Houston, Galveston ready to welcome visitors

[Ptarmigan]

Houston, Galveston ready to welcome visitors
Alex Sanz / 11 News
01:56 PM CDT on Sunday, September 28, 2008

HOUSTON -- Hurricane Ike dealt Houston and Galveston unmistakable blows that have affected the two cities financially.  But two weeks later, there are encouraging signs of resiliency and recovery.

"People are making those clean-up steps such as salvaging what they can, especially down on The Strand. They are looking through their merchandise and seeing what's saveable, and what's not," said Rochelle Gaskins, of the Galveston Island Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The days after Ike, the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston played host to linemen, first responders, and people forced from their homes. It, as much of the city is these days, is ready for visitors.

Full Article

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Houston is recovering after Hurricane Ike. Some people may not have power, but it is recovering.

[RightCoast]

How's NOLA doing three years after its hurricane??

[CharlesD]

How's NOLA doing three years after its hurricane??

Time to reprise that Democrats on an escalator video?

[NHSparky]

How's NOLA doing three years after its hurricane??

Still waiting for "da gub'mint" to do it for them.

[Lanie]

New Orleans had much worse damage. Not an accurate comparison IMO.

Good for Houston and Galveston though.

[Texacon]

New Orleans had much worse damage. Not an accurate comparison IMO.

Good for Houston and Galveston though.

Really?  Tell me wise one.  Where did the hurricane hit NOLA?  What category was it when it slammed into NOLA?

Do a little research and you will find the hurricane missed NOLA and trashed MS and AL.  NOLA had flooding from the levee breaches the day after the hurricane.

NOLA (even if it had gotten hit by Katrina) should have been put back together LONG ago.  These people have been out of it for 3 long years.  You can build entire cities in that amount of time .... what's holding NOLA back?

KC

[Lanie]

New Orleans had much worse damage. Not an accurate comparison IMO.

Good for Houston and Galveston though.

Really?  Tell me wise one.  Where did the hurricane hit NOLA?  What category was it when it slammed into NOLA?

Do a little research and you will find the hurricane missed NOLA and trashed MS and AL.  NOLA had flooding from the levee breaches the day after the hurricane.

NOLA (even if it had gotten hit by Katrina) should have been put back together LONG ago.  These people have been out of it for 3 long years.  You can build entire cities in that amount of time .... what's holding NOLA back?

KC

Well, I can't help but compare it to NC and Floyd and I notice NC didn't do as bad as New Orleans either. One town even refused government help, said they would rebuild on their own. I do think it's possible that New Orleans might have needed more help in helping themselves more than some realized. I also think though that since certain areas of Texas were not exactly flooded out and destroyed that it's not a valid comparison.

Check out these pics from Katrina.

http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&q=Katrina

Check these Houston/Ike pics out.

http://images.google.com/images?ndsp=20&um=1&hl=en&q=Houston+%2B+Ike&start=0&sa=N

Bad, but not as bad. For starters, New Orleans is below sea level. The city is going under water regardless. I honestly don't think we should have rebuilt it.

http://ask.yahoo.com/20041005.html

[Texacon]

New Orleans had much worse damage. Not an accurate comparison IMO.

Good for Houston and Galveston though.

Really?  Tell me wise one.  Where did the hurricane hit NOLA?  What category was it when it slammed into NOLA?

Do a little research and you will find the hurricane missed NOLA and trashed MS and AL.  NOLA had flooding from the levee breaches the day after the hurricane.

NOLA (even if it had gotten hit by Katrina) should have been put back together LONG ago.  These people have been out of it for 3 long years.  You can build entire cities in that amount of time .... what's holding NOLA back?

KC

Well, I can't help but compare it to NC and Floyd and I notice NC didn't do as bad as New Orleans either. One town even refused government help, said they would rebuild on their own. I do think it's possible that New Orleans might have needed more help in helping themselves more than some realized. I also think though that since certain areas of Texas were not exactly flooded out and destroyed that it's not a valid comparison.

Check out these pics from Katrina.

http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&q=Katrina

Check these Houston/Ike pics out.

http://images.google.com/images?ndsp=20&um=1&hl=en&q=Houston+%2B+Ike&start=0&sa=N

Bad, but not as bad. For starters, New Orleans is below sea level. The city is going under water regardless. I honestly don't think we should have rebuilt it.

http://ask.yahoo.com/20041005.html

Why do you think New Orleans needed more "help in helping themselves"?

Are they not American citizens?  Did we house more disabled folks there?  What would be the reason for them needing more help than say ..... Iowa after the floods?  The midwest after an ice storm?  The west coast after an earthquake?

Why should it take these people years longer to rebuild and get their lives back on track?

I'll tell you what I think.  I think they have gotten used to the gov't tit and now they don't want to get off the free money.  That is just my humble opinion though.

KC

[debk]

Lanie....I suggest you find the thread here at CC with the pictures of Galveston, and the barrier islands and look at them. If you don't see it, then go on Google and look them up

In many places there is absolutely nothing left except the slab where a house was. NOTHING to salvage.

You are trying to compare apples and oranges instead of two kinds of apples.

NOLA was destroyed by flood waters from the Mississippi River/Lake Ponchetrain broken levees.....Galveston and the barrier islands were destroyed by Cat 2 hurricane winds and ocean water storm surges of as much as 20+ feet above normal tidal movement and swept away by water movement.

NOLA was standing in water, slowly rotting while the water receded. On Galveston Island and the barrier islands....much was just swept away.

Think of NOLA as dishes sitting in a sink, that you pour full of water with a slow drain leak, gradually decreasing the water level. When the water is gone, the dishes are still there....nasty but there.

Think of Galveston Island and the barrier islands as if you built a sand castle at the beach to close to the water. The tide comes in, waves beat at the castle eventually leaving little to nothing resembling the castle you built. It's gone.

There is no comparison.

[Ptarmigan]

Lanie....I suggest you find the thread here at CC with the pictures of Galveston, and the barrier islands and look at them. If you don't see it, then go on Google and look them up

In many places there is absolutely nothing left except the slab where a house was. NOTHING to salvage.

You are trying to compare apples and oranges instead of two kinds of apples.

NOLA was destroyed by flood waters from the Mississippi River/Lake Ponchetrain broken levees.....Galveston and the barrier islands were destroyed by Cat 2 hurricane winds and ocean water storm surges of as much as 20+ feet above normal tidal movement and swept away by water movement.

NOLA was standing in water, slowly rotting while the water receded. On Galveston Island and the barrier islands....much was just swept away.

Think of NOLA as dishes sitting in a sink, that you pour full of water with a slow drain leak, gradually decreasing the water level. When the water is gone, the dishes are still there....nasty but there.

Think of Galveston Island and the barrier islands as if you built a sand castle at the beach to close to the water. The tide comes in, waves beat at the castle eventually leaving little to nothing resembling the castle you built. It's gone.

There is no comparison.

Bolivar Peninsula was wiped out by the massive storm surge of Ike.

[Texacon]

I don't know what the love affair with New Orleans is but folks need to get over it and throw a little tough love that way.  It is either do that or realize you are going to be supporting these people and their descendants the rest of their lives.

KC

[Ptarmigan]

I don't know what the love affair with New Orleans is but folks need to get over it and throw a little tough love that way.  It is either do that or realize you are going to be supporting these people and their descendants the rest of their lives.

KC

People like New Orleans because of the "Southern Charm" it has. Well, if you want Southern Charm, go to Savannah. New Orleans does not feel like any Southern City. I've visited New Orleans and it felt like you were in a different world, like a Third World place like Haiti. New Orleans has to most native born citizens of any city in the nation. Most have never been outside of the city. New Orleans culture is different. One reason why New Orleanians could not get a job in Houston is because they dress too casual for an interview.

[CharlesD]

I have been all over this country over the last year and it has gotten to a point where if I spend more than a day in a city I can tell you if their leadership is conservative or liberal, especially the ones that have been one or the other for a long time.  I haul a lot of freight in Texas and the one thing I always notice is the fierce independence that most people there have.  I took a load of supplies down to Galveston, Houston, and Texas City last week and all I saw from the locals was cooperation with one another and a strong desire to get back on their feet as fast as possible.  I saw businesses with half the building gone and homemade wood signs out front that said, "Yes, we're open."  I've been through New Orleans a few times and you can tell that most everyone is waiting on the government to do it for them.  Yes, comparing damage is kind of apples and oranges, but I think that if New Orleans had been inhabited by Texans and had been lead by a conservative, you wouldn't have seen half the problems.  The damage would have been the same, but the recovery would have been done a whole lot faster and without the whining. 

[Texacon]

I have been all over this country over the last year and it has gotten to a point where if I spend more than a day in a city I can tell you if their leadership is conservative or liberal, especially the ones that have been one or the other for a long time.  I haul a lot of freight in Texas and the one thing I always notice is the fierce independence that most people there have.  I took a load of supplies down to Galveston, Houston, and Texas City last week and all I saw from the locals was cooperation with one another and a strong desire to get back on their feet as fast as possible.  I saw businesses with half the building gone and homemade wood signs out front that said, "Yes, we're open."  I've been through New Orleans a few times and you can tell that most everyone is waiting on the government to do it for them.  Yes, comparing damage is kind of apples and oranges, but I think that if New Orleans had been inhabited by Texans and had been lead by a conservative, you wouldn't have seen half the problems.  The damage would have been the same, but the recovery would have been done a whole lot faster and without the whining. 

Interesting you should say this.  This last Saturday I had a FEMA rep come into my office.  He was saying he was trying to find people who needed help but he wasn't having much luck.  He wanted to know if I knew of anyone who needed help and I told him no but I would be happy to hang his contact information in our lobby.

We had a very interesting discussion about the differences in hurricanes in Texas and New Orleans.  He told me none of the reps liked going to New Orleans anymore because it was like a big shell game.  How many reps this guy knew I have no idea but he said he had been there several times trying to 'help' out.

This guy seemed to be confused as to why we weren't flocking to FEMA and I told him it was because we didn't feel like we needed the help.  If someone truly needed help they would probably find him but for most of us we either took care of our business or we helped our neighbors take care of theirs.  Problem solved.

KC

[debk]

I have been all over this country over the last year and it has gotten to a point where if I spend more than a day in a city I can tell you if their leadership is conservative or liberal, especially the ones that have been one or the other for a long time.  I haul a lot of freight in Texas and the one thing I always notice is the fierce independence that most people there have.  I took a load of supplies down to Galveston, Houston, and Texas City last week and all I saw from the locals was cooperation with one another and a strong desire to get back on their feet as fast as possible.  I saw businesses with half the building gone and homemade wood signs out front that said, "Yes, we're open."  I've been through New Orleans a few times and you can tell that most everyone is waiting on the government to do it for them.  Yes, comparing damage is kind of apples and oranges, but I think that if New Orleans had been inhabited by Texans and had been lead by a conservative, you wouldn't have seen half the problems.  The damage would have been the same, but the recovery would have been done a whole lot faster and without the whining. 

Interesting you should say this.  This last Saturday I had a FEMA rep come into my office.  He was saying he was trying to find people who needed help but he wasn't having much luck.  He wanted to know if I knew of anyone who needed help and I told him no but I would be happy to hang his contact information in our lobby.

We had a very interesting discussion about the differences in hurricanes in Texas and New Orleans.  He told me none of the reps liked going to New Orleans anymore because it was like a big shell game.  How many reps this guy knew I have no idea but he said he had been there several times trying to 'help' out.

This guy seemed to be confused as to why we weren't flocking to FEMA and I told him it was because we didn't feel like we needed the help.  If someone truly needed help they would probably find him but for most of us we either took care of our business or we helped our neighbors take care of theirs.  Problem solved.

KC

I was in Key West for Rita, and evacuated for Wilma, but went back 2 days after they reopened the airport.

It was the same way there. People went and got ice and water from the FEMA trucks, but that was about it. The county cleared the roads, the people dragged the fallen trees, limbs, debris to the side of the road, the county hauled it away.

Nobody waited for help to come do it for them....they just started doing.

[Chris_]

New Orleans had much worse damage. Not an accurate comparison IMO.

Good for Houston and Galveston though. :)

Cancun, Playa Del Carment and Cozumel were WIPED OUT and rebuilt after 9 MONTHS!! Cozumel was entirely under water at one point.

How did they do it?  The Governor of Quintana Roo held a meeting in the town square and said "we don't work, we don't eat" and handed out shovels and rakes.

THOUSANDS of buildings, HUNDREDS of resorts built and rebuilt  -- better than before.  IN 9 months.  NO debit cards, NO high priced hotels, NO exporting their gang bangers to nearby cities.  Also NO looting of their own neighborhoods.

**** NOLA -- lazy bastards.  Let it sink next time.

[Texacon]

**** NOLA -- lazy bastards.  Let it sink next time.

hehe  Sounds like that one struck a nerve.

KC

[Chris_]

**** NOLA -- lazy bastards.  Let it sink next time.

hehe  Sounds like that one struck a nerve.

KC

Yeah -- I made it through the 1994 Northridge Quake without a single ******* $2K debit card.  And no one in L.A. looted their own neighborhoods.  Do you realize that since then, every single overpass and structure in Southern California was inspected inside of 3 years? 
 

[CharlesD]

Interesting you should say this.  This last Saturday I had a FEMA rep come into my office.  He was saying he was trying to find people who needed help but he wasn't having much luck.  He wanted to know if I knew of anyone who needed help and I told him no but I would be happy to hang his contact information in our lobby.

We had a very interesting discussion about the differences in hurricanes in Texas and New Orleans.  He told me none of the reps liked going to New Orleans anymore because it was like a big shell game.  How many reps this guy knew I have no idea but he said he had been there several times trying to 'help' out.

This guy seemed to be confused as to why we weren't flocking to FEMA and I told him it was because we didn't feel like we needed the help.  If someone truly needed help they would probably find him but for most of us we either took care of our business or we helped our neighbors take care of theirs.  Problem solved.

KC

One of the reasons I like running freight in Texas and when I deliver in Louisiana I just get the heck out of there as fast as I can.  I can just relate to Texans a bit better.  Now if it wasn't so darn hot.  I've been in this state for a week and I'm itching to get back to some real fall weather in Ohio.  Sitting in a truck stop in Waco at the moment.  I just saw the Devil walk by and he said he was going back home to cool off.

[Texacon]

Interesting you should say this.  This last Saturday I had a FEMA rep come into my office.  He was saying he was trying to find people who needed help but he wasn't having much luck.  He wanted to know if I knew of anyone who needed help and I told him no but I would be happy to hang his contact information in our lobby.

We had a very interesting discussion about the differences in hurricanes in Texas and New Orleans.  He told me none of the reps liked going to New Orleans anymore because it was like a big shell game.  How many reps this guy knew I have no idea but he said he had been there several times trying to 'help' out.

This guy seemed to be confused as to why we weren't flocking to FEMA and I told him it was because we didn't feel like we needed the help.  If someone truly needed help they would probably find him but for most of us we either took care of our business or we helped our neighbors take care of theirs.  Problem solved.

KC

One of the reasons I like running freight in Texas and when I deliver in Louisiana I just get the heck out of there as fast as I can.  I can just relate to Texans a bit better.  Now if it wasn't so darn hot.  I've been in this state for a week and I'm itching to get back to some real fall weather in Ohio.  Sitting in a truck stop in Waco at the moment.  I just saw the Devil walk by and he said he was going back home to cool off.

Heck, it ain't even hot now.

Welcome to TX and if you ever get around the Huntsville area give a shout.

KC

[Texacon]

**** NOLA -- lazy bastards.  Let it sink next time.

hehe  Sounds like that one struck a nerve.

KC

Yeah -- I made it through the 1994 Northridge Quake without a single ******* $2K debit card.  And no one in L.A. looted their own neighborhoods.  Do you realize that since then, every single overpass and structure in Southern California was inspected inside of 3 years? 
 

Those $2k debit cards were the dumbest idea ever thought up.  If people truly need assistance you get them the assistance they need.  If I see someone at the gas station asking for money for gas I don't give them money I buy them gas.

Giving these folks money was like providing crack to drug addicts.  They had no idea what to do with it and when it was gone .... all you heard was wahhhhh I need more money.

KC

[Chris_]

**** NOLA -- lazy bastards.  Let it sink next time.

hehe  Sounds like that one struck a nerve.

KC

Yeah -- I made it through the 1994 Northridge Quake without a single ******* $2K debit card.  And no one in L.A. looted their own neighborhoods.  Do you realize that since then, every single overpass and structure in Southern California was inspected inside of 3 years? 
 

Those $2k debit cards were the dumbest idea ever thought up.  If people truly need assistance you get them the assistance they need.  If I see someone at the gas station asking for money for gas I don't give them money I buy them gas.

Giving these folks money was like providing crack to drug addicts.  They had no idea what to do with it and when it was gone .... all you heard was wahhhhh I need more money.

KC

It wasn't "like" providing crack to drug addicts -- it provided crack to drug addicts.

Review what I said above -- the Mexicans worked their ass off and rebuilt an area bigger than NOLA in 9 months.  Say what you will about Mexico, but when it comes to hard work, you will find no one on the planet (I mean that literally) who will work harder, if need be.

And who is doing the rebuilding in NOLA?  Not the locals -- it is Mexican immigrants.

[Texacon]

**** NOLA -- lazy bastards.  Let it sink next time.

hehe  Sounds like that one struck a nerve.

KC

Yeah -- I made it through the 1994 Northridge Quake without a single ******* $2K debit card.  And no one in L.A. looted their own neighborhoods.  Do you realize that since then, every single overpass and structure in Southern California was inspected inside of 3 years? 
 

Those $2k debit cards were the dumbest idea ever thought up.  If people truly need assistance you get them the assistance they need.  If I see someone at the gas station asking for money for gas I don't give them money I buy them gas.

Giving these folks money was like providing crack to drug addicts.  They had no idea what to do with it and when it was gone .... all you heard was wahhhhh I need more money.

KC

It wasn't "like" providing crack to drug addicts -- it provided crack to drug addicts.

Review what I said above -- the Mexicans worked their ass off and rebuilt an area bigger than NOLA in 9 months.  Say what you will about Mexico, but when it comes to hard work, you will find no one on the planet (I mean that literally) who will work harder, if need be.

And who is doing the rebuilding in NOLA?  Not the locals -- it is Mexican immigrants.

Oh I know.  I have spent many hours blowing bubbles off the coast of Cozumel.  I remember the first time I went there and saw them sleeping in the middle of the afternoon in hammocks inside construction from one of the hurricanes .... I thought "How lazy is that?"  When I went by later and they were working their asses off .... I looked at my watch and it was like 11:00 pm!  I knew they were out there a little after 6:00 am and I changed my opinion about siestas right then.

KC

[CharlesD]

Heck, it ain't even hot now.

Welcome to TX and if you ever get around the Huntsville area give a shout.

KC

In Dallas now.  Came up for a load and the load cancelled.  I should have stayed in Waco.  A couple months ago I delivered out in El Paso and I think it was around 112.  That was hot. 

[Texacon]

Heck, it ain't even hot now.

Welcome to TX and if you ever get around the Huntsville area give a shout.

KC

In Dallas now.  Came up for a load and the load cancelled.  I should have stayed in Waco.  A couple months ago I delivered out in El Paso and I think it was around 112.  That was hot. 

Yeah, it does get hot here.  In the dog days we get up in the 105 - 110 range with 90 - 100% humidity.  Those are the days you thank God for a good A/C!

KC