Ike & Me 9/27/08

No real lesson here... just letting it out...

Life has been SO extremely hectic since just before IKE - as we made preparations at work, and then, of course, at home. I have worked every day since the storm & I'm absolutely spent. Yet, I can't sleep... so I write:

We evacuated when we saw the surge coming in early - since our area has had a history of flooding in the past. Wasn't really worried about our home so much, but didn't want to get stranded with no power or water - and no way to get out. Anyway - we evacuated to Eastland, TX - where my corporate office is. A colleague of mine was so generous in offering us his lake house on Lake Leon (about 100 miles west of Ft. Worth - toward Abilene)... so off we went, with Mom & Dad & Dogs in tow. (The kids were all strewn about - Bri went to the Valley near Mexico with friends, Lauren went with Simone to their Aunt Stella's to ride out the storm with her, Blake went on a golfing trip with his dad, and Taylor stayed with her mom and rode out the storm) ANYWAY, working for a disaster response company meant that I started working remotely even as the hurricane was roaring onto land - as we were first responders to UTMB in Galveston. We enjoyed our little hurrication, feeling just the outer bands of the storm as it made it's way north - none of the rain, amazing clouds and the occasional high gusts of wind made for a lovely day. We totally enjoyed the tranquility of the lake, but admittedly, it was difficult to relax as we wondered how our home faired, as well as the homes of our friends & loved ones.... thank goodness for Fox News that kept us up to date. We were able to text with those who stayed home and send them updates on what was going on - since they were obviously without power for the most part.

Anyway... we got home on the Monday, post-Ike, just 30 minutes after power had been restored on our street, so Thank God we were never without power - although we lost everything in our fridge/freezer... at least we didn't have to 'camp' in our own home like so many others did and are still doing all over town. We were blessed to find that we only suffered minor roof damage, lost our fence and our trees & flowers have lost all their glory. Not too bad, in the big picture.

As I mentioned, working for a disaster response company, meant working when others were not.... and through that I had a security pass to get into the devastated areas. Can I just say wow... wow.... WOW! And not in a good way. It is SO sobering to see that kind of destruction. The camera, and even video footage, just cannot capture what it feels like to see something like that! That everywhere your eye can see is destroyed on some level. To see boats on the freeway, piers on the road, dead seagulls, squirrels, cows... I think the most horrific thing I saw was a drowned dog who had been tied to a tree in his front yard - having never been given a chance to survive. Boy, was I mad! And the smell. Nothing can describe the smell down there. Nothing! And then as the days wear on, all the vegetation begins to die and turn to straw-like brown. Driving around on the deserted streets with not even a dog walking, power lines & debris in the road - sometimes having to drive on sidewalks to get through. It really is a humbling, sobering and surreal experience... and it starts to get to you.

I have spent the last 2 weeks going into the storm ravaged areas - obviously to see what kind of help we, as a company with relief/restoration resources, can offer.... but in that effort meeting people who have lost much, sometimes everything. Living in this area, there is almost nobody who went untouched by Ike. But it's really tough when you meet somebody who has lost almost everything. Nonetheless, the human spirit is amazing! I met Ted last Saturday. I went over to Baytown, and at the foot of the bridge is a little marina. You can see the boats as you cross, they are still mostly attached to the pier where they were docked. Except now the pier is about 50 yards inland, and the boats are crazy-piled up on the land. Ted lived on his boat, and has lost everything. Apparently nobody had yet been to the little forgotten marina to see about it... and Ted greeted me with a shotgun (I guess he didn't lose EVERYTHING). Nice. When I introduced myself, and told him what I was doing... and asked him if he needed something... this big, burly, unshaven man began to weep. He just wanted water and food. I had a half empty bottle of water in the car - which he was grateful for and I called the authorities to let them know he was there. I have since taken food, water & ice to Ted several times. I just had to. The nearest FEMA station is several miles away, and Ted doesn't have a car. He is now being paid by the city to be the security guard at the marina. This man who first greeted me with a shotgun, now greets me as a friend - with heartfelt handshake and a smile.

I met Betty on the courthouse steps in Chambers County. Her home is a pile of rubble. Literally. She lost her dog to the storm. She was volunteering and giving direction to those needing assistance, and to workers/contractors like myself. When I commended her for volunteering when she, herself, had lost so much - she replied, 'I'm a Republican. Country first!" Wow.

There are so many stories everywhere - on the news, on the radio, and just in random conversations - of people helping people, of long time neighbors getting to know each other for the first time, of kids playing outside like in the 'old days' instead of watching tv & playing video games, families playing games with each other & actually talking, stories of what it was like during the storm, of loss, of tragedy, of miracles.

The first week was so weird. Grocery stores only letting 4-5 patrons in at a time, only to find there was no produce, no meat, no dairy - and virtually empty shelves. Long lines at the few gas stations that actually had gas. The endless lines at the Home Depot - with the employees asking you (in the line outside to get in - as they also let only a few in at a time) what you're there to buy - just to let you know they're out of it. The crazy random grids of no power - even as far away as Huntsville (which, by the way, is about 2 hours North of Galveston for those of you not familiar). Stores not open. No fast food. Curfews. And a strange darkness at night, with the hum of generators. To me, it was reminiscent of what you see in movies. Just weird.... and a bit creepy.

Week 2 brought back some sense of normality to the less impacted parts of our city (meaning the whole Metropolitan area of Houston/Galveston) as power was being restored. At work, you can't even imagine the level of nuts we're experiencing. I've been pretty impressed with my company - as this is my first time to be a part of a response effort of this magnitude (it is the 2nd largest response for my company - 2nd only to Katrina). We have mobilized about 150 (maybe more - not even sure at this point) personnel to respond - as well as equipment - and many of them are sleeping in cots in our shop and training areas, because there are no vacancies in hotels. Our office of about 6-10 people on a normal basis, is now filled with what seems like 50 people crawling all over each other, with nerves exposed. The frustration level at the amount of work, the hours required, and the fact that so many of our people have their own damage at home to deal with is starting to get to us all.

This week, my daughter, Bri came to work there, too.... I'm pretty proud of how she has stepped in and been a big help. She is, believe it or not, cleaning up after all those men who are bunking at our shop - making their beds, cleaning up after their breakfast, the bathrooms, the garbage, etc.... and then helping out with all the paperwork in the office. Like I said - she's doing a great job, and momma's proud. :) AND she loves it! Just ask her! Since her Coast Guard plans have been delayed until January - it was killing her to not be a part of all they are doing in search & rescue/law enforcement, etc.... so this little job made her feel like she's contributing in a way.

This past week also brought my friend Jenn, and her 2 girls (Jordan & Aryn), along with their dog, Gus to our home. Their family was still without power, so while her husband and son stayed home to deal with the damaged trees and such, they stayed with us. It was so wonderful having her & catching up on girl talk, loving on her baby (whom I had never met) and playing dress up with Jordan. Not to mention the fact that she cooked dinner every night!! I was selfishly unhappy when power was finally restored for them on Thursday. :)

So today marks 2 weeks since the hurricane hit. It feels like a month, at least. I'm exhausted, but I have so much on my mind.... from just the burden of all that's going on around here... I have long loved Galveston Island... it's beaches brought solace many times during some very dark days in my life. It's not the prettiest beach in the world - not by a long shot - yet I love the island! It hurts to see her broken. My heart breaks for the people there and all over who have lost so much. Yes, for the most part it's just stuff... but it was THEIR stuff. And our stuff... all of us who live here. The loss of landmarks such as Brennan's and the legendary Balinese Room, Crystal Beach... For those who haven't gone down to the hardest hit areas... I encourage you to do so as it becomes safer. If for no other reason than to count your blessings. It's an awesome and humbling experience to see the effects of the forces nature at their most fearsome.

Back to the exhausted part - I'm not sure why I can't sleep... it's all going around in my head... from the hurricane stuff, to the economic crisis, to the Presidential debates that I only caught part of, to the fact that I still haven't watched the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy (lovin' my DVR), to the yardwork we need to do, to the fact that we're hosting a little get-together at our house this evening... and my house looks like a HURRICANE HIT IT. :( I've been needing to journal about these events - it's how I sort through things... so now that all that has been said.... I guess I'll get to work on the last thing on that list!

I am tired.... but I am blessed!