Cleveland Advocate - News
Ike not a Rita redux
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| People waiting for fuel thought they could get ahead of the rush for fuel by walking up to the pump instead of staying in line with their cars. However, they faced more long lines on foot since there was only one pump designated for foot traffic at the Cleveland Murphy's gas station. Many of those waiting in line for hours in their car were frustrated that the foot traffic was allowed to get ahead of the line and complained to each other from car to car. |
By ALEX WUKMAN
Hurricane Ike made landfall September 13 at 2:10 a.m. over the eastern end of Galveston Island. Ike is reported to have caused over $27 billion in approximately 90 counties throughout Central and East Texas.
Some of the most heavily damaged were the low-lying areas around Galveston bay. The coastal community of Gilchrist was virtually eradicated, the Bolivar Peninsula is now an island and Galveston Island is still months away from recovery.
Major oil and gas drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico were shut down in anticipation of Hurricane Ike, a fact that helped push gas prices up to almost $4 a gallon, a fact that many found painful and suspicious in the light of two months of falling gas prices.
The Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office stated that Hurricane Ike was responsible for 20 confirmed deaths; Harris County listed 10 confirmed. There has been no word from other area counties, though Liberty County is not said to have any reported deaths from Hurricane Ike.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been left without power. This forced them to rely on government assistance and introduced a new term into the vocabulary of millions, point of distribution or POD.
PODs are the points at which food, water and the incredibly important ice are distributed to the public.
Lines at many PODs throughout the Greater Houston Area stretched for blocks, a fact that resulted in wait times exceeding two hours. Some of the most sought after items at the few stores that were open immediately afterward were flashlights, batteries and bug spray.
Immediately after Hurricane Ike made landfall, curfews were introduced for many Texas communities. In some cases, the curfews stretched from dusk to dawn, in other places they stretched from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
It was reported that on the remnants of Bolivar Peninsula, martial law was declared. The problem that plagued the most people was a lack of electricity.
Immediately after the storm, over 2 million people were without power and estimates for restoring service ranged from a few hours (mostly in suburban areas) to six weeks in rural areas. Even days later, hundreds of thousands of people throughout three states were still without power.
Some of the most heavily damaged were the low-lying areas around Galveston bay. The coastal community of Gilchrist was virtually eradicated, the Bolivar Peninsula is now an island and Galveston Island is still months away from recovery.
Major oil and gas drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico were shut down in anticipation of Hurricane Ike, a fact that helped push gas prices up to almost $4 a gallon, a fact that many found painful and suspicious in the light of two months of falling gas prices.
The Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office stated that Hurricane Ike was responsible for 20 confirmed deaths; Harris County listed 10 confirmed. There has been no word from other area counties, though Liberty County is not said to have any reported deaths from Hurricane Ike.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been left without power. This forced them to rely on government assistance and introduced a new term into the vocabulary of millions, point of distribution or POD.
PODs are the points at which food, water and the incredibly important ice are distributed to the public.
Lines at many PODs throughout the Greater Houston Area stretched for blocks, a fact that resulted in wait times exceeding two hours. Some of the most sought after items at the few stores that were open immediately afterward were flashlights, batteries and bug spray.
Immediately after Hurricane Ike made landfall, curfews were introduced for many Texas communities. In some cases, the curfews stretched from dusk to dawn, in other places they stretched from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
It was reported that on the remnants of Bolivar Peninsula, martial law was declared. The problem that plagued the most people was a lack of electricity.
Immediately after the storm, over 2 million people were without power and estimates for restoring service ranged from a few hours (mostly in suburban areas) to six weeks in rural areas. Even days later, hundreds of thousands of people throughout three states were still without power.
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