Aftermaths of Ike (in my area)

So, as many of you know, we (my family and I) rode out Hurricane Ike as it made it's way through the gulf of mexico and up the gulf coast. It was loud and disruptive, to say the least. I really wasn't expecting it to be as bad as it was. Never again will I stay when there's a mandatory evacuation in my area. During the storm, I felt the way I feel when I'm on a roller coaster at it's peak...wishing I could turn back and never get on the damn thing to begin with.

We, the people in Jefferson & Orange County, Texas, were on a bad end of the storm, the east end. Many tornados branched off of the hurricane and did most of the damage in our area, but when it came to Bridge City and Orange, most of the damage was due to the storm surge (water rising from the river up into peoples yards and homes).

My house is fine, a few missing shingles, some siding fell off of our little building in our back yard, but we were extremely fortunate. Around my house there are houses with trees on top of them, big huge pieces of siding and roof missing, fallen fences, fallen chimneys and water damage.

My sisters' house, which is located in Bridge City got at least a foot of water in it (and it's on peers). The water surrounding Bridge City rose at least 10 feet. The road ways were blocked to my sisters' house so we took a boat up to her neighborhood.

So far, there have not been very many deaths reported, but we'll have to wait to see if the numbers rise once they can get into peoples' houses.

(Local convenient store's air conditioner dangling from the roof)

(Bridge City boat house under water)

(A house in Bridge City)

(Another house in Bridge City...you can see on the ply wood where the water had been)

(My sister, Chrystal, and her husband, Aaron, in their kitchen)

(A bird that got caught in a fence during the storm.)

(The polluted water after the storm)

(My sisters' backyard after the water receded)

(My sister on the phone with her neighbor...whose house is in the background)

(Our foot prints in my sisters' muddy hallway)

(Another house in Bridge City. You can see on the brick where the water had risen)

(Power lines that had fallen on Ave. H in Nederland)

(A broken boat house)

(A dead bird in my neighborhood)

(A chimney that had fallen off one of our neighbors' houses)

(Even though my cousins' apartment was alright, this is an end of their complex)

(It's important that I also that I thank my cousin, Gracie, and my sister, Jodi, for documenting the aftermath with me...a couple of which are in this post.)

I'll continue to update you with what I know, but that's it for now.
Thank you for your concern for the well-being of people affected by Hurricane Ike.
If you're interested, this is a link to our local news.

I'm sorry for all those who have lost their homes and have been displaced due to the hurricane or tornados, I'm sorry and I hope that you will find peace and hope within yourselves in the near future.

Peace, Love, & Hope

Jessi Hebert

www.jessihebert.com

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." Gandhi