Galveston's Tourist Zone Devastation Revealed

Hurricane Ike's legacy is a swath of devastation; popular Strand severely damaged

Even as hurricane evacuees were allowed back to hurricane-battered Galveston, TX, to survey the destruction, the Convention & Visitors Bureau website continues to chirp:

"Galveston offers 32 miles of relaxing beaches, superb restaurants, top
resort hotels, marvelous downtown shopping, numerous antique stores,
incredible art galleries, fabulous entertainment and one of the largest
and well-preserved concentrations of Victorian architecture in the
country.

"Galveston is a small romantic island tucked deep within the heart of
south Texas possessing all the charm of a small southern town and just 40
minutes south of the fourth largest city in the United States. At 32 miles long
and two and a half miles wide, most residents can't remember the last time they
visited the mainland and, if circumstances permitted, they would never
leave.

"The Island has seen its share of calamities, yet the worst natural
disaster in U.S. history could not erase the tranquility of a Galveston
sunset.

"From soft sandy beaches to famous 19th century architecture, the island
is surrounded with incredible history and unique beauty."

Sure, there's a donation solicitation from the Greater Houston Community Foundation on the site to "Help Bring the Island Back. Donate to the Hurricane Ike Relief Fund." But that doesn't begin to describe the devastation they found following the cataclysmic 12-foot storm surge and 110-mile winds that made landfall earlier this month. CNN cameras showed closed, flooded stores on The Strand, Galveston's popular 26-block tourist zone, once home to some 100 shops and restaurants. There is limited water (none of it drinkable), and residents and business owners are permitted in only to assess the damages and to undertake very preliminary clean-up but are required to leave the island again by 6:00 p.m.

Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas and officials from the Port of Galveston and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston met with an ad hoc Senate committee who said that the city is seeking $2.3 billion in emergency government assistance -- $1.2 billion for the city; $600 million for the hospital and $500 million for the port.

Ironically, it is US Senator Mary Landrieu, a Louisiana Democrat who chairs the ad hoc Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Disaster Recovery Subcommittee, which held the hearing to examine the federal government's response to back-to-back Hurricanes Ike and Gustav -- ironic because the government was painfully slow to help New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina three years ago. And that was before the government was steaming full speed ahead to bailing out failed banks and insurance companies to the tune of $700 million.

Bottom line for travelers: don't plan to visit Galveston Island any time soon, unless you're planning to volunteer for some kind of rebuilding crew.

P.S. On September 29, Boulder blogger Alyce Barry put a post on her with links to additional photos of Galveston and conjecture about the future of the island.