Have some really good friends that lost their home on Crystal Beach, entirely, to Ike, the place next door to the former Atty General that they always show, they decided not to rebuild and bought a new home in Dickinson. She sent me text photos of the rising water from Harvey until she lost cell service and had to be rescued by boat.
I told her "anyone ever doubts your love of Galveston, I think you're proven it". I would have shagged butt after being the last vehicle to make it over the bridge before it was closed when the worst categorized hurricane in history came ashore.
My wife and I used to go down for Dickens, dressed up too, Mardi Gras and spent many a summer holiday on Crystal, the original Redneck Riviera, listening to "Sweet Home Alabama" and witnessing the 10 Stages of Drunkeness and participating as well.
Oh my gosh, Crystal Beach got so tore up, it was heart breaking. Only that one yellow house survived, and even it was only an empty shell left. I have heard horror stories from those that were there that night and what they went through when the storm surge rolled in. I can't believe anyone survived that. I'm so glad your friend is alright, Couch.
Yeah, all of my family members in Galveston lost their homes because of Ike. My sister and brother-in-law spent 25 years slowly fixing their home up, to get it just the way they wanted it. It was beautiful when they were through, looked like a Victorian doll house. Less than a year after they were finished, they lost it. 6 feet of water in their house, the ice box was on its side in the middle of the living room, there was mold clear up to the ceilings....they lost everything. They eventually were able to move back in after many, many months of rebuilding, but it never again looked like the beautiful home it once was (they sold it in 2014 and left the island for good). My other brother-in-law, of my sister who had died only a month and a half before, lost their home as well, and he went missing for 3 weeks. We finally located him in a hospital in Austin I believe, as he had been injured on one of the jetties the day after the storm, almost died from a cut on his foot that became quickly and horribly infected.
One of my cousins also lost his home. He and his wife and kids were homeless for a whole month, then finally in late October '08 they got another house to rent. Three weeks later, he was killed when the van in front of his motorcycle decided to suddenly do a U-turn in the middle of the seawall and my cousin went right under it. Do you remember the wrecker with the sign on back, "Ike Go Home, Tina's Not Here"? That was my other cousin (little sister of the cousin who was killed) and her husband's wrecker!
They lost their home, as well, but spent a couple years fixing it back up (they did end up selling some time later and are also now off the island). There's more cousins and family that lost their homes, too, but I'll spare you any more. lol
Oh yeah, you are correct about the worst categorized hurricane in history. Damn straight. It was a 3 when it hit, no matter what those morons claim.
