On with the Contractors!

After walking the beach; a break from packing up my personal items for the restoration, Allen and I came upon this "tombstone" marking where the house once stood for the insurance adjusters. It is a sobering sight to see that the ocean just swallowed up the house and all that is left is a piece of slab and a piece of timber.

We met with the insurance person who handles personal effects for our policy. He was patient, very young [children can work now?] and went through my list with respect and care. We have really been lucky with the flood, windstorm, structure and personal effects adjusters. They all are trying to facilitate the losses in a fair and workable manner.

Now we have a very nice contractor and crew who will be getting started soon now that a permit is in the near future for the roof. If one doesn't have the proper inspections for the roof before and after, one can be denied windstorm coverage for the future so we are paying careful heed.

The tides were much lower this time. I will hopefully sleep better with that vision in my mind. When tides are high, it is just scarey!

The"best news of the day" is that Shrimp and Stuff restaurant is now open again! We went with Cal and contractor, Luby to check it out. There is a new owner [We cannot believe this!] but the food is just exactly as it has been for the past 20 years that we have been eating there. A small event that made us largely happy [and full!]

Presidents Bush Sr. and Clinton in Bermuda Beach

I was surprized to hear from Cal and local TV news that these important people were in Bermuda Beach to look over the damage from the storm. Bill Clinton was on the news asking for donations from private individuals for relief efforts. Somehow this just doesn't "chime" with me. This is one time that the government should be facilitating the process of rebuilding and restoration. Facilitation doesn't necessarily mean funding. Some people have asked me how much money we have received from FEMA. We did not apply even for the blue roof tarping. There are many many who need help and I think the resources should be there for them. Cal has told me that it takes hours and hours of standing in line to try to get a permit for building or an inspection date. Now there is where help is needed. Our son tells us that he has to use a land line phone to call about any of his insurance or housing questions, as he spends hours on hold and this wastes his cell minutes. Many people still need help and housing is in short supply. West end homes without water and power are renting for a small fortune to contractors and those working to restore some sense of the normal. Inch by inch, it is coming....

I'd better give credit to the Galveston Daily News/10/14/08 for the photo!

Adjuster Day at the Beach

Walking down to the deserted beach, I found a hopeful sign of life. Our neighbor, Peter, who is with the Beach Patrol, has returned to his house and brought his two dogs. They live under a large palapa and seem to guard the neighborhood.

The insurance adjuster came today and with a tall ladder took a leap onto our roof to assess the damage. He looked around, made copious notes, jumped down and investigated the inside of the house. As far as adjusters go, [I have only met a few] he was pleasant and did the interrogatory. We will be able to see his findings in a week or so at our insurance companies website.

So now it is a "wait and see". It seems an appropriate caption for this picture....

Looking Around...

Friday we took a drive down to Galveston to pay our contractor, Casey for emptying out the garage of the debris from the disappearing blue house on the front row that landed in our yard. Allen, Cal and I took a walk west as we had not really done so after Ike. The front row is totally gone and the row in front of it seemed to surface as cut pilings of the houses that were moved years ago.

All that is left of the front row is this newer construction. It used to be on the edge of the beach but now is clearly in the water as this was taken at low tide. The old Smith house, just beyond it, was ripped off the pilings, spun around and dumped onto the sand as if it never had legs.

The beach is depopulated now. It is possible to walk and walk without seeing a soul. It is dangerous to swim here for now. There are unseen pieces of houses, metal and disoriented sharks to contend with.

We finally found watermarks on the inside of the garage that indicates that there may have been 5-6 feet of water and that it settled down to 3 feet long enough to leave its signature. We were led to believe it was more.

Actually, very little was said during the storm by the mayor. When asked about the West End, she always referred to it as "another matter" which would be dealt with later. All during the storm we waited to hear about the West End. Nothing was said. Only a weather man on the news took a helicopter to show what was happening there. Where was the information from City Government? I have my own speculations.

Another day on the reconstruction.

Well, now we can see where the roof became a sail and travelled down the road. We did have water in the living room but it was rain water and that is better than waves lapping there!

Brother in law, Cal has moved in with his buddy to protect the neighborhood, scavenge for scrap metals and generally observe what adventure means. He has taken to sleeping on the deck; I guess that he likes the sea air! I received promises to find my staircase that was built this past year and had shorter steps for older knees! Also, our bikes need to be found under the garage debris. We only rode them one time on the beach and it was really really fun to do once the sun had started to set and it wasn't so awfully hot.

Even though we do have damage to the house, I feel incredibly lucky that it wasn't worse. Those houses in town [and behind the seawall!] filled up with water and these people are left homeless. That is what haunts us all. These west end houses are mostly owned by vacationers. Sure, there are some who live out here but they should know what the sea can do. Periodically, we are reminded with storms but this one was an especially harsh one.