Hurricanes
While it doesn't seem fair, Galveston is more famous for hurricanes than it is for its architecture, history and character. Storms have battered the city many times since its creation. The 1900 storm hit without warning and destroyed 7,000 buildings. Many homes that survived display plaques on their front porches. Following the storm, the island built a seawall on the beach side and subsequently actually raised the island several feet - which meant raising 2,000 buildings, as well. These engineering feats were accomplished with the commitment and support of residents and completed by 1911.
Most recently, in September of 2008, Hurricane Ike inundated the city with wind and water. In the downtown business district as much as twelve feet of salt water flowed through streets, into buildings and took days to recede. The Williams-Borden neighborhood sits a few feet higher than the areas of Galveston that were hardest hit by Ike, but was not spared extensive damage from the hurricane. When storms threaten, many homeowners protect their buildings with plywood, shutters or hurricane fabric over their windows.
Residents share stories about the extent of Ike's damage and debris but they are also quick to recount anecdotes about how people came together, helped each other and worked as a community to recover. Mikey Isbell, a 30 year resident of Williams- Borden, spoke to this when she shared this story:
"It seems as if two different FEMA recovery workers who were in Galveston for the IKE cleanup, etc. told the same story to my hair dresser: that of all the places they had worked after disasters that Galveston was the one where the citizens picked themselves up and began to work to put their lives back together. (It seems that some places just tend to wait for someone else to do it for them.) We had amazing help from many outside sources, but our Galvestonians are always willing to help themselves and others. Remember, Galveston has survived many disasters in its long and colorful history!"
Included below the photos is a clip from an interview with Janice (and Bobby) Stanton about Hurricane Ike. This lovely lady has lived on Avenue O for more than 60 years. You will find more excerpts from this interview on the following pages.
Since Ike, several ideas have been suggested for reducuing the impact of future hurricanes on Galveston and the greater Houston area. Emergency management programs and procedures are in place. Resident participation in this planning, education and networking to build social trust are integral parts of hurricane preparedness.