Pictures Of Ikes Devastation

[Ross]

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/09/the_short_but_eventful_life_of.html

Dial up users forget it. Even with broadband it takes a long time for this page to load. There are lots of pictures.

 

[Bonzo Dog]

Every picture tells a story. These tell many. Great photo journalism. Thanks.

 

[aussigal]

Wow!......

 

[Bonzo Dog]

Dial up users forget it. Even with broadband it takes a long time for this page to load. There are lots of pictures.

Some interweb strangeness here?? The link opens fairly rapidly for me. Posted it on a UK forum, a couple of members with fast broadband have said it freezes their screens.

 

[skeptic49]

Some interweb strangeness here?? The link opens fairly rapidly for me. Posted it on a UK forum, a couple of members with fast broadband have said it freezes their screens.

Yes, I have a fast connection and it froze my IE browser. Great pictures - what I saw anyway.

Jim

 

[Ross]

Yeah it seemed like it froze mine also, but I went and made coffee while waiting and it was fine on return.

 

[Freddie]

I had no problems.....no freezing accrued for me.

As for the pictures, they do speak a thousand words. Totally heartbreaking.
Like 9/11, wish I go down and help out.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

Mine opened in seconds - Here's to AT&T UVerse!

The bridge in #7 is a few miles from where I grew up. Now I live about 1 1/2 hours away. Back in the day, there was a similar bridge, even more arched, and only 2 lanes with very narrow shoulders. Everyone who took driver's ed in the area was required to drive over that bridge. They knew that as soon as we got our licenses, we would be at the beach every day. Driving over the first time was one of the scariest things I've ever had to do! I think I had my eyes shut! I remember lots of stupid things that kids did on that bridge, a few resulting in loss of life.

The bridge goes over the intracoastal waterway and ends just under a mile from the actual gulf. I've never seen water surrounding that bridge and I've lived in the area since 1969.

 

[aussigal]

That bridge in #7 really had me confused...it looked like it would be impossible to drive over...as I scrolled through the comments somewhere down the line it has a link to a slightly different angle of that bridge and you can see that it is actually drive-over-able...I was previously very confused when I saw that piccy.

Its eerie those 2 houses standing amongst all that devastation.

 

[Nancy]

Oh my, that's terrible. I have yet to hear from my cousins in Kemah, Texas. I assume they went to stay with one of their children.

 

[Guest]

That bridge in #7 really had me confused...it looked like it would be impossible to drive over...as I scrolled through the comments somewhere down the line it has a link to a slightly different angle of that bridge and you can see that it is actually drive-over-able...I was previously very confused when I saw that piccy.

*grins*

Glad to know I was not the only one that wondered just what type of bridge that was...and if vehicles actually did drive over it!


But...on the serious side of this...some very powerful imagery in those pics.....



Cort:34swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve&pacemaker
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"I've got bruises on my memory" ... Dwight Yoakam ... 'Thousand Miles From Nowhere'

 

[Lisa in Katy]

Believe me, when you are driving over that bridge it looks very much like half of the McDonald's Golden Arches, especially the original bridge. It's made so that barges, tugs, shrimp boats, and other ships can go under it. There's another bridge in the area that's a swing bridge, but I guess they decided to do this instead to save traffic tie ups. Nobody wants to be slowed on their way to the beach!

When I was a kid, the first one in our car to see the bridge in the distance would jump up, bang their head on the roof of the car and yell, "I see the bridge!" My brother, sister and I, and any friends who happened to be with us, thought it was great fun! This was, of course, before seatbelts were required. I'm sure it won't surprise many to find out that the original idea to do this came from my Dad! MEN!

Nancy, my coworker in Kemah got her power back on a couple of days ago, but I'm not sure if that applies to everyone there. There are houses right on the marina in her neighborhood that were flooded, but she said that they were pretty lucky, for the most part. Hopefully your friend is just enjoying a visit with friends/relatives while all the schools are out.

 

[catwoman]

I got a link to the photos from a cat-related board and had no problem calling up the photos -- at work.

I have many friends along the Gulf Coast who have suffered losses. One of the worst is described below; it was posted to a cat-related board. I'm editing it, leaving out any names, only using to what's pertinent so everyone can know the devastation that Ike dealt.
I know the writer and my heart goes out to him and his wife. I believe he is back at work; don't remember what he does.




Well, we lost our entire house to the storm, the storm surge went so high (8 feet) everything was demolished. We also lost 2 cars. (Wife) was safe with our cats and dogs in Katy with (mutual friend). I stayed behind in Orange with a friend and the storm surge came into his house before the hurricane even got there. We stayed in water up to our chests all night and at 7am the police and fire came for rescue in boats. My friend has 6 dogs, 2 of which he rescued right before the storm that people deserted on the road. The police and fire refused to take the dogs so we sent his grandkid and his girlfriend on the boat and we stayed behind. Around noon we were trying to figure out how to get to the roof when a private citizen came by in a boat and took us and the dogs to safety. The most important thing is we are all alive. It will be a challenge to rebound from this but with the generosity of so many people we are on our way down a long road to recover. Thank you so much to everyone in the region for your support, in particular (friend) who has just been wonderful, I don't know what we would do without her. Thank you to (2 friends) and the disaster relief team for your assistance. Thanks for the donations and the people driving and coordinating these trips into the affected areas. .... It is still hard to fathom that everything I own fits in a duffell bag, it is also challenging to try and work and concentrate with all this stuff going on. ....

 

[hensylee]

well, I have dial up so I won't look, but I see stuff on TV. how about that one house at the edge of the water that's the only one left standing? all vestiges of the rest on that street are just gone.

Texas has just passed a law preventing re-building so close to the water. Thank goodness. People build there, buy federal insurance and when the house goes, the taxpayer builds them another one. We have lots of that in Fl.

Nurse cousin in Houston called yesterday. They still have no electricity, but have everything else. But stores can't open because no power. Her daughter lost everything she had - clothes, everything. She lived near a river. She can go back to work today but had to find clothes. It's bad all over where the storm passed. I feel so bad for them all.

 

[The English Patient]

Amazing images

 

[Nancy]

I finally heard from my cousins. Everything was OK with their apartment, but some of their neighbors didn't fare so well. I thought they would certainly evacuate themselves right away. I was very surprised to hear that they did not. They thought they would tough it out. I guess the husband has leg problems which make it difficult to drive, and his wife has had a major debilitating stroke. They have adult children living in other parts of Texas, so I don't have a good handle on why the children weren't right there to help them. Well, they finally got out in the nick of time and had some nasty adventures along the way, and I guess, finally accepted some help from their children.

I don't know what they were thinking, probably didn't think it would be as bad as it was.

But they found out differently.

But it turned out OK for them, thank God.

 

[hensylee]

that's good news, Nancy. thanks for letting us know. I wondered. We have in the past, taken hurricanes not seriously enough when they give us dire warnings. Now the word has spread all over the world, thank goodness.

 

[Cooker]

the image of total loss ... home ... life ... so very sad ... heart breaking

 

[catwoman]

Nancy:

Glad your cousins are OK.