Today is Tuesday, September 16. Four days ago Hurricane Ike plowed its way through Galveston, Houston, and a large swath of coastal east Texas. It was my first hurricane, and I lived to tell about it--so I shall. But I won't bore you with the statistics or the pictures of devastation. You can turn into any national news channel or the Internet and see that for yourself. I'd rather share my thoughts and feelings about what has happened and what is happening in the aftermath. (Yes, I have a feminine side...now be quiet and read!)
I had to work during Ike. Not like it would have made any difference if I was home. I certainly wouldn't have gotten any sleep. So staying awake most of the night while the storm raged outside wasn't the issue. The problem for me was leaving my wife home alone with the dogs while I went off to work. It's unnerving knowing that if something goes wrong, you're not there to help, or at least provide some small modicum of support.
I've survived blizzards in Colorado that left people housebound for days. We were in Houston when tropical storm Allison flooded major portions of the city in 2002. Ike was completely different. I've never seen nature so angry before. I had joked with people about "horizontal rain" before. I won't do that anymore. Watching the wind spray water past you that fast is disturbing, especially when it starts coming under doors, in windows, and through ceilings.
I learned that you have to change your mindset after a storm like this. Traditional rules go out the window. On my way back to my office downtown I was yelling at a guy who was driving the wrong way on a feeder road. When I made the curve I saw he had no choice--the road was flooded out. By the time I got home I had used freeway entrance ramps as exit ramps (and vice versa) and driven down the left side of the road on a one-way street to avoid putting my company's vehicle into the middle of an impromptu swimming pool on Highway 59. I'll bet some people yelled at me too. It's okay, turnabout is fair play.
I found out how blessed I really am. I saw downtown Houston right after Ike waved bye-bye and headed towards Dallas. Glass windows were blown out of buildings. Trees were uprooted and toppled to the ground. Power was out, and water was unavailable. PIctures from other areas of Houston showed even more serious damage. Some locations were literally scoured bare by wind and water. The media was telling people to expect outages of up to three weeks. I had to work in a building with minimal lighting, no air conditioning, and serious water damage. It was miserable. After putting in a serious amount of overtime, I went home to no power and no air conditioning...but I had no water damage, lost a handfull of shingles from my roof, and had the small tree in our front yard blow over. WIthin a day, our power was back. I was able to drive into work with a minimal amount of rerouting. And our families were safe and healthy.
I can't speak for the national media, but I've gained a little more respect for our local television and radio stations. They've bent over backwards to stay on the air, relaying information concerning supplies and assistance. Instead of reporting on the few idiots who are selfish enough to take what they want at the expense of their fellow man, they've focused on the dozens of stories of courage and decency, with people helping people and sacrificing their convenience and comfort to assist those less fortunate.
I salute the brave men and women of our police and fire departments for their service to our communities during the height of the storm. I salute the military and especially the Coast Guard for braving the elements and rescuing those too infirm, too stubborn, or too inebriated to evacuate when they were told to. I salute the hard-working employees of the public and private utility companies who are working tirelessly to reestablish electical power, water services, and other needed utilities to our communities. And a special thanks to those who are coming in from other parts of the country to help us get back on our feet.
I'm being reminded that for all the faults of its population, the Houston area has some of the nicest, friendliest people in the country. In spite of the stresses, people are still saying hello. They're talking to their neighbors a little more. They're checking in on strangers down the street and around the block. And they're rolling up their sleeves and volunteering their time to clean up, repair, and get the area back to where it belongs.
Finally, I've relearned something that we keep hearing over and over again: You can replace things. You can't replace people. As I hug my wife and pet my dogs, and talk to my kids on the phone, I realize this is a truth that will always be. I'm just glad to be alive and well after Ike.
