Reporting, Finding the Missing Since Ike Hit Area

[lastliberalintexas]

The Laura Recover Center is providing assistance in listing the names and pictures of people missing since Hurricane Ike hit Southeast Texas. The website, www.lrcf.net/ike has a long list of people who are still unaccounted for.

Some of the people listed may have simply evacuated and not checked in with friends or family. Some may not be able to get back home and some may have become victims of Hurricane Ike.

Citizens are asked to contact the Laura Recovery Center if they have information as to the location of the listed missing persons.
http://www.kfdm.com/news/laura_28013___article.html/area_missing.html



Return Home to Bolivar Underway

Hundreds of families are crowding onto Highway 124 and Highway 87 Friday for the 'Return Home to Bolivar," but many are discovering there's nothing to return to, according to KFDM News anchor Bill Leger, who is documenting the story with KFDM photographer Drew Barrilleaux.

"We got to the Intracoastal Bridge a little after 5 a.m. and already we must have passed hundreds and hundreds of cars," Bill reported to us by phone.

"There were people with trailers standing on the side of the road, waiting to get to a staging area. At 6 a.m. the DPS took us in and everyone followed."

Bill said there are no surprises to the media that's seen the devastation, but residents seeing their homes for the first times were not prepared for how little is left.

http://www.kfdm.com/news/bill_28027___article.html/return_hundreds.html


Galveston residents return to horror

GALVESTON — Ten days after Hurricane Ike, the devastated beach town of Galveston reopened to residents Wednesday with stern warnings about what still lurks on the island — rotting cattle carcasses, snakes and swarms of mosquitoes — and what isn't there — drinking water, reliable electricity, medical care and sewer service.

After spending hours in traffic that backed up for 10 miles, some residents found their homes in ruins.

"I wasn't prepared for this," taxi driver Patricia Davis said as she waved away mosquitoes and surveyed the remains of her apartment, which had its entrance blocked by collapsed walls, wrecked furniture and sodden clothing.

City officials had hoped most of the 45,000 residents who fled before the Sept. 13 storm would stay away until more repairs could be made.

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/09/25/0925ikegalveston.html



Not to be snarky, but I almost put something about New Orleans in the thread title so that people might actually pay attention to these hurricane victims. Galveston and Orange County residents are getting screwed by FEMA while the media mostly sits on the sidelines.

Also, after Rita, insurance policies in Texas changed so that many people no longer have coverage for such silly minor things as wind driven rain or windstorm damage. I mean, who along the coast would need coverage for things like wind driven rain or windstorm? Thanks to the republicans in charge in this state, the insurance companies have been able to provide less coverage at higher rates while doubling the deductibles. Nice. :eyes:

[jobycom]

1. You have to scream "900 BODIES FLOATING IN THE GULF!!!!" to get noticed.

I read that they did find one body in a debris field off Bolivar.

What kind of failures are you experiencing with FEMA down yonder?

[lastliberalintexas]

2. It's mostly the lack of information

People in Bridge City, Sabine Pass, Bolivar and Galveston still don't know if they'll be provided trailers or other temp housing, but the last I heard from FEMA was that IF they provide such things it will be in about 90 days. No emergency assistance, no "Prada purse bonus" this time, they say they will pay for hotels but I don't personally know anyone who has actually been reimbursed by FEMA and have instead read articles in which the evacuee was going to be evicted from a hotel because FEMA wasn't paying even though they said they would. FEMA keeps pushing people back to their insurance carriers, but like I said, so many policies were changed after Rita hit that a lot of people don't have coverage for the actual damage. Doesn't matter to FEMA, though- as soon as someone admits they have an insurance policy, FEMA basically shuts down on them. We're 2 weeks out and FEMA and some insurers are just pointing fingers rather than helping.

It's incredibly sad right now. So many people have lost everything, and the media is just ignoring them. I know the bailout issues are extremely important as well, but I am pretty sure we can all multi-task.

[jobycom]

3. Sorry to hear it.

That part of the response has always been slow with the feds. They are so terrified that someone might get an undeserved dollar or two that they hold everything up for everyone. The media isn't concerned, because they can't get footage of floating bodies or crying widows. The same thing happened with the Missouri floods earlier this year. And I think that Katrina coverage probably hurts, too. They judge disasters by Katrina now, and since this isn't as bad as Katrina, they don't care. Problem is, for those affected, it is as bad as Katrina, even if there were fewer people affected.

Keep us updated, at least. The more noise, the more people hear it.

[malaise]

4. K & R

About to read your links