I live just outside of Bridge City and work in a school that had 5 feet of water cover everything. We are now and will be in portable buildings for at least 2 more years. I have to say that family and friends have worked together to clean up and rebuild and THAT is the reason people come back to rebuild. It is not the town, but the people who make up the town. By the way, don't forget Orange and West Orange. My mom lost her home of 41 years that had NEVER seen water in the yard even. Bridge City is not a beach town. We drive at least an hour to see a beach.

My family lives in the La Marque/Texas City area and I think we were incredibly lucky. No flooding, or house damage, mine or my inlaws. However, the news seemed to completely forget about this area. Texas City procuces over 50% of the nations gas and diesel. That is ok because like others in this great state, we just got busy and dealt with it. We need to secede, or however you spell it.

As a former Galvestonian who moved one year prior to Ike I am so proud of the town and people of Galveston for doing such a great job in rebounding.

These photos illustrate the faith, determination and will-power of Texans!

Just back in my Bridge City home after all those months in a FEMA trailer and glad to have it!!!! Our town is up and running!!!! So thankful for all the help that came our way from other states, mid county area, everyone!!! God is so good!! We;ve never had a surge and don't want to be around if we have anymore!!

We were only without power for 12 days (no property loss) but we still feel our scares as if they are fresh. I had no idea that trauma like this could be so deep and harmful. God help the people who sufferred more than we did!

Galveston with all its problems still has more character and charm than most places in metro Houston. It's a real city with a real downtown, one that is coming back. They've taken a huge hit and the civic spirit there is just amazing. I like Galveston so much I am planning on moving there later this year, leaving Houston. Unlike what much of America has become, it feels like a real place. Yes, it's got real challenges too, but at least there is a beating heart there. That's more than you can say for a lot of Suburb USA.

JUST FASCINATING! THE GALVESTONIANS ARE TO BE COMMENDED FOR ALL THEIR COURAGE, FORTIFIED AND HARD WORK. I HAVE BEEN GOING TO GALVESTON FOR THE FUN AND SUN SINCE MY HIGH SCHOOL DAYS, AND JUST CELEBRATED MY 60TH HIGH SCHOOL REUNION THIS WEEKEND (9/19/09)

JUST FASCINATING! THE GALVESTONIANS ARE TO BE COMMENDED FOR ALL THEIR COURAGE, FORTIFIED AND HARD WORK. I HAVE BEEN GOING TO GALVESTON FOR THE FUN AND SUN SINCE MY HIGH SCHOOL DAYS, AND JUST CELEBRATED MY 60TH HIGH SCHOOL REUNION THIS WEEKEND (9/19/09)

To Peter and any others who claim "racism" at the drop of a hat....nope this is just plain get off your duff ism. You said it when you said the blacks in NO live off government handouts all the time so of course it's the "man's" fault that they didn't get taken care of again. You are an idiot..I know these TX people and many have no more than the poverty level but they have strong backs and minds and use both just as people in the Midwest do after a tornado....why out of all the disasters is Katrina the only one that the people have not pulled up their socks and rebuilt? That's not racism, that's just a fact!

Geez - even a devastating hurricane brings out the race card! If you're not a Texan, you won't ever, ever, E*V*E*R get it! All you Texans (black, white, latino, whatever.....) who commented - you know what you're talking about. God bless ALL!!

I am writing this to Peter (Comment #139)...Your comment was the first comment about race that I read while scrolling through the comments. I think that the point that people are trying to make is that if you are used to handouts, if you are used to depemding on the government for everything, that when there is a disaster like a major hurricane, you look to the government to fix the situation. Have you heard the saying "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime". People's dependance on governement support and subsidies does them more harm than good.

Wonderful pictures. I have lived in Houston for 57 years. Everytime Galveston receives heavy damage they rebuild, no complaints, they just rebuild. I have so many good memories of Galveston. Texas would not be the same without Galveston. Thank you citizens of Galveston for loving your city so much! I just read Issac's Storm. Another true story of the citizens of Galveston making a comeback under terrible circumstances. I admire all of you who live there and care so much for your city. I also understand why some of the folks could not rebuild. We should walk a mile in their shoes before we judge anyone.

Katrina ficou grávida do José Mayer...

Peter, real racism is displayed in the chronic whining of those in New Orleans, mostly blacks, and you can be politically correct or acknowledge it for the reality it is. They blamed everything on George Bush and they are still sitting around waiting for, not only government handouts, but for someone to physically do it for them.
Most of these people were on government handouts before the storm hit and if they had any pride they would not have been on wlefare in the first place. That is the difference in blacks and whites. Whites work and blacks want the goverment to take care of them. That is the bottom line..

I rode out the storm in Angleton Tx, luckily we did not take the worst of it but we still got hit hard. Nothing makes me prouder than to see the spirit and determination of those who live on the coast, to bring back the wonderful, electic voices of those on the Gulf Coast. Welcome back Galveston! We missed you.

To # 197 What jerks are you talking about? If/ when the rapture does come believe me you won't be in any condition to help anyone, especially yourself! And to think that the US has men and women dying so that you can say stupid things like "this country sucks". You need to live somewhere far, far, far, away from this country. Maybe when you don't have all the freedoms you have here, you'll get it. You don't appreciate the way of life your living in the greatest country in the world! LEAVE IT, don't blame it!

i am from galveston, now living in houston. the house that my parents built, on bayou shore drive, was only half there. the whole back, which faced the bayou was gone, and the garage door pried up, as though a giant can opener had peeled it back. it made me see how much i had loved that house, and wished that it was still mine. it stood through carla, although filled with water. ike came right up the backside, and now it is gone forever...i still have it in my heart though. susan

#188 Here is a story about the lion (and a tiger) that rode out IKE

http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?wcd=130688

I am 58 years old, live in winnie with my son on our little farm. We stayed, rode the storm, always do, have livestock to take care of. The wind was still blowing when we went to check on our neighbors property and animals. Within the hour we were flooded badly. Within hours of the wind dying down, with the area flooded we were back at work doing what had to be done. It is not a racial, nor a NO vs Texas thing, it is a matter of character. When FEMA and the rest of everyone that got here to help, God Bless them all, they walked into a community that was already cleaning up, making sure everyone was getting fed, including the folks from high island and Bolivar penn. Their assistance was welcomed, it gave us time to get back to dealing with cleaning up and taking care of thousands of mislplaced livestock. It is a spirit thing, I do not think it is fair to compare the drive and independence of rural people in this area to the urban people of this area. We are totally different in a number of ways. We are generally taking care of each other anyway, we don't depend of the Govt because we have always known them to be slow and cumbersome. as for cleaning up, what else do we have to do while waiting for the utility services to return. It's our property, livestock etc. we are used to doing it this way, this country was founded by people that thought this way. Independence is a state of mind, not income. We thank everyone for the prayers, the help and the support. Great review of things. Peace and light.

que onday wey!

As a Bridge City resident I only had a little over 3 feet of water in my house that left only about a foot of swamp mud when it subsided. My slab is elevation 9'-3", 15” above the hundred year flood plain of 8’-0”, so technically, I'm not "in" the flood plain. Less than 20% of the homes in Bridge City are "in" the flood plain, yet less than 5% of the homes escaped this flood.

Now, before we discuss whether or not we should re-build here, we need to get a clear picture of what this particular flood really means. This flood was nearly 6 feet above the record flood (1913 Storm) at this point on the Sabine River tributary system and that record was only 6.5 feet above MLT. If you think about that just a little this flood nearly doubled the all time record and exceeded the Hundred Year Flood Plane by over 4 feet. In the previous record flood, water would not have reached the road I live on, much less my house. As floods go in this area, this was/is an anomaly that NEVER happened before, and may never happen again. Re-building here makes as much sense as it ever did to build anywhere with storms, tornadoes, blizzards, earthquakes, fires, etc.

Now to New Orleans; many of the houses that flooded were not just below the flood plain, they were/are below sea level on a normal day. Without pumps to continually pump water out of the levee basin, much of the city would ALWAYS be under water. That’s why the flood lasted so long in NO, they first had to fix the levees, and then fix the pumps, then pump the water out. BTW, the pumps run on electricity, electricity is usually out during a storm, so when you need them the most the pumps aren’t there. Building homes where the normal level of the surrounding water is above the floor level is … well … less than intelligent. Re-building those homes is even less so.

Another point just for information, less than a third of the homes and about 10% of the businesses in Bridge City were covered by flood insurance. Most of us are just doing what we can to put back what we need; some of us with insurance are helping out those that don’t. Are we done, not even close. A trip down Texas Ave. through the middle of town and it looks like everything is cool, but take a turn through nearly any neighborhood and you’ll find homes still empty, still broken. You’ll find people putting their houses back one sheet of drywall a paycheck, still camped out in travel trailers. You’ll find retired couples, swallowing their pride to let a local church repair their lifelong home. You’ll still find the local football team volunteering to help folks gut their damaged homes. You’ll find long-haired biker trash, all tatted up, helping a single mom float and tape the drywall that the local Boy Scout troop installed last month. You’ll find regular old folks, doing what they can to be regular old folks and maybe help out regular old folks. I don’t know if that’s any better or worse than it is anywhere else, but that’s the way it is here. So yeah, I re-built here, I like it here.

It's hard to believe that just one year ago we were waiting to be able to get back into Bridge City to see the damage. I want to thank all the people who took the time to come to Bridge City and feed our families, offer help, and give encouragement. I also want to point out that people from all over the USA came to our town and pitched-in.
Maybe you can go back and make your slide show (which was the best I have seen) and show the before, after, and recovered.

ok... well... from what i can see some people on here are uneducated.

yes the people in New Orleans are mostly black.. but here in Texas, it is not just white people. in my hometown of Alvin which is 20 mins from Galveston... it is a mostly Hispanic town. In Galveston there is a HUGE diversity of people. yes there are a lot of white people, but there are almost the same amount of whites as there are of blacks and hispanics. plus you should think about this. MOST of the area that got hit the hardest were places that the ELDERLY live. my grandparents place being one of them. so before you idiots go around saying people are playing the race card and all that bull ... you need to really educate yourself in the area that these things happened. i have!

[and for yal that live in LA... get a new mayor that doesnt have his head up his butt... the man is an IDIOT!]

1982 The Core of Engineers told Green Peace that after more than a decade of court cost, appearances, pleading, facts, sysmagraphic readings, that they would no longer be paraded into court by them using tax payer dollars to save the wet lands instead of reinforcing the levy in New Orleans. That not IF but WHEN the levy breaks the dead would be on their concience. Green Peace exploited a victory (that would pave the way for the farce now known as Global Warming). New Orleans took 5million that was supposed to reinforce the levy & spent it on refurbishing their Mardi Gra fountain. The people in New Orleans were told, & pleaded with to leave. It was all over the news... remember?The Levy broke due to Katrina, lives were lost because of it ALL, together. Did anyone see Green Peace coming in with tax payer dollars to try help the very thing they worked so hard to insure??? I don't think so. 4 years later every single time the Gov't aka; taxpayers, tell the New Orleans folk the benifits are going to stop they threaten lawsuits based on race.(the asians there cleaned up & rebuilt in one year, so did my family, the coon asses otherwise known as cajuns but we're not) Mississippi was devasted, along with many,many, towns. New Orleans is small,down right tiny & because of the race card they got 3/4 of the FEMA money & spent it on luxuries & room service. I have been to Nu Awlins since & I cant figure out WHAT THEY'RE DOIN' WITH THE MONEY THEY GOT BECAUSE IT SURE ISNT TO CLEAN UP & REBUILD. THIS IS A FACT. All that I have writen is public knowledge. I will not, & have not spent a dime in that town because my tax dollars are enough. I' m sick of the this racist garbage thats soul purpose is to take from those that do to give to those that don't.
Rita wiped out my daughter, & granddaughter, my dad, step mother, grandma, & aunt were put on the streets for two months. Ike left my 89 year old grndmother homeless for the first time in her life. (she's worked since she was 12) She lived in Bridge City Texas where only 14 out of 3500 homes survived. SHe literally had one pair of shoes & my aunt had the clothes on her back. Body count minimul because they didnt HANG AROUND TO DO WHAT EVER SOME PEOPLE DO WHEN THEY KNOW KNOWONE IS HOME OR COMING BACK FOR AWHILE. (we watched the looting on TV in N.O. remember) They left when told to by people who knew to leave REGARDLESS OF COLOR.
My boss & his wife slept in their store for weeks, homeless. They lived in Crystal Beach,TX. San Leon,TX nearly got wiped off the map along with my town Bacliff. & the stories, real life, documented, bonified stories of tragedy & triumph can go on & on. We, TEXAS, were told we had to do it ourselves, this wasnt gonna be "NEW ORLEANS" FEMA. & TEXAS could take care of itself. Translated to me...You guys are tough N. O. isn't. (I would be ashamed if someone told me I was too weak to do anything on my own & i will need assistance. I dont have the mentality for laziness.)
Texans, of all colors, aren't and never will be a bunch of ...in for our selves, whats in for me, what can I get, snivilin', gimme, racist crying babies. We knew what we had to do & we didnt take time to be told or sit & wait. most of us were out the morning we quit hearing the rain & storm & assest the situation, made a plan & started cleaning up. I pray for all my brothers & sisters from the north & the south, east & west that ever ever gets hit by natural disasters that our father keeps us all in his protection, & that no one race has a monopoly on help. WE ARE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT....LIKE IT OR NOT.....

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO MATICULOUSLY ALIGN THE PHOTOS & CREATIVELY CONCEIVE THE FADE INTO EFFECT. I KNOW EVERY AREA YOU SHOWED & THEN SOME. IT WAS DEVISTATING. ALL THAT SUFFEER A NATURAL DISASTER HAVE BEEN DEVISTATED, BUT SOME OF US CHOOSE TO BE VICTORS & SOME CHOOSE TO VICTUMS. CHARACTER DECIDES WHICH. ALSO I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR DEPICTING MY LONG TIME FRIEND TOMMY...HE WORKED HARD ON HIS RESTARAUNT BEFORE & AFTER. HE TRUELY IS SOME ONE THAT HELPS ANY & EVERYONE HE SEES THAT NEEDS HELP REGARDLESS OF HIS OWN PERIL. I SAW HIM REBUILDING IN THE BOGGY WEATHER, SWEATING, TIRED, ON & ON, & HE STILL OFFERED US HELP, A SMILE, & SOMETHING COLD TO DRINK. I HOPE IF YOU VISIT GALVESTON, YOU WILL SAY HELLO TO HIM. HE'S ONE OF A KIND
GOD BLESS US ALL....WE ARE IN IT TOGETHER.

ive read a lot of the comments and i do agree laziness is definitely a factor but i think most of you are downplaying money. if you dont have it then you cant rebuild. those ppl from NO dont have the money to rebuild period. maybe some of you in galveston didnt have the money to rebuild but a neighbor or family member was able to help you. its not just about getting out there and doing the physical work bc if you dont have the money to even start rebuilding then what do you do? im black and i live in texas, ive never in my life received a gov't handout once. i joined the military right out of high school, then went to college and now i work everyday but truthfully if something like this was to happen to me i wld be stuck. financially i dont think i wld be able to rebuild. i would definitely try but who knows what will happen. i agree w/ a lot of the comments but a lot of you seem very insensitive and so self-righteous. we dont want to help one another which is truly sad bc this is a great country w/ so many opportunities. one thing i do agree w/ oyu on is a LOT of black ppl are just lazy and ignorant and its so sad to see that within my ppl. if you look at our history in this country our ancestors were able to overcome so much and now that we have the opportunity to do better a lot of us just will not take those steps. there are a lot of factors behind that. #1 is ignorance, education is just not as important in our communities as it should be. its sad. but i understand it. im 30 and truly just startinng to realize how important education is. my mother wasnt well educated, she worked hard but she wasnt well educated and neither was my grandmother. they never stressed it to us. in my grandmother's case i can understand bc when she was growing up blacks faced many challenges and it's something like if my mom doesnt know then how can she teach me? im not making excuses im just asking the question. i think the history is ignored and pretty much just brushed aside but you cant help but to expect these things to be passed down to the next generation until you reach that one child that realizes ok, this is what we've been missing. it matters and it hurts that ppl call it the race card, even tho sometimes thats true but truthfully its hard to tell. soemtimes it is race, others times not. we have to try to empathize with one another, it's hard to see things from my eyes just as its hard from me to see things from yours. more compassion is needed. GOD BLESS you all.

The Posting by Peter (posting 139) shows his ignorance. The city of Galveston is mostly African American. There is no racism. Those African Americans along with Anglos and Hispanics rebuilt Galveston with our own money and effort, not with Federal Government handouts. So before using racism you should get your facts straight. I ate at a restaurant there one week after the hurricane, (not with a full menu yet) which is a miracle in itself.

That is just how we TEXANS are!
I live in Bridge City Texas and only 13 homes in my community did not flood. My family, along with all our friends,lost almost everything we owned (including the walls of our home) there literally was a FEMA trailer on every driveway for a minimum of 10 months but slowly people are getting back in their updated homes. I am proud of my community and the wonderful and resilient people that live here.

the more i read these comments the more its hurts. can you not see that some ppl have NO CHOICE but to wait on the gov't. no other choice. no family members with enough to help. cant you see that you were able to do what you needed to do bc you have money. w/o money you're helpless in this country. and racism is alive and well no matter how much you pretend its not. we constantly hear about blacks doing the same jobs as white but making less money. you own everything. but again it is our fault, cant sit back and wait for someone else to help you, you must help yourself, even still these comments are discouraging. i guess if youve never een in that situation then how could you understand. ive read comments on here about ppl owning multiple homes, paying for things out of pocket having neighbors help. lower income ppl cant afford to pay for anything this huge out of pocket, dont own the homes they live in. but its fair. we are selfish by nature so what can you expect. plus i wouldnt want to help anyone that wasnt trying to help themselves. i will say that the one comment about shooting at EMS and police was a little out of line since you werent there. there were reports but one thing is for certain, police killed a mentally retartded young man w/ no gun anywhere to be found. idk. so discouraging but im happy you all were able to rebuild. you're blessed

We in Texas continue to do what Texans have always done. Think back on Texas history, we have always been tough, resilient, and hardworking. Ike brought out the same spirit Texans have always shown. That is our attitude, life style and focus, no matter what race, color, or belief. We are Texans first and always will be. Many of these comments brought tears to my eyes. I am proud to be a Texan and have no plans to EVER live anywhere else. Y'all from other states will NEVER get it so don't even try and DO NOT judge us.

PS - remember all the past storms, we have survived many, 1900 and forward. Came home as a 9 year old to a house full of water and mud after Carla. We just took a deep breath and went to work. Will be the same next storm and the next. That is the Texas way.

I think some people also forget the over 250,000+ New Orleanders came to Houston and we welcomed them. Many were great guest, but many caused our crime rate to double within a couple of months (and yes it was from those from New Orleans). There is still well over 100,000 who stayed (better jobs and conditions). I regret some people have very little both here and in New Orleans, but work can be done without much money. People can take the trash out of their homes, etc. I had my fences tore down, but got out there and fixed it. I did not even turn it into insurance, because many people needed new houses, roofs and mine would barely meet the deductable. Not everything is rebuilt, but no one ever waited on others to fix things for him/her. Neighbor was helping neighbor to get things going again. If one person had electricity, they would give their neighbor who did not have any by using a power cord stretched across the street to their house. I saw this all over. Why can't they do that in NO. Where did all the money go? They got $250,000 for every man, woman, and child in government aid. Where did it all go?

I also believe that the local and state governments worked better for the people here in Texas, Mississippi, and Lake Charles but I don't know why, they just did. It is tragic what has happened, but what matters is what are you going to do about it. Galveston lost most of its businesses like New Orleans, and many are gone for good. Others are just now coming back; whereas I don't hear that about New Orleans other than for tourism. I don't wish any disaster upon anyone, but you have to take matters into your own hand and get things back to normal when it happens. I think the people of Galveston, The Golden Triangle, Lake Charles and those in Mississippi did understand this and the people of New Orleans waited on someone else. Now that may be why New Orleans is still in bad shape today; whereas Galveston is not as is going again after only one year.

Kudos and lots of clapping to Howard (Posting #232) and to Peter (Posting #139 - get a job) it is all about what type of person you are. The people who rebuilt WORKED to afford insurance to file claims and rebuild. When we WORK at a job, we EARN money to have things and purchase insurance to make sure we have help in the event of a catastrophe. For all the generational people who sit at home and collect the tax dollars of us hard WORKING folks - shame on you!!!!! Get out and get a JOB!!!!! I am sick to death of everyone wanting to sit at home, collect welfare, medicaid and any other government handouts - get a JOB, get a JOB and just in case I did not make myself clear - GET A JOB!!!!!!!

Re:post #139

That is pathetic to call this racism.

These photos are amazing. Great job and so glad Galveston is recovering.

#139...you are Boston as usual. I live in Galveston...while we have more to do. We don't stand around 4 yrs later like NOLA and whine about needing more government aid. NOLA received billions of dollars and still...it isn't enough. Just stay in the northeast. We prefer folks that work and aren't trust fund babies.

The "Before" and "After" photos were an eye-opener. I often wondered how much damage was done in storms like that, and how effective repair efforts were.

I hear people saying we rebuilt this area with NO government hand outs and we are texans and we dont take them or need them. That is very unrealist and untrue - we as AMERICANS who have a tragedy deserve the help as any others in this and other countries we ( the US government ) support in times of need. It just a shame that Galveston and chambers county both feel through the cracks. We did what we HAD to do neighbors helping neighbors it was that or go without. Its crap that New Orleans people are still living off of FEMA and residents who lost everything are being pressured by FEMA to move out of the trailers provided to them

I am beyond grateful to our local, state, and federal govt., friends, neighbors, family, co-workers and countless many whose names I did not come to know that looked after us and assisted us during such a difficult time. From the 1st band-aid our neighbor provided upon our arrival home (stepped on a nail 2 minutes out of the car), to the FEMA trailer we still inhabit (new house is nearing completion) my heart is filled to the brim with the many kindnesses that have been given by so very many! "Thank You" is insufficient to convey what is in my heart. I don't think we could be this far, without the kindheartedness of others.
We are a great nation!

#196, Debbie D[owner]...You know, pretty much the same people who were affected by Ike were also affected by Rita...why are you ridiculing those in the same boat as you? Someone actually made a comment, before your's if you read that far back, that SW Louisiana has a very similar "get up and move on" attitude as SE Texas, so there's no need to be so defensive about it. I'm very sorry for your losses, and I want to ask you why you can't be sorry for ours as well?

well, from Beaumont...hit hard by both Ike and Rita....nobody knows. (same with or neighbors to the east)...its either New Orleans or Galv/Hous....the latter can be seen on how quickly galveston is recovering vs. bolivar.........thats where all the galv county taxes are going. But hey, we'll get bolivar going, Beaumonts taken 2 big hits, we're good........we fix it ourselves...................

on another note, when they say evacuate, we evacuate.......dont just ignore it and then start bitching

FACT: Bridge City...white city, flooded 99.9%..who cares, they didnt riot
New Orleans, well.....even the cops looted........

Kudos to those who put this presentation together! Awesome! My wife and I moved from Galveston following Ike because we both lost our jobs at UTMB along with about 3000 other fine people. We moved to Austin and started over. Our loft was not affected by Ike, but the building had over 8 feet of water on the ground floor along with about 2 feet of muck to clean up. A year later, our wonderful building is in better shape than before..so, it survived the 1900 Storm and Ike. Good bones in the old building built in 1896. It's like the spirit of folks who live through challenges like this..good bones, and a wonderful "can do" spirit... making lemonade out of the lemon that life handed us. We miss Galveston and the wonderful folks there very much!

Thank you for the slide show.......excellent !

It's not about whether TX or NOLA residents have more money. Someone made the comment that NOLA people had no $$$ and no Insurance. Guess what - neither did most of Bolivar Pennisula! We put our Big Girl Panties on and did what we needed to do to clean up the mess and rebuild what we could of our lives! I have many friends who lost through both Rita and Katrina. It's about not waiting for someone to come along and "FIX" it for you. Put your Big Girl Panties on, face reality and move on!

Two days before Ike hit the upper Gulf coast we watched from our beach on North Padre Island as he pushed forward and washed over our seawall and into the dunes. I knew than it would not be good for the area he hit. Being a BOI 68 years ago I am so touched, but not surprised, at the speed and determination shown by my home of Galveston and all the other communities along the coast to clean up and rebuild. I pray that it will be a long, long time before Mother Nature shows her ugly side to the Texas Coast. My messasge to everyone I talk to, "Go to Galveston and Kemah, stay in the hotels, eat at the restaurants, visit the attractions".

I AM A NATIVE TEXAN, I LOVE AND MISS THE STATE, MISS MY FAMILY AND FREINDS,THERE NOTHING LIKE TEXAS. I GLAD IT STILL THERE. PRAISE GOD. PRAISE GOD MY FAMILY IS BLESSED FOR BEING ALIVE AND WELL AS THEY LIVE THERE WHERE ALL THAT TOOK PLACE. LONE STAR STATE,DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS

This is an interesting story of survival and rebirth, but I don't get all the Texans with the "superiority complex" attitudes here. Do you even realize how obnoxious you are at times? Remember, "pride comes before the fall" - hopefully you know what this means and will chill out on the "everything's better in Texas" bullcorn. Also remember that you should not judge others because you too can be judged.

I agree with someone that posted above that this is less a Texas vs Louisiana thing, as it is a money thing. It is a lot easier for you to rise from the ashes (or the storm surge) if you have the means to do so. Also, it is not like Louisiana has just languished since Katrina. Small towns south of New Orleans and in SW Cameron parish were virtually wiped from the map by Katrina, Rita and Ike, but they too have pulled themselves up and rebuilt - at least those that could do so. This also goes for portions of New Orleans. Texas is not unique in this, so get over yourselves.

Which brings me back to the pictures above... is it just me or is there anyone else out there that does NOT see a miraculous recovery?

Image 1 shows beachfront propery inundated with water, then recovery shows the same area, less the water and the home on the beach. (Didn't feel like rebuilding that one, eh?)

Image 2 shows rising water, then falling water. No signs of human recovery and rebuilding.

Image 3 shows a beat up sailing club, then an empty lot. No signs of rebuilding.

Image 4 shows a bedroom damaged by a caved-in roof, then one repainted and re-carpeted. Breathtaking...

Image 5 shows trash strewn about the Out-Rigger Grill, then the trash has been removed, but the grill is still not finished. A work in progress... like the 9th Ward, right?

Image 6 shows beat up telephone posts and a torn up fence, then it shows new posts and fencing. Impressive.

Image 7 shows vitually no before and after changes, except the lion has been removed.

Image 8 shows sand and debris on the highway and missing shingles, but no serious damage. The "after" shows the debris has been removed and shingles replaced. Wow.

Image 9 has no before and after damages.

Image 10 shows a significant pile of debris on the highway, then the debris is gone - probably removed in a matter of days.

Image 11 shows a flooded business area, then the same area sans the water. A year later, the business owner is almost ready to re-open, just like northern section of the New Orleans French Quarter business owners did WEEKS after they had a foot of water in their establishments.

Image 12 shows several downed palm trees, as yet unreplaced. It also shows a damaged staircase to the right, that has been replaced.

Image 13 shows a shot of the beach where the Balinese Room was wiped away, and apparently won't be replaced. Aside from the replacement of the sand on the beach, there is no obvious rebuilding.

Unless someone sees something I do not, these pictures simply show a before and after, not some testament to "self sufficient Texans".

This in no way is a belittlement of those negatively affected by any of these storms or any other natural disaster, but to try to compare Galveston to New Orleans is disingenious. And it is worse yet to try to apply some mean-spirited superiority over those far less fortunate than you. To attempt to raise yourself by stepping on others is simply unacceptable.

You cannot walk a mile in anyone else's shoes, so try a little understanding, humility and tolerance before you judge others.

Unreal.

and MONEY does matter and if you dont believe that then i dont know what to tell you. how can i rebuild if i don't have the resources to do so? you never would have been able to rebuild if you did not have the funds. and not only that as 252 put it, truthfully you're comparing apples to oranges. the majority of the damage to NO was AFTER the storm hit when the levees broke (imploded). their neighborhood became a lake. thats when the majority of the damage was done. AND many did try to leave, they did not have transportation and were directed to the superdome, informed that buses would be there, no buses and they just left them there and then started calling them refugees???. they had no home to go back to (i understand you lost your home but at least it was on solid ground, not in lake pontchartrain) and they're stuck in the superdome, have no idea where their family memebrs are, complete chaos. at least half of those ppl had no idea where there family and friends were and some STILL dont. imagine that. the president's mother said those people were better off sleeping on cots in the george r brown center than they were before katrina???? seriously. a lot of you truly sound like you have a superiority complex but again, not downplaying anything you've done, just saying the two tragedies are completely different in my eyes. a lot of those people DID work but just like me were living from paycheck to paycheck. in other words they had nothing, no home to go to, no transportation to get out of there so they couldnt evacuate, and in a couple of days theyll be broke if they werent already.lastly living in galveston and along the coast these are things you expect, you expect storsm to come thru and maybe cause damage, you expect that you may have to rebuild but that wasnt a normal occurrence for them. most of them had been living right there all of their lives and never experienced anything like that. so the pull your panties up and fix it statement is a lot easier said than done in a situation such as theirs and believe me im not downplaying your experience. im sure it was hard and i may not have been able to handle it but it wasnt the same, i just wasnt. it truly doesnt seem you understand but again, im happy you all were able to rebuild and again GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

Were soo sorry to here that, that kinda thing happend. It doesn't happen in our country.

The pictures are great! The people who do not live on the coast should appreciate the fact that some people take the risk to live close to the ocean and have jobs that supply the rest of the US with the GREAT seafood that is harvested each year. Without them we would have a very limited supply or import more. In my past I have lived on the TX Coast and loved every minute of it. Due to a job I have since moved, but now own a place in Pt O Connor TX and went through the same preparations for IKE as everyone else did. You pray for the best, make sure the proper home, wind and flood insurance has been acquired 3 to 6 month prior to any storm, take what you can, and get out before anyone has to force you out. The rest is just material items and with time can be slowly replace. Saving LIVES is top priority and when people refuse to leave their homes, then more lives can be lost. Thanks to the Galveston community & everyone else involved for your efforts in rebuilding the city as it is such a wonderful place to vacation. Hopefully, the dike can be built in the future to help protect the city. Congratulation to all of those involved in the rebuilding process as you have done a WONDERFUL JOB. My TX Cowboy hat is off to you!!!!!!!!! Thank you!

The people in Galveston, Tx showed us that helping one another in time of need really pays off. Hurricane Ike, only made them stronger. What a great city!

Lets not forget the tsunami in Indonesia in 2004 that devastated that region. I doubt those people have insurance to rebuild either and not only did they lose their homes, they lost over 283,1000 of their citizens. Those people rebuild just as quickly a year later like those after Ike because they all came together to work instead of waiting for the government to "fix" it for them. This not a race or necessarily a cultural issue to me. I am from SE LA (currently living in Houston) and love NO and have seen resiliency in the people of NO. I believe it is the attitude of the MAJORITY of the "victims" to continue to demand the free handouts because we allow and cater to it. The media, celebrities and social agendas all help foster this entitlement. I applaud those "victims" who did move on rebuilding both back home in NO and their new adopted cities. Its just a shame those who have transplanted themselves in Houston and other cities bring their "handout entitlement" attitudes with them, complaining they can't find jobs when a lot of the laborers in SE Texas have moved to NO to help rebuild that city. Its an honest living that pays...but I guess its too much work when you get your rent and food for free.

Anyone who says that people who were hit by Ike didn't look for handouts and just "put on their big girl panties" and rebuilt on their own is uninformed or maybe they were busy taking care of their house and didn't get out. I had to drive in from out of town to work on my house each day so I saw it. The lines for the free food and FEMA money were long and it wasn't just poor people who had nothing it was also working people who had insurance and could afford to build. They wanted to get their fair share of the handouts "like the Katrina people did". I heard it from many well paid working people. People are really no different anywhere around the US. It's great that many have re-built after Ike on their own without federal aid but don't try and say we are any better than other people just because of it. If I didn't have the means to rebuild I might be in the handout line too. That's what government aid is for - a helping hand when you're down and out to help you get back on your feet and be self-supporting.

It's so sad - but I have a little Pomeranian/Chihuahua I adopted through SPCA Tampa Bay that survived the storm. He was in medical care for weeks due to a severe skin disorder (hardly any hair), kennel cough, allergies, etc. He is my pride and joy with a full body of hair now. I love him so much but it makes me so sad to think what he and his family (wherever they are) had to go through.

#161: Actually, Texas received, per capita, almost 40% more in federal disaster relief than the folks in Louisiana did; probably because the area damaged was significantly wealthier than the ninth ward, and because wealthy white folks have politicians who go to bat for them, like your governor and mayors, who secured all sorts of federal funding for rebuilding.

I know you were trying to make a point, but unfortunately you'll need a different argument. I agree with you that it's reprehensible, though.

""Actually, Texas received, per capita, almost 40% more in federal disaster relief than the folks in Louisiana did""

ONLY for IKE, because Texas had 40% more damage from Ike than did La. (it hit Galveston, ya' know) The Fedral funds expended in Texas for both Rita and Ike is still less than the federal funds expended in La. for Katrina. But then again more was expended in La. for Katrina than in Miss. and Ala. and they got a direct hit.

Just for the record, New Orleans was NOT damaged by a hurricane. The local and state governments allowed developers to build homes BELOW SEA LEVEL, behind levees that were not designed to protect those homes. New Orleans was damaged by stupidity.

meagan #245...debbie d #196 was not complaining about texas...if you would have read her letter carefully, she was comparing cameron parish to galveston in the respect that ya'll rolled up your sleeves and did it yourself...so did we!! frankly, we were very much annoyed at the katrina people for being so ungrateful and embarrassed because we too were from la. and did not want the country to think that we-cameron parish- would whine and loot as new orleans did. we thanked our military people for helping us-we didn't shoot at them. cameron is not a rich town as is galveston...we're a shrimping/fishing town, not tourist. but the people are still trying their best!!! Most of us have moved north but we still love cameron...it's just too expensive to live there now b/c of restrictions and insurance...so very sad!

For all of those yapping about comparing NO and TX. There's no comparison because the people in NO didn't have any insurance and no cash. Nothing to do with skin color; it's just money. If the whites in TX had no money they wouldn't be rebuilding either. Stop patting yourself on the back for having more money and get a grip.
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remind me how much the government has put into NO
Isnt it about 100k per person. that didnt happen here

Ah.. Yes, these Texans are a resiliant, brave, courageous group of people. They made me proud during Ike. My son was one of them, a first responder and there to help anyone who needed a hand or a handout. I marvel at the way they banded together to make a difference, each and everyone I met. I'm from Missouri, California and Maryland and it seems to me there's something special about Texans and they way they face disaster.

I lost my condo due to Hurricane Ike. We had purchased it and moved in the 31st of Aug. We only lived there six days. We took a vacation in Punta Cana since the storm wasn't suppposed to come anywhere near us. Now a year later we are still fighting our HOA and the HOA insurance for any progress. Our unit had no damage. We could've moved back in. Fema gave us no assistance. We were denied because we had full coverage on insurance. Those that had wind or water damage were taken care of. Now a year later Im still paying mortgage, now utilities and rent as well..I can't afford to do this much longer.I have a 6 year old son to take care of. How come so many apartments and condo that were worse off than ours are back in running order. Out of 147 unit only 20 of ours had damage. Yet supposedly we are substanstially damaged. I have multiple engineering reports stating that we were not. Where do we get help? The city has already determined that they will not give us the permits needed to repair. What are we supposed to do while our units one by one go into forclosure? I pulled everything we had to get the condo. We have the 3rd ranking in the country for registered boaters in our are. We also have the most coveted protected marina in the area. Our HOA makes up 10% of the city tax base. Yet they arent concerned. They tell everyone on the news that they are doing everything they can to help. Yet we have yet to see anything but them fighting us tooth and nail.
I want some support and suggestions on what we can do.

Backed in the dark corner
El Lago, TX

Galvestonian and in Houston 20 years. Our relatives had their homes devastated and we took significant damage in our bay house. When Ike devastated Texas, we already knew the government would really only provide minimal help. We all had seen the lack of response to Katrina. The government should not be expected to replace the home of someone who built on a beach on a barrier island that get a major hurricane every 10-20 years. We all know the risks of living there. My grandmother lived through the 1900 storm, when most of the island was swept clean.

Texans get back to work just like Leeville, Grand Isle, Houma, Cameron Parish, Beaumont, Gilchrist, Boliver, Galveston.
Houston extended hands to thousands (more than100,00 by some estimates) of New Orleans Katrina victims and all we got was higher crime rates, higher taxes and no thanks.
We all know the difference.

What would 'U' expect, they are TEXANS !!!!

YES, YES, YES to #250 - BUT please also suggest the Bolivar area. Visit our beaches and support the economy. We have some of the last of the great beaches where individuals can drive or camp on the beach. Born in Nederland, a longtime "beacher", 2nd home owner (or now slabber) on Bolivar, living in Houston - we lost our beach home. Ok-ground covered. The locals are fantastic. Although some may call Bolivar a sleepy beach town, I have never seen such organization in a clean up process as they have done for themselves. A couple of businesses struggled and never closed for more than a couple of days. They were there with beer & burgers if nothing else for the workers and residents. The spirit is very strong among locals. It will be different, sadly, but a surviving community wiped away unmercifully (not flooded due to dike issues) with little to no media coverage by major networks soliciting support, not to mention the other money crisis nationwide contributing to Texas being forgotten. VISIT, ENJOY, SUPPORT. Thank you for your time and hard work on the pictures. Well Done Everyone.

Wow! Great photos! We have friends who own a home in Crystal Beach...things are coming back, but there still is much to be done. It takes time; however, the attitude of those who suffered loss has been and continues to be inspiring. I'm proud to be a Texan!

I think the people of Galveston, Boliver and the rest of the coast deserve a big congratulations for the re-building, no whining like that from New Oreleans. We lived in Dickinson, Tx. for 31 years, and it broke my heart to see the loss in the area, but glad to see the strengh of the people to re-build . Pbc

Good work to the Galvestonians on working together to put their community back together.

I don't know why this turned into a New Orleans-bashing contest, but since it has I think it might be helpful to remember that according to 2000 census data the population of Galveston was 10% of the population of New Orleans and the number of households in Galveston (occupied housing units) was 12% of the number in New Orleans.

Below-Poverty percentages for each area were roughly equivalent (27.9% in NO and 22.3% in Gal.) But that means that roughly 135,224 people in New Orleans were below the poverty level, versus roughly 12,776 in Galveston. And I think the complexity of recovering from a disaster probably goes up exponentially with the number of people affected.

The rest of this is conjecture, but I would also guess that New Orleans had more renters and large apartment complexes than Galveston. It's harder to rebuild a home that was a single apartment in a 100-apartment building than to rebuild a single-family home. Unfortunately the census doesn't seem to have data on these sorts of things, but New Orleans had almost twice the number of people per square mile as Galveston (2,684 vs.1,240). So I think it's plausible to assume more apartment buildings.

I'm not saying the people of Galveston should not be proud of their strength and resilience, only that the circumstances of New Orleans are substantially different than those of Galveston and perhaps should not be compared.

.
Not even our local coverage gave us shots of this magnitude that told the actual story like these did. I'm a resident of the area near Beaumont and Orange Texas where it's hard to believe but recovery is still going on. Thanks to the photographer and to the Boston Globe for telling the stories of the people here on the Gulf Coast with these photos, especially those who lost it all. This story will go far as it shows not only the devestation but also the attitude of the people down here. They rolled up their sleeves and got to work on restoring where possible

Galveston and all the Texas Coastal cities, I salute you. You have, and are showing the kind of guts that made this state so great in the first place.

I had reservations at The Flagship for the day Ike hit and appointments for the following day to view property on West Beach and Crystal Beach. I watched from home in North Texas.

I see The Flagship with half of one Mermaid missing and the dresser mirror shining in an upper room that has no wall or the piers of the old Balenese Room sticking up from the surf with a tear in my eye.

I first played in the sand and surf of Stewart Beach over sixty years ago; when I was about four. I have swam, fished, fought, suduced, been suduced, been robbed and "detained" for "Disorderly Conduct" on the Island and loved every minute of it. I have "whipped butt", had mine"whipped" and always returned for more.

Over the years I even learned to pray and did that in Galveston as well. I returned year after year with my wife of forty-five years and kids and then grandkids.

I remember hitting Stewart Beach with eight friends and discovering an "slumber party" of ten girls, whose chaparone was nineteen and married to a guy that worked for a beer company and had cases of the stuff stacked on his back porch; I think we called that "getting lucky, lucky, lucky".

I remember listening to the #1 Instrumental Hit, 1962', 'Stranger on the Shore" by Acker Bilt while walking with a "stranger on the shore". I remember sneaking into girls' rooms at the Jack Tarr and making out in the back seat of a 59' Impala as the tide licked at the tires on Stewart Beach. I remember "showering" in a car wash, and pooling our change just to buy enough gas to get home.

You could'nt find more adventure and mystery and romance if you had a millon to spend. You could'nt buy those kind of memories if you spent a million.

To those of you who have written in this space or read in this space and were bitter about what you wrote or read; I can only say "you don't get it"

'Galveston' is a place of dreams, and mystery, and memories, and love...of course the people who live there and love it would rebuild it. 'Galveston', thanks for the memories...welcome back!

As a resident of Bridge City, TX (a small town also devastated by IKE) I can feel for all persons affected by any act of nature. My family lost most everything during IKE as did the majority of the city's residents. I am thankful for all that I have and for all the help that we recieved following this life altering event. The outcome of each storm may have been different; however, I would like to think that the human aspect was not. Thank you to all who helped - anywhere!

best discussion I think I've ever seen on here. Way to go #227 RBC and #238. We've been in Bridge City over 20 years and had 3 feet of salt water in our two-year-old dream home on Cow Bayou. ( been back in for 2 months now).

On the day the FEMA respresentatives arrived at our mud-filled home, one took me aside and told me how shocked they were by the people in our tiny community. She said they had worked several hurricanes in Florida and Louisiana during the past ten years and had NEVER seen a town do so much to help themselves. Not to brag, (ok, maybe a little) but we DIDN'T stand around waiting for anyone.

She said six months after the storm in New Orleans people STILL had not taken out the sheetrock and insulation (and no, they were neither the elderly nor the disabled.)

My grandmother always said, "the Lord helps those who help themselves." The people in BC helped themselves and each other-- plain and simple. It is attitude and not skin color that makes the difference.

I lived through both Ike and Rita here in Orange County Texas. I live in a rural area that was "cut off" by fallen trees and had to cut our way out.We didn't have time to wait to be rescued.
That was the problem with NO. They expected help, they didn't help themselves. We worked with the local religious groups when they had Katrina evacuees at Ford Park in Beaumont. I am sorry, but the NO people expected people to bring them food and water. They were too lazy to get their own water, and get in line for the food.....Then they complained about the food. " Not enough meat, too many vegetables, not enough choices for desert."
At one time I visited NO on vacation about every three years. I'll never visit again. I'll spend my money elsewhere.

Why is it so amazing to see the difference between the progress made during a boom vs. a bust economy, esp. when the results are shown in two different (more depressed) parts of N. O. This doesn't seem fair. Is this a 9th ward vs. 9th ward comparison?.

My family,relatives relocated from North Carolina,Arkansas right after WWI,I was born in the old country,Galveston had all the comforts we all had heard so much of,like indoor bath rooms,electricity,natural gas,much more.We settled in the east end next to the John Sealy Hospital.I remember the Davidson Department Store fire 1931,the Graph Zipelin,Old Ironsides"USS Constitution"sailing ship visting the shipping docks at about 14th street.Lots of changes since then.Been aliving Kemah-Seabrook area since off and on since 1949.Miss the early days in Galveston,wish them well in their recovery.

I'm an Australian and I've just returned from a holiday visiting a friend in SE Texas. I spent the last 5 days of my holiday on Galveston. I vaguely remembered watching news of Ike on TV, but really had no awareness of depth of devastation and suffering that it brought.
All credit to the strength of the people of Galveston who have achieved so much in such a short time. Your spirit of determination in rebuilding your lives and returning Galveston to it's former beauty is a shining example to the world. It was very humbling to visit the hurricane memorial, built to commemorate the great storm of 1900. It gave me some idea of what Galveston has suffered. To read the messages of hope and encouragement is a true testament of the best of the human spirit.
Galveston will remain a place in my heart. God Bless you all.

#188 the lioness. From what I remember the lion was a pet and the owner and several locals had ridden out the storm inside the church. Carefully watched at all times.

I am so greatful for what help we received during Hurricane Ike. We lost our home in Jasper Tx. during Hurricane Rita and had to relocate.We are seniors in our late 60s and late 70s . If not for the help we recieved from friends and Fema we would not have had the funds to purchase another home. we took the last of our saving and the ck. from Fema ( after Rita) and purchased our little home in Woodville. Tx. It was not the home we were use too but , Thank God , we at least have a dry roof over our heads. We thank all the military and churches that came to our aid. we truly, are the forgotton storm in East Texas.....................

I DO ADMIRE YOU,GALVESTONIANS,AND ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HELPED MADE THIS MAGNIFICENT RECOVERY.
THANKS FOR YOUR FORTITUDE.
I do live in Europe,and we do not have these Huricanes,nor earthquakes.Thanks God for that.
My compliments again.

all good things

SAD ;(

Most people don't realize that on Bolivar Peninsula there a few house left standing, but none that were npt damaged in someway. there was no pewer lines left, and thus no water. This used to be a location of summer house on the beach, but had turned into an all round living community with nothing left. This storm damaged people more that any other ever; no home no job, etc.

fjd 10/4/2009 1500 hrs

The comparisons to N.O. are simply not fair. Did you notice the the type of homes??? These people have LOTS more cash than some of our residents do. Secondly, hello - they live on a beach! The homes are raised. Our homes were NOT supposed to flood like beachfront property. K. was a man-made disaster due to poorly constructed levees. Had the levees held, this would not be an issue. And thirdly, the area we are talking about in Southeast La and MS, is MUCH larger in scale than Galveston. I see a lot of ignorance in many of the statements. I'm glad their homes (many look like vacation homes) are restored, but please don't knock N.O. We have a lot of good, hard-working people that had no insurance. Thanks to volunteers (mostly church groups) we are coming back strong.

I live in LaBelle, just outside of Beaumont, TX. Our house had 3 feet of water from the storm surge. We had never had water come close to our house until Ike. But we always made sure we paid for flood insurance which was less than $900 per year. I'm sure glad we had insurance because now i have a wonderful new home and it only costs me a yearly premium. But God is the ultimate provider. As far as the comment about the "reglious" people, we had lots of wonderful Christians come help us repair, but no atheist came knocking on our door. I guess they were too busy "trying" to remove God from everyone's lives??

To #288 that said; "The comparisons to N.O. are simply not fair."

I agree.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#288 also said; "Did you notice the the type of homes??? These people have LOTS more cash than some of our residents do."

Don't judge the cash holding of the entire affected area by a couple of photos of beach houses. Some of us get by like everyone else.

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#288 also said; "Our homes were NOT supposed to flood like beachfront property. K. was a man-made disaster due to poorly constructed levees. Had the levees held, this would not be an issue. "

The houses that flooded in New Orleans were built BELOW SEA LEVEL. The levees are REQUIRED to keep water out of those homes every day, even without a storm. Building homes below sea level is asking for trouble. The levees were not "poorly constructed" the were constructed to serve a particular purpose (keep water out daily) and that did NOT include stopping a 10' storm surge from Lake Ponchatrain. It was KNOWN since they were first constructed that a storm surge over 8 feet would over top the levees and possibly washout the foundation support on the back side. New Orleans and the state of LA. did not want to spend the necessary money to reinforce the foundations or add any height. They did NOT wish to protect homes built below sea level. They chose to wait for a storm surge that would destroy your homes. YES you are correct in saying that the flooding in New Orleans was a man made disaster

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#288 also said; "And thirdly, the area we are talking about in Southeast La and MS, is MUCH larger in scale than Galveston."

ummm... Galveston was only one city hit by Ike whose devastation covered the Gulf coast from central LA. all the way to Corpus Christi, Texas. Ike impacted a coastal area over a third larger than that affected by Katrina.

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#288 also said; "I see a lot of ignorance in many of the statements."

yup, me too.

Thank you, Boston, for the wonderful pix of Galveston. I lived in the Houston area for 35 years. Just over a year ago, I moved to Austin to help out with my aging parents. Had I stayed in Houston, I would have been left homeless. My apartment complex, right on Bay Area Blvd and walking distance from NASA/JSC was badly damaged by Ike. It's still being worked on. I discovered when I evacuated for Rita that things are not important, people are. Thank God, all my friends were okay, and most only sustained minimal damage from Ike. I want to give a big Shout Out to all my wonderful Houston area friends! I miss you!! :-) Shalom and Blessings,Deb

I would also like to send out my best wishes to New Orleans and her people, whether there, or transplanted to other cities. I had the privilege of teaching many children who stayed in Houston after Katrina destroyed their NO/La homes. The people (adults and children) who acted badly were the ones who made the news. The majority of New Orleanians were gracious and a pleasure to know. I lived in Baton Rouge for 3 years and have gone to New Orleans many times. I even took my children when they were older so they, too, could appreciate the food, the music, the culture, the Garden District, the French Quarter, and all the delights of French Louisiana. Vive la Louisiane! Laissez les bon temps rouler!

So sad.God Bless.I'm amazed of what I have seen.

I've noticed a recurring theme here in just about all the posts...

-Katrina victims are all lazy whiners who all want a handout
-Ike victims are resilient and awesome!
-God and Jesus- Bless the USA because we are special!!!

Truth is Katrina was a man-made disaster
Ike was not
God or Jesus had nothing to do with any of it

I live in a home on a canal leading to the bay in La Marque, 7 miles from the sea wall, and lost the entire downstairs of my home. The damage to my home and the debris left behind was devasting both financially and emotionally. We evacuated when we knew it was coming here. Riding it out was not an option we even considered. We were displaced for over 6 weeks. No lights, water or gas. I was so happy when FEMA finally showed up because I thought they would do for us what they had done for New Orleans. I was wrong. The FEMA guy came right out and told us that because of all the fraud and waste in Katrina that Texas was going to pay for those shenanigans and was NOT going to receive the same help that New Orleans got. We didn't even receive the media coverage that Katrina did.He then told me all they would pay for was my hot water heater because it was downstairs and debris removal. Ok, I figured that insurance would surely pick up the rest. I was wrong there too. When it was all said and done, WE had to pay for almost all of our repairs and we did all of the work ourselves to save money. It took us over 8 months, but we did it. We had to. We didn't have a choice. This is OUR home! We had "skin in the game" and couldn't depend on someone else to come to our rescue. It was hard and a lot of work but we had to do it. All of our neighbors were in the same boat and they did it too.
As far as Katrina and the person who said those who stayed couldn't leave because of transportation, they believed what they saw on TV, that thousands of poor people without means were stranded through no fault of their own. I believed that too at first because cameras don't lie, right? Well, camera angles do! My husband is originally from New Orleans so we went to see it ourselves a few weeks after it was safe to do so. I was so shocked and so angry when I left there! We had all been lied to by the media who fed us the stream 24/7 of these "poor" people. The camera never panned out to the parking lot to show the thousands of cars driven to the stadium to ride out the storm. Who drove all those cars there? And if they could drive there, why didn't they just leave New Orleans? Why did they expect the government to do for them what they should have done for themselves? We left the 9th ward and drove on along the coast into Mississippi and saw even more destruction in middle and upper income neighborhoods while the media had led us to believe that the storm had impacted poor black neighborhoods the most. The biggest thing you couldn't help but notice, even if you weren't racist, was how quiet the 9th ward was because there was no one hammering or repairing anything. In the other neighborhoods all you could hear was hammers and saw hundreds of people on roofs and saw them cleaning up their neighborhood. It was the difference between owning and having pride in your home and neighborhood and depending on the government to take care of you. That storm hit everyone, black or white, but the focus of the media was on the poor black people and they made everyone feel bad and feel shame and it was just wrong and a lie! And four years later, those same people who didn't take care of themselves are still in Houston depending on the government and our tax dollars to continue to take care of them. It's generational dependence on welfare and social services that have robbed these people of self-dependence and self-respect and they don't care if their home was destroyed because so many of them weren't paying anything for it. They didn't have any skin in the game and it was no sweat off of their backs, they just moved on to other government housing. That's not my being racist, that's just fact that is backed up by the evidence. I am sure there were people who were sincerely unable to leave, but there were emergency services in place to remove them. Why didn't they go? I am also sure there were and always will be people who owned their homes but are too poor to repair them, themselves. But there weren't the thousands that we were shown. The majority of those people made the choice to stay and "party at the Superdome" and shame on them for it! If nothing else it should have been a wake up call to everyone to be responsible for yourself and your family and if you aren't then you will suffer the consequences and shouldn't expect others to step in and pay for them at taxpayer expense. With an African American family in the White House, there is no longer any excuse for being poor and unable to take care of yourself and your family just because of being black. They just need to take the yoke of this new type of slavery, government dependence, from around their neck and stand up for themselves and do the hard work needed to be productive members of society instead of a burden. Only then will you see a sense of pride and real community that you saw in neighborhoods outside of the 9th ward and in Galveston after Ike.

I guess I have a unique perspective on this whole NO/Galveston bickering that seems to be going on. My husbands family lives in NO and my family lives/lived in Galveston. Our family in NO was fortunate in they owned apts. in NO, so they had a business to come back to, eventually. The property they owned had quite a bit of damage, but they were in the garden district so they didn't get flooded. My two brother in laws and sister in law worked hard to clean things up and fix up the property they own. Their actual home, where they had all of their pictures, memories, etc., was in Pass Christian, MS. Ground Zero for Katrina. There was nothing left. They have worked very hard to rebuild their lives and move forward.
My father and his 5 siblings were born and raised on Galveston Island. He and his brothers and sisters worked from the time they could, as small kids, until they retired. My 93 year old aunt still worked a couple of days a week. My two aunts and my sister and her husband lived in Galveston prior to Ike. My 93 year old aunt lived in the same house for well over 60 years. Both of my aunts lost their homes. When they evacuated they just had enough for a few days. Just imagine what these women felt, at the twilight of their lives, never to see their homes again or just little things. My sister and her husband built their home. They didn't have someone build it for them, they did it, piece by piece. So to see all of the blood sweat and tears that went into their home almost destroyed, practically did them in. They weren't sure they had it in them to rebuild, but they are doing it. It's been over a year and it is still a work in progress, but they are doing it again. Building it themselves.
There are all kinds of people in this world. Those who do, and those who sit down and let others do for them. Galveston put up a seawall to keep the Gulf out and NO built a levee to keep the water out. If the levee hadn't broken there wouldn't even be a discussion, as NO was okay after Katrina passed. Galveston/Upper Texas Gulf Coast was all but forgotten in the wake of presidential elections and banks going bust.
#252 Galveston has picked up the pieces, but you're relying on these pictures to tell the story and they don't tell it all. Galveston rebuilt what they had to for tourist season, as that is what fuels their economy. Turn off the seawall or Broadway around 57th street or 53rd. Ike is still very much with us. It's not over and won't be, for many, for a long time. Something else to make you think: There was no film footage or pictures immediately following Ike like there was after Katrina. There was a "no fly" zone ordered. I would imagine this was done so we wouln't be upset, like we were after Katrina. You see, many people didn't evacuate (Galveston or Boliver), and the tidal surge came in and went out. I think you get the picture.
My 94 year old aunt died earlier this year, but she and her sister had moved into another home and were/are trying to make a life for themselves.
New Orleans will always be in my heart, as is Galveston. Quit bickering about Katrina vs. Rita vs. Ike. We're all trying to make things work after mother nature's rath. It's not always good to depend on government to help, as sometimes they just can't for whatever reason (fair or not). Better to depend on yourself!
When all you have is taken/destroyed it leaves an emotional toll. My loved ones are still dealing with that, whether they live in NO or Galveston. To all of those who are still trying to rebuild and to those that have moved on; God bless.

Great PIX. As for people like Adrienne, better get out of your glass house to throw stones.People from the Texas gulf coast are some of the bravest and strongest in the world.I am a veteran and people who served their country as I did paid the price so that Arienne could say that our country sucks. They would cane her in places like Indonesia. My dad's best friend was a 1900 storm survivor and never left the island.One tough lady just as the people of Galveston are today.God bless and God speed the recovery. DAVID

I'm from West Texas & we open our arms to them rallied & fixed up two apt. complexes , our community Center & even the Hilton.. We gave them Money, clothing, [tried to give them jobs] food for month. .Most thought we should support them forever I guess.. We didn't understand their ungrateful attitudes or resolved feelings of entitlement
My town in Texas also took many people in from new Orleans after their hurricane Katrina. Most I dealt with was not the cream of the crop, they were rude, unappreciative, & lazy. We graciously with warm hearts we gave & & got back complains, some were,,, [mostly MICKEY D's, cigs, & alcohol etc.] It seem most just waited for handouts not HAND UPS. the few who went to work told [oh pitiful me] stories & begged customers..

Many were even too lazy to flush the toilets at the Astrodome. They cussed calling bad names when they were asked to help People from all over Texas & the US probably some from other countries went to the Astrodome & other shelters to volunteered and sent money
The Astrodome area in Houston has in increased crime rate today.
In the small town of Decker, Texas they don't have motels, but they were so excited to help. People waited up til late night for the bus with cold drinks & handmade picnic lunches , they fixed up the only rooms in town {their homes & the jailhouse with fresh sheets.There were no THANKS just complained & got back on the bus & left, simply wouldn't stay, it wasn't GOOD ENOUGH, even for the night..
Some not many very GOOD people & I know there are many many wonderful & hard working folks from Louisiana, so I don't want to besmirch them...
It was both hurtful and eyeopening, but I TURN THE CHANNEL when ever Katrina is mentioned.
Texan for the most part are proud hard working people who's ancestors probably fought for our our state. That is where our pride comes from .Some may think it's a bad thing, & they may be right, however that is our feeling & can't apologize for it.

Amazing before and after photos. The whole place looks like a junkyard even after it was cleaned up. What a depressing landscape.

Brilliant Job! amazed!

Thank you for the pictures of before & after. We,too,are from Bridge City and lost everything, but we were fortunate to have a place elsewhere to make a home. We still have BC in our hearts.

Ike your a bad hurricane. Why would you do that if I was that hurricane. I would make land fall in Florda. Cause my Seventeen year old cousin live in the west side of texas. well I am 21 though.

Fidou linda a cidade. PArabéns pelo trabalho d erecostrução da cidades.
Ótimas fotos de antes e depois.
Parabéns!

We have a weekend home in Port Bolivar and was truely blessed that we had no major damage. In just a little over a year things have really came back. A lot of old abandon homes were either washed away by Ike or were demolished and taken away leaving a better looking place.
Will things ever be the same? No they will be better. Trees will be replanted, new homes will be built and beach goers & fishermen will return.

Height Modernization earmark

Due to subsidence (along with climate change), current outdated and inaccurate elevations are putting coastal communities in harm’s way. They are even permitting a false sense of security and are continually becoming more inaccurate over time.

Homeowners in a rural community near Beaumont, Texas are now very familiar with the consequences of out of date survey elevations, and taxpayers are paying for the mistake in the form of a government buyout of hundreds of now worthless houses. This is after the storm surge of Hurricane Ike flooded the homes with three feet of water, despite elevation certificates that indicated they were built several feet above the mean sea level. The approximate inaccuracy of the measurement? About three feet. That’s a lot when you live along the Gulf.

When their homes were constructed in the Country Road Estates subdivision in the mid 1990’s, surveyors relied on a monument, a brass disc, placed by the National Geodetic Survey in 1954. Back then, the monument’s elevation was 6.32 feet above sea level. However, a lot changed over the decades, most likely due to both subsidence and corruption of the marker during construction projects. In 1980, federal surveyors for FEMA estimated the benchmark’s elevation to actually be 3.1 feet lower than the 1954 measurement. At the time of construction, this was unbeknownst to the homeowners, who paid surveyors in order to receive elevation certificates that would enable them to build in a flood plain. The surveyors assumed the data from the original 1954 survey was accurate and didn’t cross check the elevations. They’ve since been fined by the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying.

This is a NOAA priority but needs resolution more quickly than normal research priorities are resolved to expedite steps that will allow us to change behavior and lead to less damage due to hurricanes. The GPS tool must be updated and adapted as soon as humanly possible.

Dr. Gary Jeffress, RPLS
Professor of Geographic Information Science
Department of Computing Sciences
Director, Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi