Another Darwin Award Nominee from KHOU:
GALVESTON — John Benge has seen plenty of hurricanes strike Galveston Island. At 91 years old, he’s experienced every major storm to ever hit the island, except for the 1900 Storm and the Storm of 1915.
He stared down Carla, and he just scoffed at Alicia. That experience, the Galveston resident figured, gave him every right to stay at home — even as Hurricane Ike flooded the streets of the island early Friday.
He was among the estimated 40 percent of Galveston residents who stayed behind after a mandatory evacuation order was issued. Benge boarded up his home tight, stocked up on provisions and prepared for a long night, even as his family pushed him to seek shelter on the mainland.
As Ike pounded the island Friday night, Benge was taking the storm in stride.
“I’m fine, there hasn’t been anything major yet,” said Benge from his Avenue R home in central Galveston. “You can quote me, though. It’s been one heck of a blow.”
So, how does Ike compare to Carla and Alicia?
“Oh, I’d say they are all about the same,” chuckled Benge.
Then again, he made the comparison hours before Ike’s strongest winds – and storm surge – paid Galveston a visit.
Good grief. I just looked on a map and he lives a block from the gulf.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/13/us/13galveston.html?ref=us
GALVESTON, Tex. — As the storm surge from Hurricane Ike began battering the island of Galveston and officials warned that “certain death” awaited anyone who failed to evacuate, a reckless and stubborn bunch ignored the warnings.
“We never punked out before. Why start now?” said Marie Creasy, the owner of the Poop Deck, a biker bar just stumbling distance from the waterfront. She said her patrons had a proud, defiant and downright stupid tradition to uphold. “We’re not about to break our streak over some Category 2 nonsense.”
Down on the sea wall, Robert Shumake laughed when asked why he had not left the island. Walking with the American flag on a four-foot pole, Mr. Shumake said he had not broken his routine in seven years and, “by golly,” he was not going to deviate now.
Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, he said, he has not missed a day of his morning ritual of walking along the shore carrying the flag. “This is nature meets the proud United States of America, and my US of A is going to win,” Mr. Shumake said.
more @ link above.......
A 91 year old man hardly qualifies for a Darwin Award. Think about it.
http://www.gcoem.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=46
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