I found a pretty good site that shows the devastation of the Bolivar peninsula.
http://jakeabby.com/cb/ As you scroll down the pics get older, that is, closer the the very first pics taken immediately after the storm ended. Most striking to me is the pic of the Bolivar Lighthouse with the Gulf lapping at its base. It has been estimated that 250 people chose to ride out the storm on Bolivar, but I don't think there is yet a hard estimate of actual deaths there, and there may never be since it may be impossible to recover all the bodies of the dead. Several internet blogs are claiming there is a "news blackout" regarding the actual extent of the damage and death toll. Well....maybe, but I really doubt it. I believe that this was such an enormous disaster that the "Authorities", for all their show of self assurance and confidence, are overwhelmed. I don't think they really have much of a handle on much beyond FEMA relief and the extent of electrical outages. (Frex: Half of all Centerpoint Energy customers are still without power and for most other providers the numbers are worse.) The official death toll from Ike includes deaths from as far as Michigan and currently stands at 55. I suspect the final toll will be in the low hundreds. At the other extreme, people here, in spite of their losses or their suffering are in very good spirits. We move forward. People are helping each other clean up the messes, sharing power or AC (in the form of communal sleepovers), and generally making sure their families and neighbors are doing as well as possible. The big city discovers it *does* have community and it is showing. There are surely some negatives raising their heads, but they are drowning in a torrent of goodwill and community spirit. Makes a guy proud of his hometown, his region, his state. Hurricanes are a fact of life on the Gulf Coast. Storms are an impediment to be overcome and are expected. We know how to deal with them and are only rarely surprised by them. Ike and Katrina both laid surprises at our doorsteps, but the stakes have not been raised to such a degree that people flock to flee the area. You know that old saw, no one expects California to depopulate because they have earthquakes and fires. Some places are just a bit wilder than others in that they have potential for natural disasters that other places do not. But humans are ingenious and always find ways to survive, not just survive, but live well. There are over 6 million people in my general vicinity and it is likely that fewer than 300 will be found to have died as a result of this storm. Most would call that acceptable risk. The storms cost will likely exceed the 22 - 50 billion estimates, but considering the importance of the region, that too is acceptable. (These estimates include damage to regions far inland extending into states far away from the coast.) Galveston is not devastated. It is certain that many beach homes were destroyed, and some of those certainly were primary residences. But those were outside the "town" portion of the city of Galveston which suffered extensive damage, but Galveston will bounce back. It is important to note that Galveston and Houston were once similarly sized rival cities and the 1900 Hurricane limited Galveston's growth, showing how nature provides a natural limit to growth of communities in areas with greater opportunities for disaster. Galveston is about 1/50th the population of Houston today. xponent A Day In The Life Maru rob _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
