Hurricane Ike

[CMT]

This has fallen off the news everywhere but the coast b/c of the mortage/financial crisis, so I thought I'd update you guys a little :)

Galveston Island is still completely closed off. There is a media blackout b/c it's so bad down there. So no residents, media, etc are permitted to visit or fly over.
They still don't have an official death toll b/c so many people waited out the storm and so many people are unaccounted for (likely their bodies were washed out to sea).
Last I'd heard, Crystal Beach was still on media blackout as well as most residents aren't sure what all they've lost.
We still have a lot of refugees in Dallas from that Galveston Island area.
A friend of mine was telling me a story that someone from her praise team at church had family there. So he drove down to try to find them and was turned away. He pulled his sea-doo off his truck and drove till he found a water inlet, then rode out to the coast. He said that what he saw was not only devastating, but disturbing :( And this is weeks after the storm :(
Here are some pics
http://www.tpicks.com/pictures%20people%20have%20sent%20me.html

[Lynette]

Are they not letting people in because the flood waters haven't receeded or it is just still too dangerous with the debris? Being out here, since they haven't had the horror stories come out in the news like they did with Katrina it makes it sound like there was a lot of hype but it didn't manifest because although I have seen one or two pics of that one house that survived on the island, you are right, the media is focused on other things right now.

[PixiesPlayhouse]

I *believe* the govt. won't let people in due to several reasons. 1 of which is the amount of bodies, the other major reason is the oil that is everywhere (they don't people to know about), thirdly is the amount of damage. It seems as if almost everything on Galveston Island is gone.

This is just my opinion.........another attempt at the Government to pull the wool over our eyes.

I will step off my soapbox now.

[Maritza]

This is so sad and devastating:(

[CMT]

I *believe* the govt. won't let people in due to several reasons. 1 of which is the amount of bodies, the other major reason is the oil that is everywhere (they don't people to know about), thirdly is the amount of damage. It seems as if almost everything on Galveston Island is gone.

This is just my opinion.........another attempt at the Government to pull the wool over our eyes.

I will step off my soapbox now.
This is correct, however I don't believe it's the gov't trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes. Many people still don't know if their family is dead or alive, and they are doing the best they can do identify bodies and notify next of kin in a respectful way rather than people finding out by seeing Great Aunt Ellie's decaying body sprawled out on the nightly news.
Also, there is still a lot of danger b/c of downed power lines and people being injured from them.
I heard the other day that the death toll might top Katrina, but I don't remember the source and I've only heard it once, so I don't yet hold that as "gospel" if you know what I mean.

Btw, the "lone house" was a house built after it was destroyed by Rita. They had it built to survive a category 5 hurricane. That's why it survived.

[erin anne]

What devastation...true we never hear about it in California anymore, so sad :(

[becky]

those photos are so sad. I can't get over the amount of damage. its amazing that out of a wide area of homes there are still a few left standing. I could barely get through the first page of photos. so so sad :(