Hello to all:
Just a short note as I'm finally getting a few hours off duty to rest. IKE was a very catastrophic storm that will end up as one of the top 2-3 to hit America. Please keep people focused on giving as they did with Katrina. The area will need it for years. I haven't seen much of the news lately, but it surprises me that the national coverage on this less than a week later, is updates only.......IKE may not end up with as many deaths as Katrina, but will have as much destruction associated with it. The death count has a good chance of going up significantly. Feds continue to hint in our State briefings, and have asked for more DRMOT (mortuary) teams to be deployed. I imagine this will become clearer as the SAR teams continue their searches and the waters continue to receed.
Galveston and the barrier islands are severly damaged and will take years to recover. The local hospital UTMB will more than likely be condemned. Several areas remind me of Bay St. Louis after Katrina with only slabs remaining.
Please remember to continue to donate to your charity of choice for those who have suffered. Always remember, that it could have been our beloved SoWal.
Arkie