Hello All!
Earlier this morning I posted pictures of not only my beach house but the area, if you haven't seen them yet please scroll down the page to the 3 different slide shows. It's so much different seeing everything in person than on TV but I will say it wasn't as bad as I had thought with everything I heard on the news....but it does get bad as you go up the coast...but still it's bad. I would think clean up would take years. The debris is awful...I can't believe how much and things that washed away.
As you can tell by the pictures of my beach house pictures I was pretty lucky. I have a few shingles missing from the roof...the roof is still in tack...a few boards missing...my beach walk over gone but the thing that's worse is all the ground (sand) that has washed away from underneath the house, it's not the foundation but just a concrete parking area.
The main thing I lost was my lot that was in front of the beach house....it has washed away and the beach has taken over more than half of it....that is something you can't recover or insure so your just out the property and it's value. There is so much beach erosion it's hard to believe.
No water came in the house at all. The storm surge wasn't as high as expected and my house sits up higher than the surge. It looks as tough all that extra property in front of my house actually helped protect it..which means next big storm I don't have that protection.
So...the beach house is fine...minor...but the area isn't pretty anymore...it will take time for that to happen again.
Jennifer and I are planning on making another trip tomorrow to the beach house to clean out the frig since the island is out of power and will be for months. I think this time I'll walk to the beach and see how it looks looking at the house. Before from the beach it was hard to see my house because of all the protection and dunes but now that's not there anymore...it's all open.
Today we went to my house to help clean up there. Josh and his friend have done a lot...it's still a mess out there but you can tell the progress. My neighbor/friend, her daughter came over this morning and worked for several hours and then Jennifer did a lot as well. So much to do. Will probably make another stop tomorrow after we do the beach house run.
I will keep you all posted through this blog...when I know something I will post it. It's nice staying with Jen and Paul and being in a comfortable home.
God Bless you all...Much love...Robin
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Before Ike
This is the back yard before Ike made his visit
Joshua and friend putting up boards on the home
This is the front porch all boarded up and ready for Ike...all porch furniture has been put up
Sorry...I posted this picture twice and can't figure out how to delete it without deleting everything and starting over...Please look at the following post with pictures after Ike and my update on what happened during and after Ike.
I will post again when I have something new to report.
The latest report is that Jennifer has power so I think tomorrow we are going to leave Corpus and head to the beach house and then head back to her house. I will stay with her until my power lines and power have been restored.
After Ike Part 1
An up rooted tree in the back yard...The hole is so big you could bury someone in it...I can stand in it and it almost comes up to the bottom of my butt
Trees done in the back yard...this was our hardest hit area on the property
Another view of the back of the property
Back of the property
This is the front side part of the property...not too bad but lots of limbsAfter Ike Part 2
This is part of the tree that fell down across the entry to the property you can barely see the top of the tree resting on the front gate
This is the same tree but a view from the other end...the truck...pulled up by the roots...this is also the tree that took out the electric line that feeds power to the property
This is Joshua standing in front of the tree...it's just a little visual to help show you the size of the tree
The tree across the front driveway entrance...hides the view of the house
This is a view front the backyard ... this tree blocks the view of the back of the house...it is also lined with trees on both sides and then behind me....There are so many other pictures but I think you get the point.After Ike
We Prepared...We Waited...We Saw...We Left...
Ike has since left Texas but his aftermath will be felt for some time.
First let me say ...I have really no news on my beach house. From what I know I can't get in and the roads are not passable. I have heard from the reports that the area is devastated so I'm not really expecting the house to be standing. In all honestly I would prefer that instead of dealing with a home full of water that needs repair. I'm hoping to be able to get into the area on Tuesday.
Our Governor has said regarding the West End of Galveston...don't come back, there's nothing here...it will be a couple weeks before you can get in. My beach home is only a few miles up the coast from that area. A nice 20 minute drive.
As far as my country home. It looks like a war zone. We lost around 20 tress, not too mention lots of tops of trees, branches and just tree limbs everywhere. As far as clean up, my home got the worse in the neighborhood. My only damage is one of the roll down doors on the shop and then the freezers and frig and all the contents.
We also lost power lines and I also lost the line that supplies power to the house. They are thinking 2 weeks before it is fixed. Needless to say not a fun thing to be without (A/C) in the state of Texas. The front part of my neighborhood (an acreage area) has electricity but not the back part of the neighborhood, which of course I'm in. It's like night and day from the front part to the back part...they barely received any damages....by the front part of the neighborhood you would of never known a storm rolled through.
I had a generator going to help my freezers and frig but then it starting leaking gas this morning...which of course needed to be turned off. By then I had, had it...I called Jennifer and said...do you have electricity yet...her reply no and I'm hot...I then said...are you ready for a road trip? She was like...where are we going? I said anywhere with A/C .She was game but Paul elected to stay behind. I packed a bag by flashlight, loaded myself in the truck, told my neighbor I'm leaving if you see looters shoot first then ask questions...called my brother in Jacksonville and said I'm heading 59 South towards Corpus or Mexico see if you can find me a place to stay. Which he did.
Jennifer, Howie (her dog) and myself are now in a nice Holiday Inn with A/C on 65, a shower and right now...life is good. The hotel gave us a 20% discount since we are "evacuees...which was nice but also weird at the same time to be considered an evacuee. There is no one here in Corpus, it's like any other day here. Know one left town this way along the coast...after all, it was thought Ike might make his stop here at first.
I've tried to load my pictures of my home but for some reason they won't load so I will have to show you later. The pictures are just unbelievable. Clean up will probably take us at least a month if worked on daily.
Today we have rain and more is expected so that doesn't help. Here's a little countdown of the last few days.
The Ike Countdown:
Wednesday 9/10 boarded up beach house
Thursday 9/11 got wood for country home started boarding home
Friday 9/12 finished boarding home and waiting Ikes arrival(and Happy Birthday Tammy)...that evening around 6 the wind starts rolling in, leaves blowing everywhere ...as the night goes on more winds.
Saturday 9/13 2:30 am we loose power..3 am power comes back on...3:05 am until 3:15 we loose power on and off..at 3:30 we loose power completely (apparently that is when the tree fell across the power line...the winds are loud and the house sounds differently...at 5 am, I can't stand it, I have to know what is going on, I look outside and all there is ...is blackness since there are no lights and the wind is strong...I turn the flash light on a look at the back yard and all I see is a line of tress down in the yard and I'm over come. At 6:30 there is finally light outside and I open to see I can't believe my eyes the devastation in my back yard and then I go to the front which is not as bad but still a mess...and then I see a huge tree that is across my drive at the entrance and leaning on and across the gate blocking the way in..or other words..."No Way Out" and power lines down. My son, a neighbor boy Joshua's age and a neighbor man moved the lines and cut the tree down so we could get out. The rest of the day is just unbelief.
Sunday 9/14 after sleeping one night without power left for Corpus and now happy with A/C but very curious to to know and see the area surrounding the beach house and having the question answered..."Standing or Not Standing" I need to know for sure.
I will keep in touch and hopefully will be able to post pictures soon. Hopefully I can figure that out with this lap top...my home computer will be down for some time.
Love to you All and thank you for your love, prayes, concern and phone calls.
Ike has since left Texas but his aftermath will be felt for some time.
First let me say ...I have really no news on my beach house. From what I know I can't get in and the roads are not passable. I have heard from the reports that the area is devastated so I'm not really expecting the house to be standing. In all honestly I would prefer that instead of dealing with a home full of water that needs repair. I'm hoping to be able to get into the area on Tuesday.
Our Governor has said regarding the West End of Galveston...don't come back, there's nothing here...it will be a couple weeks before you can get in. My beach home is only a few miles up the coast from that area. A nice 20 minute drive.
As far as my country home. It looks like a war zone. We lost around 20 tress, not too mention lots of tops of trees, branches and just tree limbs everywhere. As far as clean up, my home got the worse in the neighborhood. My only damage is one of the roll down doors on the shop and then the freezers and frig and all the contents.
We also lost power lines and I also lost the line that supplies power to the house. They are thinking 2 weeks before it is fixed. Needless to say not a fun thing to be without (A/C) in the state of Texas. The front part of my neighborhood (an acreage area) has electricity but not the back part of the neighborhood, which of course I'm in. It's like night and day from the front part to the back part...they barely received any damages....by the front part of the neighborhood you would of never known a storm rolled through.
I had a generator going to help my freezers and frig but then it starting leaking gas this morning...which of course needed to be turned off. By then I had, had it...I called Jennifer and said...do you have electricity yet...her reply no and I'm hot...I then said...are you ready for a road trip? She was like...where are we going? I said anywhere with A/C .She was game but Paul elected to stay behind. I packed a bag by flashlight, loaded myself in the truck, told my neighbor I'm leaving if you see looters shoot first then ask questions...called my brother in Jacksonville and said I'm heading 59 South towards Corpus or Mexico see if you can find me a place to stay. Which he did.
Jennifer, Howie (her dog) and myself are now in a nice Holiday Inn with A/C on 65, a shower and right now...life is good. The hotel gave us a 20% discount since we are "evacuees...which was nice but also weird at the same time to be considered an evacuee. There is no one here in Corpus, it's like any other day here. Know one left town this way along the coast...after all, it was thought Ike might make his stop here at first.
I've tried to load my pictures of my home but for some reason they won't load so I will have to show you later. The pictures are just unbelievable. Clean up will probably take us at least a month if worked on daily.
Today we have rain and more is expected so that doesn't help. Here's a little countdown of the last few days.
The Ike Countdown:
Wednesday 9/10 boarded up beach house
Thursday 9/11 got wood for country home started boarding home
Friday 9/12 finished boarding home and waiting Ikes arrival(and Happy Birthday Tammy)...that evening around 6 the wind starts rolling in, leaves blowing everywhere ...as the night goes on more winds.
Saturday 9/13 2:30 am we loose power..3 am power comes back on...3:05 am until 3:15 we loose power on and off..at 3:30 we loose power completely (apparently that is when the tree fell across the power line...the winds are loud and the house sounds differently...at 5 am, I can't stand it, I have to know what is going on, I look outside and all there is ...is blackness since there are no lights and the wind is strong...I turn the flash light on a look at the back yard and all I see is a line of tress down in the yard and I'm over come. At 6:30 there is finally light outside and I open to see I can't believe my eyes the devastation in my back yard and then I go to the front which is not as bad but still a mess...and then I see a huge tree that is across my drive at the entrance and leaning on and across the gate blocking the way in..or other words..."No Way Out" and power lines down. My son, a neighbor boy Joshua's age and a neighbor man moved the lines and cut the tree down so we could get out. The rest of the day is just unbelief.
Sunday 9/14 after sleeping one night without power left for Corpus and now happy with A/C but very curious to to know and see the area surrounding the beach house and having the question answered..."Standing or Not Standing" I need to know for sure.
I will keep in touch and hopefully will be able to post pictures soon. Hopefully I can figure that out with this lap top...my home computer will be down for some time.
Love to you All and thank you for your love, prayes, concern and phone calls.
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