The enlargement shows classic eyewall damage. The water comes ashore with velocity, and being heavy, it breaks things. One the structure's integrity is lost, the wind and surf together remove the debris.
Though this may seem insensitive, I've seen worse. There's a lot of telephone poles still standing in that photo. Higher winds snap them off at ground level. Andrew took reinforced concrete. Katrina did too.
I imagined before the storm that this is what would happen to Sabine and Sabine Pass. The term I think I used was "vaporize". The storm came ashore a little east of east of the predictions, and Cameron got it instead. Well, maybe not instead, because I haven't seen damage reports from Sabine yet.
Another place that I haven't heard from that may have been hit pretty hard is Orange.
We'll see what turns up today, when there will be real assesment. I rarely expect any kind of comprehensive overview until landfall plus 24 hours, and that can vary depending on when during the diurnal cycle the storm comes ashore.
(O/T, company coming, I'll be off for a few hours, and will be back sometime this evening.)
Got a call from Crystal Beach TX this evening from a state employee delivering supplies.
There is one main power line from Port Arthur/ Beaumont area that supplies the Bolivar peninsula. The entire line is down, with all poles needing to be replaced. They estimate two months for power all the way down to Port Bolivar.
Lots of damage around High Island, which was closer to the eye wall. Lots of homes without shingles.
Crystal Beach has damage, but a friends' beach house (on stilts) suffered only minor damage.
He is trying to get to Port Arthur this week to check on a few homes. Has heard that the damage was sporadic along Sabine Lake. Port Arthur TV stations were knocked off air. Could have been much worse. No water pressure in most parts of Port Arthur.
There is a video on the MSM that was shot from someone inside a house that got Rita storm surge of up to at least 1/2 of their first story. Video shot inside large room with large open windows. Cameraman apparently standing on some furniture. The water looked downright dangerous. Lots of energy. Short powerful waves moving 500 to 1,000 gallons around in random directions.