Hurricane Ike
It occurred to me that I never updated after my last trip to Galveston after Hurricane Ike. I took some pictures and posted them to a Picasa album. Here's one of my dad's garage, for example.
From Hurricane Ike 2008
I feel like the pictures don't really do the situation justice. The ones of the inside almost make it look like the place just needs some cleaning... but the damage is much more significant. By the time we got there, my dad's neighbor had completely stripped his condo of all the drywall, carpet, insulation, fixtures, and cabinets leaving essentially a frame with a roof and plumbing. My dad's place will probably end up the same, but he rents so it's for the owner to deal with. We salvaged what we could.
My dad is doing pretty well. He found a nice apartment about a dozen miles inland. He's currently hassling with the insurance company over the most valuable thing destroyed, his baby grand piano (destroyed in the sense that repairs would cost as much or more than a new one). UTMB is expected to announce big layoffs, but he's pretty sure his job is secure since it's related to babies. The fate of Shriner's (which covers half his salary) is less certain, though. Their charity hospitals are supported by their endowment, which has shrunk significantly with the recent troubles on Wall St.
From Hurricane Ike 2008
I feel like the pictures don't really do the situation justice. The ones of the inside almost make it look like the place just needs some cleaning... but the damage is much more significant. By the time we got there, my dad's neighbor had completely stripped his condo of all the drywall, carpet, insulation, fixtures, and cabinets leaving essentially a frame with a roof and plumbing. My dad's place will probably end up the same, but he rents so it's for the owner to deal with. We salvaged what we could.
My dad is doing pretty well. He found a nice apartment about a dozen miles inland. He's currently hassling with the insurance company over the most valuable thing destroyed, his baby grand piano (destroyed in the sense that repairs would cost as much or more than a new one). UTMB is expected to announce big layoffs, but he's pretty sure his job is secure since it's related to babies. The fate of Shriner's (which covers half his salary) is less certain, though. Their charity hospitals are supported by their endowment, which has shrunk significantly with the recent troubles on Wall St.