Galveston After Hurricane Ike

[NenaE]

Just saw this (for those who are interested): Ch.2 will have an "Eyes of Texas" 1 hr. program on Friday night (9/27), 7 p.m. that will feature a segment about the Balinese Room & other storms that have affected Galveston, among other stories.

[Gary]

It's my understanding that the flight museum took a big hit, losing at least 50 planes.

Anybody know for sure?

[sevfiv]

Nothing too specific from the site yet - the updates are only from the 16th:

Prior to IKE’s arrival pilots were able to fly the following aircraft out of harm’s way/ B-17, B-25, DC-3,P-47, F6F, F4U, SBD, PT-17, T-6 and the F8F.

[...]

The airplanes received major water damage. Most remain in good shape physically.

[...]

All evacuated aircraft are ok.

http://www.lsfm.org/media.html

[Reefmonkey]

My dad made it down to the West End late last week. We've had a house in Pirates' Cove (the bay side) since 1983. We had just driven pilings when Alicia hit.

My dad and a couple of other guys with houses down there hired a fishing guide (dad didn't want to take his 27' Grady in the debris-strewn waters) who charged them $400 a head.

Our house fared pretty well. Lost a fair number of shingles and the roof leaked, allowing water damage to the ceilings of a few rooms. New sheetrock will be needed there. The garage and a small bathroom are all we had built on the ground floor, and both of those were trashed. The walls are built to blow out in a storm surge, and they did that, so we have a jumbled mess of fishing rods, paint cans, life vests, etc. strewn across our yard and some of our neighbors. I kept my kayaks in the garage. My dad found one of my kayaks in a pile with a bunch of other kayaks down the street, but unharmed. Another kayak is nowhere to be found. All in all we count ourselves pretty lucky, but our fortune was Bolivar's misfortune when the storm veered east a little.

My take on what will become of Galveston now.......

I remember in the mid 80s, Galveston had just suffered a hurricane hit, and then there was a regional economic slowdown and poor housing market. Going down to our bay house in those days, sometimes it seemed like we almost had the Island to ourselves, even during the summer (at least during the week). Sure, there weren't a lot of businesses open on the Island back then, but what we really came to the Island for was still there. The beach was still there. The bay for watersports was still there. The natural beauty was still there, and all this was more enjoyable because it was less crowded.

Now don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed a lot of the development on Galveston. Moody Gardens is great. The revitalization of Post Office Street is great. There are a lot of great little new restaurants. Unfortunately, though, while the first wave of revitalization of Galveston was good, these pioneers - independent stores, independent restaurants, etc. - were pushed out in the late 90s and early 00s by the likes of Tilman Fertita. Great restaurants like Fisherman's Wharf next to the Elissa got bought out and became just thinly disguised Landry's. Hill's Pier 19 became a freaking Joe's Crab shack. The Strand Brewery became a Fuddruckers. The stores alone the Strand were on the way up for a while, but then the coming of the Carnival cruise ships brought the NASCAR crowd, and the junk shops selling lewd t-shirts to them. Even on my end of the island, the atmosphere had changed some. Signs touting planned high-rise condominiums are right outside our subdivision. High rise condominiums class with the character of the West End. For 20 years my reasonably-sized vacation home had an unobstructed view of the bay across an area George Mitchell had always kept vacant and allowed to be a de facto wildlife sanctuary. Of course, when Mitchell sold our subdivision, the new development company immediately divided that land up into lots, and on each lot built an oversized monstrosity is far larger than the old neighborhood building restrictions would have allowed us to build our house, totally blocking our view. These houses are built larger than they can be insured.

Perhaps, just as in the 80s, a hurricane hit and a close-by economic and real estate slowdown will clean up Galveston a little. I do fear the possibility that only those with the big money will go back in, but what I hope is that the aftermath of Ike will scare off those greedy developers only looking to make a quick buck who have cheapened and commercialized the Island. I hope it will scare off insurers and investors who would be needed to back a high rise condominium on the West End, and only those who really understand and love the Island for what it is enough to take the risk will stay.

In the short term, the Galveston I love will not be diminished. Sure, some of the restaurants I have come to enjoy may not reopen, or may not be as good as pre-Ike, but that will just push me to do what I really enjoy most - stay on the West End, cook for myself, enjoy the solitude, the bay, the escape from rushing to restaurants. Fall is in many ways my favorite times to be down there, and so I hope to get in a few fall weekends even this year.

As far as the loss of the Balinese Room goes, that place was just a rotting shadow of what it once had been. There was forever discussion of what would become of it. In a way Ike dealt it a mercy-killing. As much as I love to see old historic structures preserved, sometimes they must disappear. Would we really want or need the Crystal Palace to still be around, a mouldering and disused momument to a bygone age? Better to remember it as part of the lore of Galveston past than see it rot away. Same for the Balinese Room.

Edited September 22, 2008 by Reefmonkey

[IronTiger]

EDIT: The railroad and flight museums have a slide show posted here.

That's terrible. Hopefully they can rebuild. I imagine the Target/Home Depot (old Galvez Mall) probably was flooded/damaged as well.

Edited September 22, 2008 by IronTiger

[NenaE]

Here's a J.R. Gonzales Bayou City link stating the condition of Houston & Galveston landmarks: (found by scrolling down a bit). http://blogs.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/

[Vertigo58]

I am concerned mostly of the historical Cathedrals and churches like St Patricks off Broadway. Go there kind of often.

Of course my other place of major worship is Benno's Seafood on the seawall. I shall curl up in a big ball if it got leveled. Says it isnt so!

http://www.bennosofgalveston.com/beach.asp

[sevfiv]

Benno's (one of my favorites, too) seems to be intact from above from the NOAA satellite pictures:

[Vertigo58]

Most non Galvestonian's have no clue that Bernardo de Galvez Avenue (near seawall) sports some of the rarest and most historical turn of the century homes ever.

You have to start the slow drive coming in from the West and head East. Have someone drive as you snap pics or just pull over and take a long stroll. Not one is the same. Most display turrets and vast wide porches and unusual ornamentation not seen in decades or at least since The Gilded Age. Many of them are in a disrepaired and dilapidated state which is cause for great concern. Please tell me they were spared!

[dudemeister]

As much as I hate to say this it was only a mater of time for the Balinese Room, as well as other structures built over the Gulf, to be destroyed by a Hurricane. Anyways I hope life in Galveston returns back to normal for everyone there.

[editor]

According to USA Today the Tremont House, Hotel Galvez and Harbor House should reopen by October 15.

According to USA Today the Tremont House, Hotel Galvez and Harbor House should reopen by October 15.

[Reefmonkey]

As much as I hate to say this it was only a mater of time for the Balinese Room, as well as other structures built over the Gulf, to be destroyed by a Hurricane. Anyways I hope life in Galveston returns back to normal for everyone there.

Yup, I agree. Some of them were just as likely to be taken by dryrot and corrosion. I was down there yesterday, I noticed the fishing pier at about 89th street is pretty much gone. The segment with the building is there, but most of the area where one would walk out to fish is gone.

I went down to my parents' house on the Bay side in Pirates Cove to clean out what is left of our garage. As for the living area, a couple of rooms are going to need new sheetrock, and we are going to have to put a new roof on, but other than that it's fine. I drove as far down as Sea Isle. There is a lot of debris lying about, but that was quickly being cleaned up by multiple crews, and really, I think the debris is making the area look worse than it is, so once that is gone, (and power and water return) things will seem pretty normal there. I was happy to see that Seven Seas Grocery Store in Jamaica Beach, our favorite place to shop for groceries when we are down there, looked to have survived pretty well. People were already there, cleaning out the mess, so I imagine they will reopen soon. Randalls on 61st is open, and their gas pumps are working. Walmart is open too.

[sevfiv]

Flight Museum article:

And like the rest of this storm-ravaged city, the rare collection of vintage aircraft that makes up much of the Lone Star Flight Museum

[SouthMainMan]

Has anyone had a chance to see what happened to the Galveston Country Club? I know its not exactly an architectural gem, but I'm curious as to whether of not it survived.

[plumber2]

IronTiger: Home Depot and Target did just fine. Both are open and Home Depot is hiring. That land is elevated although the bulkheading along the feeder road needs repair. The new Sullivan family subdivision Evia did just fine also I hear.

The neighborhoods behind Ft. Crockett did not flood either.

My wife's store on 61st St. had 5 1/2" of water in it. We have re-openned and she hopes her customers return. HEB, on the otherhand, said they will not. (gutless cowards) I'll never shop at an HEB again. "Spread the word"

[rsb320]

IronTiger: Home Depot and Target did just fine. Both are open and Home Depot is hiring. That land is elevated although the bulkheading along the feeder road needs repair. The new Sullivan family subdivision Evia did just fine also I hear.

The neighborhoods behind Ft. Crockett did not flood either.

My wife's store on 61st St. had 5 1/2" of water in it. We have re-openned and she hopes her customers return. HEB, on the otherhand, said they will not. (gutless cowards) I'll never shop at an HEB again. "Spread the word"

Remember when the roof of that Home Depot caved in, just from a regular rain storm?

[sevfiv]

TheNiche (who doesn't have steady internet at the moment) reports that Benno's on the seawall is open for business.

[crunchtastic]

TheNiche (who doesn't have steady internet at the moment) reports that Benno's on the seawall is open for business.

I've been wondering where he was.....

[foxmulder]

TheNiche (who doesn't have steady internet at the moment) reports that Benno's on the seawall is open for business.

It is open...Till 10 p i believe. My wife saw the sign and wanted to stop to try it but i decided not to burden them. The shrimp and crap icons are still down the seawall.

[Mark F. Barnes]

Shrimp and Crap?

Interesting......

[foxmulder]

Shrimp and Crap?

Interesting......

Shrimp and crab i meant! They are some huge fiberglass(?) figures outside of stores.

[J.A.S.O.N.]

My dad's a teacher in GISD and he told me about 2/3 of the students attended classes district wide today (today was the first day of class)

[musicman]

sounds like UTMB is trying to downsize as a result of ike and proposed a 4000 employee layoff. of course, the Mayor stepped in and started making phone calls to state legislators who are promising to step in.

full article

[Vertigo58]

Benno's (one of my favorites, too) seems to be intact from above from the NOAA satellite pictures:

I was told the place hardly has any sign of having been thru a recent storm at all. Yeah!

However, I am concerned about eating any seafood from the Gulf after hearing and seeing the news articles about the oyster beds and waters being contaminated with spills, etc. One oyster dude said it could be 2 years or more before some of the fishing areas are back to normal. I am sure there are articles out there, just too busy to dig for them.

[J.A.S.O.N.]

I was told the place hardly has any sign of having been thru a recent storm at all. Yeah!

However, I am concerned about eating any seafood from the Gulf after hearing and seeing the news articles about the oyster beds and waters being contaminated with spills, etc. One oyster dude said it could be 2 years or more before some of the fishing areas are back to normal. I am sure there are articles out there, just too busy to dig for them.

That's certainly not true. Whoever said the place looked that good lied to you.... blatantly.

[Timnwendy]

sounds like UTMB is trying to downsize as a result of ike and proposed a 4000 employee layoff. of course, the Mayor stepped in and started making phone calls to state legislators who are promising to step in.

full article

It seems UTMB will get some emergency funding to make payroll for awhile. However, rumor has it that this funding is just a temporary measure, being done for political reasons, and as soon as the election is over early next month, the layoffs will still happen.

I have some contacts there (I worked at UTMB until last year), and they are telling me how bleak it is. So much of the UTMB infrastructure has broken down, that there is just no way they can bring everyone back to work anytime soon. A sad reality.

[Vertigo58]

Guess I gotta check out Bennos for myself but leery of the hundreds of nails punturing my new tires. Unless they have miraculously all been removed...every single one of them.lol

Bennos did have thick glass windows and maybe shutters were used as well. Hand me the tartar sauce!

Shrimp and crab i meant! They are some huge fiberglass(?) figures outside of stores.

I just had to laugh

[Reefmonkey]

Has anyone had a chance to see what happened to the Galveston Country Club? I know its not exactly an architectural gem, but I'm curious as to whether of not it survived.

My parent's house is right by it, so I drove by. I'm guessing it took water damage inside the clubhouse, but the exterior looked intact. The course looked terrible when I was there two weeks ago - just like my parents' lawn, the salt water really burned the grass.

[IronTiger]

IronTiger: Home Depot and Target did just fine. Both are open and Home Depot is hiring. That land is elevated although the bulkheading along the feeder road needs repair. The new Sullivan family subdivision Evia did just fine also I hear.

The neighborhoods behind Ft. Crockett did not flood either.

My wife's store on 61st St. had 5 1/2" of water in it. We have re-openned and she hopes her customers return. HEB, on the otherhand, said they will not. (gutless cowards) I'll never shop at an HEB again. "Spread the word"

HEB won't reopen? Dang...that's the only H-E-B Pantry I know of. H-E-B Pantry and that Dillard's from MotM are both gutless cowards indeed.

[editor]

Does anyone know the current power/water/other utilities status on the island? I got an e-mail from the tourism board and it makes things sound like they're OK.