The aftermath of Ike, 4 Months Later

On Friday we went down to Surfside to get a nice seafood lunch for my father's birthday. On the way home we decided to drive back via Galveston to check out the progress and were somewhat shocked by what we saw. The main road that runs along the beach connecting Surfside to Galveston was wiped out in certain places, as shown in picture number 2. At one point it was so bad that we drove almost two miles on the slim stretch of beach, right next to the ocean. Along the way I noticed that almost every store built out over the water was gone. The first photo shows the disconnected pier of one such place. Lastly, and most shockingly, is the 3rd picture. I was floored to see a person's life in that top left room. You can see the mattress positioned in front of the tv, with two dressers against the back wall.

Once on the Strand, it was apparent that not much headway had been made there either. Next to no shops were open, including the old timey ice-cream shop that was a favorite of mine growing up. While talking to the owner of a local bookstore, we were informed that Ike had dumped around 7 and 1/2 feet of water in their store and ruined over 500,000 books. I can't even begin to imagine the financial impact that would have on a local bookstore owner.