<p>Having a couple of close friends in Houston I am very surprised by how quickly Ike has dropped off the radar as far as the media is concerned. Those in many parts of Houston had lots of damage and were without power for varying lengths of time and are just on the road to recovery. Galveston was devastated but we hear very little about it on the news which surprises me. Maybe Galveston is just not as famous as new Orleans? Not as ‘glamorous’ to the media? I am puzzled by the lack of follow up. Anyway an interesting and, for me, tear jerking article on cnn.com
[Many</a> who stayed died in Ike’s fury - CNN.com](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/04/ike.lives.lost.ap/index.html]Many”>http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/04/ike.lives.lost.ap/index.html)</p>
<p>The part where the lady described her elderly friend calling and realizing ‘with her voice shaking with fear’ what a mistake she had made by not evacuating just brought me to tears. I could imagine my Mum doing the same.</p>
<p>You’re absolutely right with your sentiments! Many of my co-workers and family members were without electricity for 2 weeks. Many traffic lights are still not functioning, and it’s anticipated it will be sometime in November for the repairs to be completed on the traffic lights. Approximately 90% of all traffic lights in the Houston metropolitan area were knocked out. And by knocked out, I mean many are just blank (not blinking), while many more are angled sideways, fallen to the ground or left hanging. The traffic is horrendous as a result. And driving in the dark is not recommended.</p>
<p>At least our grocery stores are now open and fully stocked and gas is plentiful.</p>
<p>Kind of like the large number of places wiped off the coast by Katrina but overshadowed by the urban issue in NO.<br>
I’m so sorry that other news stories grabbed the focus from the real need there on the coast. All the usual reliable sources need funds, and if you don’t know were to send help, look on the Houston news sources webpages.
May you all be blessed by some cool winds and relaible deliveries of supplies to Home Depot!</p>
<p>My niece and her dh in Houston just got back in their house this week because there was no electricity. I have friends who still have Houston relatives staying with them.</p>
Home Depot is out of shingles. <grrrrr> Wouldn’t you think that in the same way they stock up on plywood when a hurricane is heading towards an area, then chainsaws afterwards, they’d be sure to have shingles a couple of weeks afterward?</grrrrr></p>
<p>Have you heard that there are 400 people missing? 400!! Most of those people were likely washed out to sea or are trapped in the debris. What a tragedy.</p>
Yes, the loss of power was terrible and was dangerous to the elderly and the ill. But, in 2 1/2 weeks the vast majority of 4 million people had their power back. That’s incredible! </p>
<p>I’m sure other Houstonians would agree that everywhere you went you’d see caravans of electric trucks and tree trimming trucks. I know they came from all over the country, but it was astounding to me how many of them there were.</p>
<p>It’s a disaster. Disasters happen and you do the best you can to recover. Criminally liable?? Please.</p>
<p>I agree. We had a bad ice storm in 2001 or 2002. We were out of power for 3 weeks. The power companies worked their butts off replacing the thousands of electricity poles that were toppled by the ice storm including many trucks from other States helping out. Some things are impossible to completely prepare for. Can’t imagine making it a criminal offense.</p>
<p>I’m considering cancelling my subscription to Newsweek. Given all the financial/political turmoil, I wasn’t expecting much coverage, but the only mentions of Ike were in a one-line joke and one letter to the editor the following week.</p>
<p>As for the power companies, I can’t imagine how they could have repaired so much any faster than they did.</p>