Kemah Boardwalk After Ike

Click on the pictures to enlarge them for greater detail and a good feel for how large the shrimp boat is.

Buffalos,

I toured the Kemah Boardwalk this weekend and was surprised at the renovation that has already been completed. Two restaurants, Babin's and Saltgrass, are already open and bustling with business. The flower beds have already been replanted with beautiful flowers and plants and the parking lot and sidewalks are sparkling clean.

There was a literal army of people working on repairing the many rides, sweeping the plaza, removing debris and working inside the restaurants that experienced the greatest damage, the Aquarium, the Cadillac Bar & Restaurant, Joe's Crabshack, the Flying Dutchman, and the others that had high water inside. Debris piles were many feet high behind green fencing and ready to be picked up and hauled off. The marina looked fine. The adjacent streets lined with shops were also packed with workers removing downed trees and rebuilding the shops and homes.

A Boardwalk employee told me that they are working hard to re-open in time for Spring Break. From the looks of things this weekend, I'm convinced they will make it, and perhaps re-open earlier than that.

Galveston Island is another story. There was utter devastation there. Some businesses and homes fared pretty well, while others were destroyed. I had lunch at Landry's on Seawall Blvd. and they had no damage at all. The Rainforest Cafe and Guido's are also open. Just down the road, seashell shops were gone. The seawall was littered with boulders that washed up onto the sidewalk and street, over a wall that is sixteen feet high. I tried to move one and it didn't even wiggle the tiniest bit. That's how large and heavy they are.

If you attended our reunion at Moody Gardens five years ago, you may have eaten at Willie G's on Harborside behind the Strand. The parking lot where you parked your car now has a huge shrimp boat parked there, smashing the booth where you paid your parking fee. I could hardly believe my eyes. However, I had already seen many, many boats of large size tossed all along I-45 coming into Galveston. It's a very strange feeling to be driving down I-45 alongside huge boats that should be in the water somewhere else.

The cleanup in Galveston has progressed quickly, considering the amount of devastation. They had an enormous task just clearing the roads so that workers could get in there.

Travelling down the island toward the west, and especially when you arrive in Jamaica Beach, the scene gets much worse. They are not protected by the seawall and the cleanup by city officials hasn't reached that far out yet. It is stunning. The high sand dunes that once stood between the beach and the first row of houses is removed across the main road and piled high down both sides. I drove through a tunnel of sand piles as high as my SUV for a long stretch.

I saw three FEMA stations where people were getting ice and water and paperwork done. The Salvation Army was everywhere, at the FEMA stations and driving around all over the city looking for people who needed their help. They fed as many as needed it. On the corner along Broadway, an organization set up tents, tables and chairs and many large barbeque grills. The sign read, "Free meals at 3:00. From Jesus with Love." They still had guests at 6:00 p.m. God bless these wonderful people.

Galveston has changed dramatically, but they are on their way to coming back better than they were before. Their goal is to be ready for Dickens on the Strand in December. I wonder if they can make it. They have the spirit and the will, but the task at hand is so enormous. There are hand painted signs around town that say things like, "We will rebuild. We're coming back, bigger and better. Galveston will rise again." I believe it and I can hardly wait. I miss Galveston already. The little city was like a grand lady on the shore of Texas. A jewel on the "outskirts" of Houston.