As the power companies take their time restoring electricity, I wonder if anyone has noticed how Houston is serviced by one power company, CenterPoint, that furnishes electricity to the area. Even though I signed up with a different electric provider, I am still at the mercy of CenterPoint because they are the local grid operator, which handles and services the electric grid. This is a result of the deregulation of electric services in Texas. Since CenterPoint controls the grid, they are responsible for all power failures.

As of this writing, of the total 2.2 million who lost power on Saturday, 1.3 million are still without power. Not only that, I and my entire apartment complex still don’t have water, despite Mayor Bill White’s assurance that water pressure is back to normal levels. I have mostly been eating out so I could avoid a build up of dirty dishes, however, laundry is piling up, and I am beginning to run out of water I stored in my bathtub for flushing my toilet. [Blogger's Note: 9/22/08 - I now have water.]

This is not the first hurricane I have been through a hurricane. In fact I did go through Hurricane Alicia. I also went through several tropical storms. This also not the first time I actually blogged a major hurricane. In 2005, I did the same thing with Hurricane Rita. There was something about Ike that made this one different than the previous ones I went through.

One day before Ike made its presence felt, on Sept 11, Harris County and City of Houston officials told people who weren’t living in Zone A & B of the evacuation zone to ride this out. This was done so the city would repeat the same mistakes three years ago and the steps New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin took with Gustav.

It is hard for people who live outside the Texas Gulf Coast to fully understand why so many decided to stay and ride out the storm. For some, the Rita evacuation process that took place three years ago is still fresh in people’s minds. When Rita was predicted to hit Galveston and Houston, more than 3 million people hit the roads almost simultaneously. When it was our turn to leave, it was being reported that people were stopped in traffic for hours in the Texas heat, many ran out of fuel waiting to get out, and there were rumors of traffic accidents. The gridlock was so bad, there was a fear if Rita did come in at a certain angle, it would have been a “death trap” if you were stranded on the road. As fellow Houstonian and blogamigo DP put it, “that was an experience I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.” I don’t except people to “get it” because it is something one has to personally experience to see why some people decided not to leave.

When Ike finally arrived Saturday morning, the National Hurricane Center reported that the hurricane maintained it’s 110mph wind speed, therefore classifying it as a strong category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, 1 mph shy of becoming a major category 3 (winds 111-130 mph). In other words, Hurricane Ike was a borderline Category 2/3.

I would be lying if I said Ike didn’t have an impact on me. Recently, I seem to have trouble concentrating, my sleep patterns is a bit off, my apatite has decreased, and for the past couple of days I have been reminiscing about the roaring wind and rain of that night. I hate to say it, but it seemed like it went on for hours with no end in sight. I think I only got 2 hours of sleep. During the storm, I noticed something very eerie outside my window, the natural light that normally enters through the window, there were periods when the light would disappear right before my eyes, as somebody put a was putting a cover over the apartment complex because the room would suddenly become pitch black. I found some accounts of others reporting the same thing. Those who survived the storm in Galveston also noticed the same phenomenon. Nanc, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper, “it turned completely black, you couldn’t see five feet in front of you.”

As the southern eyewall approached, that is when things really started rocking. A storm chaser noted that the “southern eyewall was very similar to Katrina in duration and relentlessness.” Around 5:30 AM, the winds began pounding my apartment so hard I was sure that the next massive gust would implode my sliding glass door or my bedroom window. Because the rain fall sideways during a hurricane, the pounding of the blistering rain against my sliding glass door sounded like someone got a handful of pebbles and threw it at my door non-stop. Throughout the night, I hunkered down in my walk-in closet that was located inside the bathroom where the wall muffled the frightening sound, however, Ike made sure it’s presence was still felt. As I huddled on the floor with my dogs, I felt the apartment sway back and forth a couple of times, which brought about flashbacks of the first time I experienced an earthquake in Los Angeles.

I do have to admit, I and my family were lucky. Despite the rocking, there was no damage to my apartment, however, there were some within my apartment complex weren’t so lucky. Throughout the week, it was obvious that the people who lived on the bottom floor or in the mid-rise part of the complex were has rain enter as they were drying their towels outside. One tenant told me their entire ceiling was filled with water. As for my parents’ condo, they did sustain some minor flooding.

I think in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, there has been an unfair comparison between the tragedies Katrina left and the one left by other storms. In today’s post-Katrina coverage, if damage pales in comparison to Katrina, in the eyes the national media, it’s not going to be seen as a “big deal.” What people and the media have to keep in mind, Houston isn’t dependent on vulnerable levees or below sea level.

However, damage from the storm was extensive. Thousands of homes and government buildings flooded, roads were washed out, power lines were down and parts of trees and roofs were everywhere. Highways were full of debris, shredded billboards and cars stalled in high water.

It will take several months and millions of dollars to replace the glass in Houston’s skyscrapers that was shattered by Hurricane Ike. Some of the city’s big corporations did not open their offices until Tuesday because the building sustained water damage.

The city’s theater district was flooded and shards of glass blown out of downtown skyscrapers littered the streets. Ike’s winds ripped off windows on Chevron Corp’s two main towers at 1500 Louisiana and 1400 Smith. All windows on one side of Chase JP Morgan were blown out. The retractable roof of the newly constructed Reliant Stadium was damaged by Ike. HoustonPBS sustained experienced extensive damage to the section of their roof which covers the TV studios and set storage during Hurricane Ike. The damage downtown was comparable to Hurricane Alicia in 1983.

As of this writing, the Houston Independent School District just announced that more than half of their schools are unable to open next week because damage sustain by the Hurricane. On top of that, they will also take in all the students from Galveston Independent School District as the City of Galveston begins the rebuilding process.

The situation in Galveston and the adjacent Bolivar peninsular is more serious. The visible evidence is dramatic enough: parts of Galveston and the Bolivar Peninsula are reduced to matchsticks because the stilted homes were ripped from their pilings.

Even though more than 2 million residents in Texas and Louisiana heeded evacuation orders, it is estimated that between 90,000 and 140,000 ignored evacuation orders and decided to ride out the storm. While not all those who chose not to evacuate were put in harm’s way, federal officials reported that 2,000 people were rescued – almost 400 by air – in 2,500 search and rescue missions. However, there are some who suffered greatly.

In the beginning there was constant coverage of the aftermath, however, the fate of Bolivar remained unknown. If houses are destroyed and people were there, where are they? What we do know is that the death toll in Texas from Hurricane Ike stands at 23.

Many local and online news sources have gone either silent regarding the casualties and deaths from the devastation the hurricane inflicted on Galveston. Despite an occasional glimpse of the devastation it left behind…

the full extent of damage wrought by Hurricane Ike still isn’t known.

Unfortunately, the exact number of people who died as the result of Hurricane Ike is anybody’s guess, and most likely it will take weeks and months to get an answer to that question. Sadly, Galveston authorities are now conceding that the waters of Galveston Bay and nearshore waters could have washed them out to the Gulf, which apparently happened to one woman on the peninsula.

In the midst of the presidential election, one would wonder if the blackout is part of a concerted effort by the corporate media and political elites to trivialize the disaster so those outside the impacted areas won’t ask the vital questions.

In Part II I how FEMA is slowly turning Houston and Galveston and the surrounding area into another New Orleans as the Texas GOP plays with peoples lives.

I will be back on shortly, I will plan to take a short nap, since I didn’t really sleep last night.

St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital requests that all Recovery Team employees come to the hospital as soon as safely possible to help relieve those who have ridden out Hurricane Ike. All Recovery Team employees must report to the hospital by 7 a.m. Sunday. Employees need to call 832-355-2647 for details.

Port of Houston Authority reports minor damage. All vessels were docked at its terminals excepted for one. The Rickmars Seoul marine vessel broke loose when Ike made landfall. Last night, I had heard that nearby tugboat were about to secure it quickly before it would have taken down the 610 bridge.

National Guard rescues Crystal Beach residents. Carl Thompson, 12-year homeowner and former tugboat owner, “There is no more Crystal Beach. We flew over it in the helicopter. It’s nothing more than pick-up sticks. Our house is gone.”

Downtown Houston closed for cleanup and assessment of storm damage. Only authorized personnel with a critical need to be in the area will be allowed to enter. Unauthorized persons should not attempt to enter downtown.

As of 8 PM CenterPoint Energy had restored power to 112,000 customers, primarily in the western portions of its service territory. Like I said, I am one of the lucky ones. My father is here with me because he still does not have power.

East Houston Medical Center, in Houston’s predominately Hispanic East End is will be shut down for two to three months. Patients had been evacuated Friday afternoon because hospital officials knew that nearby Greens Bayou has a history of flooding at the facility in the 13100 block of the East Freeway and the surrounding area. The Houston East End should have been on evacuation list because this area floods when rains hard.

In Galveston County, about 23,000 island residents are thought to have ignored the evacuation call. No fatality estimates have been available. It could take days to search flooded homes to assess the full impact of the storm.

Homes and a warehouse in Galveston burned unattended during the height of Ike’s fury; 17 of them collapsed because crews couldn’t get to them. There was no water or electricity on the island, and the main hospital, the University of Texas Medical Branch, flew critically ill patients to other medical center.

In Southwest Louisiana, Ike’s surge of water penetrated some 30 miles inland, flooding thousands of homes, breaching levees and soaking areas still recovering from Hurricane Gustav.

In Houston, power has been restored to a major water pumping station. Mayor Bill White assures us that tap water could be clean enough to drink as early as noon Monday.

First Galveston casualty – a woman with a bad heart died when a generator powering her oxygen equipment failed.

Rescue teams with city of Galveston said they have helped 200 people in the last few days escape their flooded homes.

Sunday – 9/14/08: City is now under mandatory curfew – lockdown – from 9:00PM to 6:00PM from now through Sunday. We are today for our safety since people are leaving their houses. However, here is the deal, if you don’t have a battery operated radio or televisions, you only can listen to it until your battery gives out. So, how in the hell do you expect 1.99 million households without power to get that information. It amazes me how indignant our media and city officials are getting when they see people out and about.

This is a photo of my apartment complex, even there, there is partial restoration of power.

I just came back from my local grocery store, you can tell people are desperate for certain items. The biggest demand is for ice and water. Ice to get keep their meats from spoiling. Much needed water and charcoal so people can cook out. When I left the store, a line began to form outside, the store began to allow only a few people at the time.

If you know anybody from the Southeast side of Houston can you tell me what the situation is like over there. Certain grocery stores are opening and I would like to know what is going on.

When I was coming back, I got the chance to drive around, it is was strange. There are trees everywhere – in the middle of the road, on power lines, on top of houses. It was awful. Carports are toppled, several buildings look like mini bombs went off. At a local park, trees everywhere where snapped like toothpicks.

From Brazoria County into Louisiana, 5 million people are without power, I thank God I am one of the lucky ones who got it. If you have power, please conserve your power because there are stories of people with power sharing it with their neighbors.

People who have power are reading this blog, please, please, stay off the highway you are doing more harm than good. I understand you want to look, I do too, but doing that, we are hindering truck drivers who are bringing in the supplies into Houston and Galveston.

Galveston, TX – Most structures and homes on the island have been damaged by the storm, but are still standing. Most of the island was covered by floodwaters. Citizens are asked to remain where they are until the City can restore power, water, and gas. Galveston police and the National Guard are patrolling streets to offer aid and protect property. Cell phone service should be restored sometime today.

So far, 8 deaths have been blamed on Hurricane Ike, according to the Associated Press. 5 were in Texas, 2 in Louisiana and 1 in Arkansas.

U.S. Rep. John Culberson, a Republican from Houston, blasted FEMA because first responders at two staging areas did not have food and water.

“It’s just outrageous,” Culberson said, calling on residents near those sites to share food and water with the emergency crews. “I think it’s inexcusable. … I was horrified to discover that our first responders needed our help.”