We are still in Colorado, winding down from our summer in the mountains, when Hurricane Ike takes a nasty turn north. It's an uncomfortable feeling to wish a hurricane would hit someone else. You know it's going to get somebody, why me? Right?
With the storm heading straight for Galveston, frantic phone calls are made to try to get somebody to secure the house. As a mandatory evacuation is quickly called, there's only 24 hours or so to get ready. Since everybody on the island is trying to secure his own place, all I could get done was plywood over the doors and pool furniture in the garage. Then it's just sit and wait.
The next morning it's all over the news. A storm the size of the state of Texas has made a direct hit on where we call home. It was either a strong Category 2 or 'weak' Category 3, depending on where the wind speed was measured. But what clearly set this storm apart was its storm surge. Although it did not reach the dreaded twenty feet some had predicted, it was over ten and massive in size. Information is still coming in as we try to plan our next step. There's talk of keeping people off the island for a while, so an argument can be made to simply stay put.
But there's a homing drive that's part of the human condition. There's an urge to get back, even in the face of danger. People hate the unknown, and we're no different. We have to get closer.
With the storm heading straight for Galveston, frantic phone calls are made to try to get somebody to secure the house. As a mandatory evacuation is quickly called, there's only 24 hours or so to get ready. Since everybody on the island is trying to secure his own place, all I could get done was plywood over the doors and pool furniture in the garage. Then it's just sit and wait.
The next morning it's all over the news. A storm the size of the state of Texas has made a direct hit on where we call home. It was either a strong Category 2 or 'weak' Category 3, depending on where the wind speed was measured. But what clearly set this storm apart was its storm surge. Although it did not reach the dreaded twenty feet some had predicted, it was over ten and massive in size. Information is still coming in as we try to plan our next step. There's talk of keeping people off the island for a while, so an argument can be made to simply stay put.
But there's a homing drive that's part of the human condition. There's an urge to get back, even in the face of danger. People hate the unknown, and we're no different. We have to get closer.
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