HOUSTON - IKE AFTERMATH - TES HAS ASKED FOR OUR HELP

My husband and I drove down to the beach this past week just to check on things. Hurricane Ike sure did a number on our coast. As you drive into Galveston over the causeway you notice a lack of some of the vegetation you once saw. You can still see boats up in yards and debris everywhere. What amazed me was when we hit the Seawall. It reminded me of a ski resort town without snow - just muddy and yukky. Galveston is just sand washed over everything and yukky. The Flagship Hotel that sticks out over the water is shut down. Both cement driveways have collapsed and you can see water below. The hotel looks ripped apart on one side. As we headed towards the west end we saw where the old shell shops used to stand out over the water. There is nothing but piers left. Most of the fishing piers are torn apart and gone. One still has a pickup truck on it but no way to get out there to it. The sand dunes are gone as well as most of the grass, oleanders and vegetation. Most of the front row beach houses are now hanging over water with a 3-4 foot gap under their slab. In Texas, if you lose your vegetation line at the beach, the state refuses to let you rebuild and takes your property. It really was heartbreaking to see. We wanted to take the boat out and fish but it still does not feel safe. You never know whose house or things are under the water. We were going to check out Boliver on the ferry but have already heard it is like a third world over there. It is hard for me to imagine that all of this devastation is just one hour from me. There are so many little fishing villages that are just wiped out. We got out and walked the beach a little. It was foggy and there was a smell of sewage in the air. We've been through lots of hurricanes but Ike......... Ike was different. I hope and pray that the coast bounces back and that people recover quickly. It is devastating to think that some bodies will never be found. I will never in my life forget the sound of the wind roaring that night for hours..... I cannot imagine what it was like at the coast. I hope 2009's hurricanes stay far, far away!