Trees taken by Ike

The morning after Hurricane Ike swept across Houston, we tentatively ventured outside to see what damage had been wrought by the strong winds of this storm. We were very fortunate to only lose electrical power for nearly one week -- no damage to our home (at least that we have spied). We once had a large stately Water Oak tree in front of our home -- but since it was "overly mature" and had begun to randomly drop heavy limbs (no winds, no rain, just limbs falling to the ground), we made the difficult decision to have the tree taken down this summer. There is no telling what Ike may have done with our old Oak tree ... if given the chance.

The photo above shows a sister to our Water Oak. The dramatic view of limbs blown down by Hurricane Ike is repeated throughout our neighborhood.
Below is another photo of a tree blown over by Ike's storm. Isn't it odd how the St. Augustine grass came up with the tree and roots?

These photos are common images seen not only in our neighborhood but all along the path that Hurricane Ike traveled. We are fortunate that so many of these trees came down into streets and yards, rather than on top of houses and cars. However there are many with have roof damage and other casualties from the havoc wreaked by Ike. May they all find the means to recover from the extensive damages suffered.

In many ways, not having electricity was a blessing -- we had no television or cable to see the many horrific images broadcast on television in those first few days after the storm. There were many images in the Houston Chronicle, our newspaper, which resumed publication one day after the storm.

My friend Mary Ann captures the feeling of life-post-Ike accurately in her blog. Please click here to learn more about life after Ike. Although without electricity for several days, we discovered friends who had power within hours after Ike blew past. Friends and neighbors have all been generous in looking out for one another. A cool front also came to town when we needed it most. What a welcome sight it was to wander by local restaurants and grocery stores and discover that they were open again! When our electricity was restored, our neighbors across the street were not as lucky, so immediately we filled our empty freezer with containers of water -- making ice to share as the weather began to warm up again. There are still several homes across the city without power -- it is an odd hit-or-miss situation. The schools are in a similar situation. Tomorrow, some of the public schools in HISD will reopen their doors for the first time since Sept. 12, but alas our elementary school is not. It is listed as "pending" ... perhaps we will reopen on Thursday .....

Evacuate or Stay?

I have had the opportunity to "hunker down" and wait out a hurricane before, and have always chosen to evacuate. The first time was in 1988 when Hurricane Gilbert was heading toward Brownsville, Texas. I fled with my Bernina and my photographs, leaving my sweet husband behind to "man" one of the evacuation shelters in town. We were fortunate. Gilbert made landfall south of Brownsville, in Mexican farmlands -- damage and injuries were small in Brownsville. I returned in a few days to discover my dear husband had rearranged all the furniture as he unpacked (we had piled everything high, as we feared possible flooding). From this experience, we learned all about renter's insurance and flood insurance.


My second brush with a hurricane came when Hurricane Rita was predicted to hit Galveston and Houston in 2005. Emotions were high as everyone in Houston had been busy helping the Katrina evacuees from New Orleans. I loaded up my car with my two boys, my Bernina, photo albums and favorite quilts and fled to Austin. My husband decided to flee this time too (err, evacuate), but he missed a crucial turn on the highway, and ended up going a different route. Fortunately I brought bottled water and snacks in the car as that trip to Austin (typically a 3 hour drive) took over 20 hours to complete! We were part of the world's largest traffic jam. My husband's route was much more congested. After 13 hours of driving, he was still inside Houston city limits. At Beltway 8, he exited the highway and returned home. Again, we were fortunate in Houston -- Rita made landfall further east, causing much damage and destruction to areas still recovering from the earlier hurricanes that year, Katrina primarily.


Hurricane Ike has been my third hurricane to experience -- originally expected to hit land near Houston, forecasters changed their predictions to locations further south and west, reverting back to a Houston/Galveston landfall just two days before the storm was due to arrive. The traffic jam of the Rita evacuation was still a strong memory, so we decided to stay this time and "shelter in place" or "hunker down" at home. The first time I do not evacuate, the hurricane does not change path, swinging neither to the west nor to the east. Landfall was on the eastern edge of Galveston, Houston sustained massive damage -- primarily the loss of electricity across the city, the nation's fourth largest, due to trees blown down by the hurricane force winds (for images, click here). All in all, our home suffered minor damage, for which we are quite extremely grateful.


What will I decide to do the next time a hurricane is predicted to come my way? I cannot say -- perhaps I will evacuate -- or perhaps I will hunker down again and wait out the fury of the storm .... in my home ....

Should I flee -- here is an evacuation check list to refer to .... hopefully in the far and distant future ... if ever...