Thirty to fifty percent full breaches, unobstructed flow from ocean to bay.
No real reason to expect any different, from Lake Charles to Freeport, except High Island and downtown Galveston, which were higher and less susceptible to surge.
America wakes up to some hard news tomorrow, not much way around that.
Some will try to use this to further their own agendas. We need to see them coming and be ready to prevent them from profiting on others’ losses. Some others will not be able to deal with the bad news, and create disruption without personal benefit.
For the sake of those still needing help, and those perhaps under the gun from Ike-related severe weather elsewhere, information still needs to flow smoothly, here, in this thread.
Ping me if you see the need, and you already know who else you can count on around here.
No matter how you slice it, Houston and Galveston largely survived. That’s worth something. More than five million people, and a whole city worth of infrastructure, that’s worth a lot.
Ike was a big storm, we’re going to pay a price, and that price is going to hurt.
But it could have been a lot worse.
You never know till you know for sure. There’s no telling how many people tried to weather the storm out on the barrier islands, and how many others left days early. Even those that did stay, well, a LOT of people in past storms, have been spilled out of disintegrating barrier island homes, washed clear across the bay on floating debris, and fetched up miles away wet, exhausted...and alive. Way more than I’d ever expect.
No matter how ugly or how miraculously lucky tomorrow turns out to be, it could have been a LOT worse. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
Hang in there. This too will pass.
For me, it can’t pass soon enough. At this particular moment, there is an absolutely torrential rainstorm going on where we live. Every time I hear the wind speed up a little bit, I wonder “Is this finally the tornado that will get us?” I’m getting a tad paranoid maybe, but I prefer to think of it as what a friend of mine calls “a healthy fear.”
I looked up an old Eurythmics song that goes:
“Here comes the rain again
Raining in my head like a tragedy
Tearing me apart like a new emotion”
If this storm keeps up at its present rate, we’ll probably lose power and I’ll be back joining the others who are FReeping on cell phones and PDAs. Thanks to everyone who is courteous about keeping graphics to a minimal size — they’re a nightmare to download on the Edge network!
Gonna hit the Post button quick...
The various links you have all provided are wonderful & enlightening.
I am not a doomsday person as most who know me can attest.
I think there is going to be revelation of significant loss of life found in next days..many will be never found. I pray I am wrong, but the information we can all observe gives us pretty strong indications this is the case & that this is officially known/believed & has been worked on by the local powers that be.
We need to prepare for this mentally and understand the profound impact this will have for those who live & survived in the area as well as the rest of the nation that has any type of connection to the area.
With the heat & bad weather the bodies that are recovered must be dealt with properly & quickly to prevent potential disease.
thinking of the mega work needed with not just power restoration but all the other things that will restore a semblance of normalcy for the residence is mind boggling. Clean up, officials & military presence, school, work, insurance/no insurance, emotional & mental health in days ahead, medical access, transportation, all the issues revolving no power.
Prayers continue for the residents present or evacuated & all the rescue/military/govt workers helping plus the legion of volunteer help in official agencies & church groups that will be there to help.
thanks for your excellent posts