Those Who Stayed

Remember when everyone was blaming Louisiana for not "providing transportation" for all those people who CHOSE to stay in the path of Katrina??? Well, guess what - folks in Galveston stayed in the face of IKE and no one is blaming the city for those people's choice to stay. Take another look at New Orleans, and realize that those who stayed there during Katrina were just like the folks that stayed in Galveston. Stupid, reckless people - and I won't donate anything to help them when they could follow evacuation orders to help themselves.

The media makes everything look worse. Our home was in the eye of IKe; we did without electricity, had to boil water (but did not as we had all electrical but has store enough water for days, did without air conditioning in hot weather and windowns do not open, ate peatnut butter sandwiches, did without any phone services (land and cell phones), was told to boil water but we are all electricitiy; has lots of damage to our home. The media is making this out that us Texans can't cope but we can; we don't need the government to tell us that we are in bad shape. We don't reliy on the government; we are self reliant people we always have been. We do for ourselve. We eat peanut butter sandwiches and use water we supplied before the store. We can stand the hot temperratures with air and without our windows open. We rarely rely on the government for assistance but this time people on the Coast have to do so. We help one another. Our home was in the eye of IKe; we had damage, water, wall from water, tree fell from its root, etc. but we survivied. Our ancestors would be proud of us. This is what Americans do; we do not rely on Government to dig us out. Some on the Coast need assistance but we hope, as we did during the Kartrina Hurricane, the citizens of our nation give to assist the ones that lost everything. It was difficult to do with air when one could not open windows and the temp. was high, had not food because it has to be thrown away, water needed to be boiled but one was all electricity, trees were uprooted, debre was all over your yard even your neightbors siding and tree limbs and shingles of all kinds of roofs all over the neighborbood, water in your home, paneling in your living room warped because of water coming thru the bricks' weep spaces (or whatever it is called); large screen TV's going blank because of the many power surges, telephones down. No electricity. But I feel very fortunate as we did not lose everything and we are alive.

Please donate to this desaster as some people have lost absolutely everything. We helped the people of New Orleans and Mississippi; some of the Texans need help now. How would you feel if everything your possessed: your home, funishings, personal items, vehicles, etc. were gone? My heart gones out to the people who have lost their loved ones. This can happen again, but it might be an earthquack, a devasting fire, a tornator, a snow landslide, a mud slide, a flood. You cannot predict Mother Nature.

Fleetside: I think that one of those who said that was speaking in the context of the oncoming storm itself when first responders were unable to negotiate their way onto the boulevard or any of the high risk areas. Fire, search & rescue do their best, but need to stop short of loss of their own lives. As for those who lost their homes - whether they left or stayed - the loss was at nature's hand, not those of a fireman. I just hope that in the process of bailing out AIG and all of the wall street millionares, we don't forget the unfortunate citizens of Houston area & esp. Galveston, who as taxpayers and innocent of 'moral hazzard' surely deserve our government's help far more.

How can a nation calling itself civilized and developed, boasting the benefits of technological progress, even accept the notion of so much damage to people and property? Real estate, business activity, citizens residing on Galveston Island, and in other parts of Texas have fallen into conditions worthy of an underdeveloped nation. Destruction happened in 1900, and over 100 years have passed since then to create a decent and safe home for Galveston's inhabitants. 100 years have passed, and no reliable seawall has yet been built to definitively protect the island; the island is still considered fit to be living on ? How puzzling...

Who is this moron that says "Those that decided to stay can only blam ethemselves for the problems they now face'.?
Let's hear your genius explaination for those that did leave and still have lost their home and more!

Fleetside

I wish there was more I could do to help our fellow Americans in Texas. What I can and did was donate a small amount of money to the Feed the Children/Hurricane relief fund.
I wish the very best to all those in Texas and I will contribute more as quickly as possible.
Also, I agree with Drill, Drill, Drill

Side note: Piss on those that judge, whine, blame and shame their fellow conutrymen and women without knowing or pursuing the facts...

Fleetside

Those that decided to stay can only blam ethemselves for the problems they now face.

My husband and I hunkered down in our home in Houston during the storm. Ike caused so much damage here on the Texas coast but we were lucky to have lost so little human life. We sustained damage to our home (water in the house, 60" Sony gone; tree uprooted; had to throw all food in two large freezers away, etc. etc. and we did without electricity until today and had to boil water (which we could not do as we are all electricity) but we survived and thank God for that and everything else.

I want to urge the people of the United States to give, give all you can to aid the ones who lost everything (and there are a lot of them as you know). It is hard for senior citizens to do without electricity and air conditioning in Houston in a closed homes; without phone service, without much food, no ice, etc., but not nearly are devastating as to have lost everything.

The National Press is again complaining about the national government and FEMA. Well, as far as I can tell, they have done an excellent job. It seems that the gripping is coming from the media and not most of the people The people of Texas are do-it-yourselve people, most of us don't relay on the national government for aid, but in this instance there are people who will need aid, lots of it. But don't blame the government. This is an enormous undertaking to even just get the roads cleared, electrical service up and running with all the poles down, etc. It will take months if not years to get everything running again.

My advise to the West and East Coasts: DRILL, DRILL, DRILL OFFSHORE. The refineries and oil rigs of the Gulf Coast area took a hit, but not nearly as badly as it could and may happen in the future. The U.S. needs other areas to obtain oil and get alternative fuel projects started. But in the meantime, DRILL, DRILL, DRILL. It will take about three (3) years to drill and start getting that oil realy for gasoline, not the ten years it used to take. DRILL, DRILL.........