Ike and the Aftermath (I love the word "aftermath")

Two posts ago I was all worried about what Gustav was going to do to my house. Those were the days of innocence prior to Ike. Ike really opened a lot of eyes here in the community. Some of the reflections that I have:

1. Hats off again to the first responders in our community. They are truly an asset to the community - their professionalism and dedication to duty reflects well on our community. They have risen to the challenge and done wonderfully well. It is a privilege to be associated with people of this caliber.

2. Community efforts to assist those in need have been particularly heartening to watch. Whether it was my neighbors coming over late Thursday night to help me board up my windows, the meals provided for emergency personnel and staff, the volunteers handing out ice, water, and MREs out at the school, or neighbors helping to clean up yards, roads, lots, and homes - this is truly a magnificent place to live. With all that is rotten and corrupt and broken in this world, there is a strength to America and it is the neighbors reaching out to help each other in times of need with no thought of recompense.

3. We have been under a mandatory evacuation order from the County. Chambers County is considered a coastal county, surrounding Trinity Bay - the north east arm of Galveston Bay - and damage was expected to be (and ended up being) extensive. The main reason to issue an evacuation order is to prevent loss of life and limb to those folks in the evacuation area. Coupled to that is the real concern for those first responders who would be required to assist those foolish enough to stay in dangerous areas. Also of concern is the ability of the City or County to provide regular services to those in need - water, sewer, etc, services may be disrupted - and emergency personnel may not be able to even get around. The regular distribution services are vulnerable, including food, electricity, gas, and other utilities. Thus, it behooves people to get someplace safe or expect major inconveniences and disruptions to their regular routine. For the most part, people have been exceptionally patient and understanding as we get our services back on line. Our City personnel have been working incessantly to bring everything back to order and provide that level of comfort and convenience that we have come to expect here in our community.

4. There are significant lessons that were learned about the weaknesses and strengths that exist in our emergency plan. For the most part, our City weathered the storm in exceptional fashion, with some physical concerns with our facilities here at the City Hall which we are currently in the process of correcting. Those things will take time to rectify, but when they get fixed we will be in a better position than we were before the storm.

I would like to once again thank those who have worked so tirelessly for the benefit of our community. Their efforts have ensured that our people may have been inconvenienced by the storm but were never in danger of being left alone. And that's what living in a community like this is all about.