keeps the house cool. No a/c yet (electrician is working on the breaker boxes which broke and then need to work on replacing a/c units). Read a few articles that stated there are various things including water heaters washing up on shore around here.

Just to get an idea of the destruction that has befallen Port Bolivar, realize this - the debris (the peninsula was raked clean essentially) piles are more debris fields, each something on the order of 7-10 yards tall and the size of half a football field or more. The property and souls lost will not be found for a long time at best. Good luck to all having to deal with any disaster, whether it is massive from nature such as the fires in California, or on a personal scale.

The lights are slowly coming on. This is a shot from rooftop towards UTMB. This is definitely going to be a whole new world for the university no matter how you slice it. Everything points to everything being effected.

Remember that you are not alone. Go find someone who can help you, then go find someone you can help.

The Cleanup

Hello All!!! Sorry, I have been tired at night and not as inquisitive as to the rest of the island right now. Working on the house has been consuming my time and energy lately. I promised a friend that I would put up a video of the trash collection process on the island and here it is. They come in different sizes, typically a very large dumpster truck with another dumster trailer. On the back of the truck is an arm similar to the machine on the video with two hydraulic legs to stabilize. The video has a tractor trailer being loaded by a separate second machine.

So then, other than just watching another construction-type video, why show it and talk about it? Well, the contract that was put out for this service (fulfilled by many different companies, all with similar equipment) is somewhere between 18 to 24 months. That tells me that perhaps someone with some experience on disaster recovery has said that this is needed for that long of a period. Tell me that is not significant. No, really please tell me that this is not what is happening. Oy.

This is a short video of the piles of trash around. It gets cleaned up. The piles are then refilled as if the homes and apartments are magicians hats that can produce prodigious portions of detritus in perpituity. I recently saw The Weather Channel special on the Galveston Storm of 1900 (other site here)and the pictures there more so reflect how it feels now. Currently the buildings are standing but the spirit is temporarily gone. Make no mistake - the majority of buidings were affected and need some combination of gutting, re-roofing, or major fixing.

Remember that you are not alone.

A few observations in the dark...

Hello all. Sorry, no pics tonight. I will put some video up tomorrow of some of the cleanup (I realize I left the cable and charger elsewhere and can't get it as it is after curfew). At first there was a lot of debris, it was cleaned, then many came home and emptied / gutted their homes and the streets filled up even worse. The estimates are now coming in. 6 to 8 weeks for the hospitals, 3 to 6 months for individual houses (that were severely affected), 6 to 9 months for apartment complexes (many are repairing all units). I am gutting my ground level. The monstrous trucks that are clearing the debris will be here for 18 to 24 months.

Last night I spent the first night at home, here again tonight. We are having terrific weather. Warm, but not hot during the day and cool at night. Really nice to sleep without AC going. I have a generator going powering ventilation equipment and to run this computer (listening to veep debate on battery powered radio, will watch some website tv later). Today got a little buggy about working inside the house so raked and swept the dried muck and piled it up for collection. Back in the mine tomorrow.

At home the best things have been a small ac fan and a battery fan (the radio and fan are part of a product line that uses the same batteries a group of tools use. Rechargeable stuff works very well as there is usually power somewhere not too far away and you can recharge the batteries at least at night and get some work done with those tools (there is alot of manual labor to be done regardless). Another thing that is great is a headband that has three LEDs on it and with 3 AAAs it lasts 50+ hours. Very bright and easy to use as it is obviously hands free. Another thing that is more along the morale line is powdered diet drinks. The sweeteners dissolve even in cold water. You will drink lots and lots of water. Between working / sweating and meals there is a lot of water. A lot. I usually drink water and iced tea and occasionally diet sodas. Enough to give a bit of variety. Both the half gallon sized powdered drink tubs and the individual "sticks" give a little something of interest.

Having said that I am thrilled to be supported by a system that can swoop into a disaster area and support it with ice / water / food, free laundry (thanks Tide), medical services, communication services (Army National Guard - Signal Corps, Oklahoma), and many others. If I have left you / your group out, please leave a comment!

Last night and tonight there is a gorgeous waxing moon, and when travelling provides a wonderful accent to a dark island. The stars are amazing without the usual light pollution around.

Please remember now and in the future, you are not alone. Help yourself, help your friends and neighbors.

Yes, Galveston is really THAT bad...

Hello all again. I was talking with some friends (as we all shoveled mud out of the house and tossed couches molded over into the street) and there are people that don't believe it is really "all that bad." Well, this particular person was finally convinced when told that their church sustained damage in the millions (old wood features that have to be dried slowly because they are essentially unreplaceable, ruined wooden floors, destroyed organ, pews that need refinishing just to name the big stuff).

Port Bolivar essentially has one house standing each square mile. It was decimated. Galveston was flooded and covered in mud. Use your imagination - imagine your place with a foot of water for 12-24 hours. Where would the water wick to? Don't forget, no cheating - you are not there, can't get there for a day or two, have no power, no water, and nothing to start aerating the house for a few days. Do the same for 5 feet. Also realize that the muck (oily stuff in mud makes it sticky when wet and also makes it "waterproof") coated everything that the water touches. You cant walk easily for 2 or 3 days because it is wet and very slippery. Don't even think of walking poochie on anything but your dry porch - the toxic muck and the debris make it bad for you, just think if you walked barefoot and then licked your feet clean. Oh yeah, the vet clinic was flooded out also.

So eventually the muck dries out. Cars and trucks in the street stir up the dust. You sweep and rake the stuff into the street because the cleanup crews are taking all of the debris (and this stuff is not good for plants or anything else really). You stir up the dust from all of that. Parking your car (you may be living nearby, or you may be going elsewhere) is treacherous as all of the debris is incompletely removed. Glass and nails litter the ground and act as divining rods for rubber. Gas stations were destroyed or were small businesses who did not have a disaster plan so you had better be able to fix that flat (knock on flotsam, I have been fine).

Take a look at Galveston (city), a webcam or two, and a review of the storm.

"Green" debris from clearing downed plants / trees and those that died as well.

A life in perspective as someone's stuff is tossed from mold and water damage

A little hiatus...

Hello all, I am sure you have noted it has been a few days. Have been tired, helped some friends pack up their moldy belongings, chuck some of mine and otherwise take a deep breath and a warm shower. More pictures to come, I have been snapping and filming.
On a separate note, Happy New Year and have a healthy one too if you are one of the tribe.

Other pics from around

To see some slide shows from UTMB look here:

UTMB website

UTMB on Flikr

A sign borrows from some customs closer to New Orleans

Evidently the sign did not refer to this item, though.

A sunken boat is raised from Bovine Bay via a barge crane

The ambulance deck parking at UTMB at night

Some info collected

Let me first say that today went reasonably well. Traffic seemed to move reasonably, not too many accidents. I did hear something disturbing - some just think that you can stay through the storm and if need be get in a little boat and be safe. I couldn't tell if they were kidding but I unfortunately don't think so. I will not comment on the absolute lunacy of that proposal.

Here are a few local links (non-meat) that will give you some info and pics on what is going on:

Where can I find basics?

Disaster declaration extended and curfew changed to 8p to 6a

Healthcare needs rise after Ike

A day frozen in time - evacuations were started after this day.

A tree may grow in Brooklyn, but fire ants grow in Texas.

A Cherry Tree rests on a power line in the East End Historic District. The flooding was 5-6 feet in this area and so will be the last to be energized. Homes in this area (and others) will be required to have their gas lines inspected and pressure tested by a licensed plumber before gas can be turned on as well.

Some power restored and a look at the seawall now

Hello and thank you for checking in. I hope that this finds you in a better position overall. On the island an odd phenomenon occurred - from (roughly) 25th-ish street to 50th-ish street there was a foot or less affecting many of the houses south of Broadway (the main thoroughfare). Due to this, many of those houses have had their power restored! The water, weak pressure as it is, has returned to most spots east of 61st St.

Speaking of odd things check out these two findings in my house (I didn't set these up, really, they are pictured as they were found, no joke)

When I opened up the toilet lid, the brush had evidently gotten inside...

The Mexican lizard had floated (swam?) from a nearby mantle and pushed the TV off of the cart, claiming its new place. Must've been eyeing that spot for a while, I guess.

OK. In my travels today I took a slightly longer trip and took the seawall back. Remember that it was at the top pre-storm (first video). The Seawall's Gulf face is concave to help "reflect" the waves and decrease water over the top onto the roadway. That shape helps to make some spectacular waves. Also, the way the waves came in (and just as a reminder this was before the storm came) they "travelled" down the Seawall. Also note the same potatohead that I referenced earlier holding onto a sign while the waves beat on him (I assume it was a him as testosterone lowers IQs sometimes).

Today the tide was out a little but there was roughly a normal day today (second and third videos). During / After the storm there were reports that the Seawall broke up. No such thing. I have travelled the entire length and there are pieces of asphalt out, but it is fine and none the worse for wear.

End of comparisons (almost).

Okay, here is what you have been patiently following for -

The front end of the storm. Note the wind, the water levels. The median in the road had water over it during the peak of the high water.

After the storm, taken yesterday. The cars reparked by Ike are still there. Many recovery trucks are present providing services including gutting and removal and dehumidification of areas.

This is a scan over the area now labelled as Bovine Bay. The ship anchored was the one ping ponging back and forth. Now it serves to keep the flotsam nearby with all of its associated "scents."

For today I will see if I can get some regular Seawall video on my doings of the day so that I can give you another comparison shot (the wave action was awesome). In the meantime enjoy this one with monuments of the original building of the seawall.

The serenity of the ocean is compelling sometimes, dangerous others. Remember you are not alone. Today you will be a little less alone here if your neighbors come back.

More Comparisons

Let's start with a during shot (the storm was not here fully yet - was "gale force" winds if you will, kinda pre-tropical storm force winds and pre-pre-hurricane force winds).

This was a shot at the tail end of the hurricane. The patients that were "stuck" in the hospital during the storm had just been flown out while the wind was still blowing and quite gusty. A few animals are seen out of their environment.

A ship, loose from its moorings drifts back and forth in bovine bay until it is secured. Note the water levels dropping a pinch.

Well, I am sorry for doing a double cliff hanger sorta deal, but I will get some recent shots up in the next blog. Today I put hasps and locks on the back door and garage door because all of the swollen wood doesn't allow the doors to close. The 6a-6p curfew is in effect for the next while. The water is to be boiled until further notice (i.e. no drinking, pets drinking, teethbrushing, and only very careful showering with it). The natch gas is not only off to the island, you cannot get it turned on unless you have a licensed plumber do a pressure test on your system and give the permitted test in to the city for the gas to be turned on. The main power poles have been cleared but all of the ones down the alleyways still have to be cleared (a cherry tree, rubber tree and some others are on the lines near me in the alleyway). Also, if your place was flooded with any significance, they are going to replace the electric meters before they reconnect your house. All of Tiki Island (900ish) fits that bill, and many on Galveston too (like mine).

Before and After (well, sort of...)

Hello all, hope you are well. In the "I can't believe that I am doing this department" you slowly set the bar higher and higher. Shower only every 7 days, did that. Do your morning biz in the parking lot with running ambulances and helos around? Yup. Help others break into their house by kicking in the door for them? Yup (you don't think about it but when the floodwater gets over your lock the gunk in the water goes into the keyhole). Well, did some clothes shopping (for me) with the girlfriend at respectable shops recently. Went to Home Depot (open on the island now) and they had shorts and shirts on 1/2 off and picked up some. Clean is clean after all.
Okay, now back on track. I wanted to show you and drive home the start of what happened with the storm. The floodwater (which initially backed up thru the storm drain as it did not breach the Seawall) started MORE THAN 24 HOURS BEFORE THE STORM HIT!!!

The water got high enough and there was enough wind that there was a fire (not UTMB, but the marina nearby). The tall building next to the ED is our locked facility for Texas state inmates. Note the smoke obscuring the ED (and then blowing over the main hospital). The smoke smell was strong within the hospital, worse in the ED. Furthermore, we worked and relocated the "ED doors" to the front of the hospital since we worked for a period out of the SICU. The smell abated quickly and we went to the ED within 36 hours.

Look all around on the ground. See where the water is. Look to appreciate water levels. On my next blog I will give some better comparison shots for this side of the institution, anyway. I "heard" the quiet of the eye and woke up (the storm shutters stopped rattling). I think I remember saying to myself that the quiet is probably the eye and fell back asleep. It was the middle of the night so I couldn't get pics for y'all anyway. Sorry.

Where am I?

Hello all again. Just remember your neighbors and help where you can. I think that many already have as I have commented before. While walking about it is more than evident when seeing power, water, and all other services from all around the USA. Thank you everyone. This is a chance to advance your own life and volunteer once this is all over to help around your area, country or the globe.

Thank You,

Galveston (and all other points affected)

UT Austin Police arrive to help at UTMB to give officers that have been covering continuously since before the floods began.

The Oklahoma Army National Guard - Signal Corps left yesterday. Note the Master Sergeant to my left has a UTMB ID on. In the background are the contemplation chambers.

A New Day and Week begins

At 6:30 am the line to reenter the isle was already 2 miles long. These clouds only brought brief sprinkles. Just remember that the muck is waterproof and very slippery - sticks very well to anything touching it - shoes, flipflops, feet.

Hello everyone and good morning. Sorry that I didn't post more last night but despite decent sleep over the weekend I actually passed out for 12 hours. I am going to post some during and normal shots later so that you get an idea of the ridiculous strength of this 600 mile wide storm (the eye alone took around 3 hours to pass). Here is a link I finally was able to bring up and has some quality pictures of the devastation yielded by this storm: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/09/the_short_but_eventful_life_of.html

When you come back - remember to gas up your cars, go potty before you get here, bring lots of food (that doesn't spoil) and water, don't drink the tap water quite yet, don't waste gas, and observe the curfew.

Safety when you return is #1

Hello all. Please read the following link and its information. It has what to and not to expect on the island and at UTMB. Listed are what services are on and which aren't and where, as well as several other links for good tips.
Thanks!
Safety Tips

Some pics from around our area

Hello all. I was able to get out and about (picked up some stuff that I needed to clean up and make do with less). Below will be some pics of area damage in and around Houston. By the time that Ike hit H-town it was a weak Cat 2 hurricane, but still caused plenty o'damage.

Just a quick note on picking a generator. I chose the Honda EU series as it not only among the quietest on the market (57-59 dB depending on model size, but it is one of the most energy efficient and you can actually plug a computer straight into it (but I would suggest using a UPS in between, though). Yes, it is considerably more expensive, but you would hardly know that you have this one.

Damage typical of far too many intersections in Houston.

Trees falling down all over. One got this fence. Counting the rings of the trees on this property showed that the pines (almost all of the trees that fell on this property were pines) were 80-95 years old.

Piles of debris and treetrunks 6 foot high and more than 100 feet long left after partially cleaning up the above property.

The same property with the damage covered up temporarily (the stump showed that tree to be 80+ years old).

One houston home protects their freezers with a generator while...

Another Houstonian looks on.

The Hi_ton suffered some damage too.

The cows in the bay take a hike

Well, the right people were contacted and the contracts signed and the cows amscrayed. A special thanks to Jason S for being my lookout for this. A few other beautiful pictures of our area from a good vantage point were supplied by this information specialist.

Things are getting better. Water and sewer service are provided to a good chunk of the east end. Please remember to conserve the water as our ties to the mainland are still not solid. No open fires. Beware of the temptation to switch on power as soon as it gets to your neighborhood. That saltwater, mixed with the oily muck can easily short out everything and destroy even more. Today I had the pleasure of scouting around off of the island. Houston is still semi-crippled with the blackout causing most of the stoplights to be out. Please be careful all over in the dark as it is hard to see where the stoplights are. Remember that all stoplights that are out or are flashing red are treated as stop signs.

This is where the trickyness begins. When going home, I know it is hot and we are all used to shorts and sandals but I would implore all to wear long pants or jeans as well as socks and shoes. You'll also get fewer skeeter bites. Please, now that we are going to be in the recovery phase I can't tell you enough to be careful.

Please note that despite those that stayed in harm's way (many of which I have heard would never do it again, and many of those business owners) we were VERY lucky with the last death toll in Texas from Ike totalling 26. Please remember that you should not feel alone. We will be whole again in this area of the world.

Git them doggies

Roped in

Towing the car-cass away

Looking northeast with Pelican Island on the left and the ferry port on the upper right

Looking southeast of campus

Down Ferry Road

Hi all. Went down ferry road and saw a few things. The gas station is not doing well. The USS Stewart has run aground. The ferries will be out for a bit while the docks and ferries get repaired. Having said that, they wont be running necessarily because alot of the roadways on Bolivar are affected one way or another leaving them impassable.

The Shell station exterior did not do well, inside unknown.

UTMB from the Ferry loading docks

The Ray Stoker Jr. waits for the next time it will see service.

The USS Stewart has run aground.

A closer shot of the grounded destroyer escort.

Galveston, we will return, we will make you stronger, we will make you whole again.