The Fearsome Unknown
The city of Galveston and Galveston County simply must develop a better system for aiding evacuees, residents who are hanging onto hope by a thread.
In the last few days, we have received scores of e-mails and calls from evacuees. They want to know the fate of loved ones they cannot find. They want to know if they have a home to return to. They want to know if their businesses survived.
That state of limbo — dealing with the fearsome unknown — is the worst part of the experience for many.
The people of Galveston, through their city council, have given Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas enormous emergency powers during the Hurricane Ike crisis. In many ways, she has handled that power admirably. However, the city is stumbling badly in its obligation to provide full, accurate and timely information.
Mayor Thomas has the power to help alleviate the problem, and she has so far failed to recognize even that there is a problem.
-snip-