I talked to my sister in Texas today for half an hour. She lives north of Houston about half an hour. I wanted to hear all the details of life for her right now with no electricity after hurricane Ike whipped through over the weekend. She obliged; it wasn't like she had anything better to do. LOL. She said it is 82 degrees in her house. She has no generator. She misses ice the most! She can't take a shower either. Their septic is backed up. It will be two to four weeks before power is restored to her area. There are many fallen trees on power lines. Her husband is a Houston police sergeant and he is busy working mandatory 12 hour shifts right now helping to coordinate operations.
I was so shocked when she told me that she went to the store with a neighbor today and people were in a panic. The store had no lights and only the cash registers were run by the generator. All the refrigerated items are rotten. She can't buy gas. There is no gas to be found in the Houston area. Her neighbor's generator is run on gas and they can't find gas for it. So her neighbor may run out of power at some point. That is where all their (my sister and her husband's) expensive freezer items are for the moment.
The beach houses in my family are probably o.k. They haven't been down to assess the damage yet. There is no access to the islands right now. My step dad owns a store west of Galveston and I am anxious to hear about what he will find when he goes back. He is staying at his mom's in Houston right now. He has no power there. His mom went to stay with her family in Austin, three hours away.
All I can say is thank goodness most people are alright. I am grateful to be in Iowa right now. It doesn't sound like a lot of fun for for people at the moment. I still haven't heard how my aunt in S.E. Houston is doing. Her house backs to a bayou. I am afraid of what I will find out about her house. I am sure she is fine.
I'm sending out lots of love and wishes for comfort to all those who are suffering in any way. I'm very saddened about the loss for many at Galveston Island and other places in the gulf coast area. I spent a lot of fun times there over my life and last spring.
~Heather
xoxox
The photos are from our family vacation at Crystal Beach, Texas (April 2008). I heard there was much devastation on that side of Galveston. I am sure the beach house we rented for a week at Crystal Beach is gone. We had a great time in Galveston on that trip as well.
6 comments:
Heather, I am sooo glad your family is safe, though it will be hard to be without power for such a long time.
I'll keep them in my thoughts.
What a difficult experience that must be for them. Let's hope that the clean up and return to power is quicker than anticipated and that everyone taps into their better selves so that they can comfort and support each other.
Glad to hear you family is good and that you finally got a hold off them. I saw what was left of Crystal Island today on TV and it does not look pretty.
I was thinking about you and your family during Ike's landfall. I'm glad you are here in Iowa too and I'm relieved for your sake that your family is unharmed. I hope life returns to normal more quickly than any of them expect.
Thanks for all the kind comments. I can't imagine what those rescue workers and stranded people are going through. I wish I could be there to help. But at the same time I'm glad I am not.
You have selected the best spot for your vacation trip, it's beautiful.
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