Ike has passed, and he is still NOT my friend...

Ike has come and gone, and left lots of damage behind.

First and foremost, I am safe and my apartment suffered no physical damage. Power did go out here around 2 a.m. and finally came back on about 9:00 p.m. I will NEVER take electricity for granted again. I still have no water.

I was awaken this morning, about 3:30, when my mom called to check on me. Gotta love her. She couldn't believe I was sleeping through the storm. Well, I wasn't sleeping after that. The strom was crazier than anything I have EVER experienced. The wind was brutal, it felt like my roof was about to be torn off and the windows were about break in. I'm in a thrid floor apartment and I could feel the wind shaking me. I'm not even sure I know how to describe what it sounded like. Maybe a freight train breaking through my walls.

I did finally fall asleep on and off until about 11 a.m. My parents power had come back on by this point so I headed over there for breakfast and to store some food in their freezer.

As I have stated before, I'm about 150 miles from the coast. I'm thankful to have come out of this one unharmed and with minimal damage in my area. Others were not so lucky. I'm attaching some photos of Galveston, Houston and the surrounding cities and the damamge they have seen.

I hope that all of my Texas peeps are well and unharmed too.

Ike may have caused lots of destruction, but the Lone Star still flies.

On the Seawall, the Murdock Pier and Hooters use to be here.

I-45 to Galveston, flood waters brough in boats and debris.

A house fire on the island. Flood waters made it difficult for emergency crews to come in.

Surfside, a house was swept off it's beams, right into another house.

The Kemah Boardwalk, under water. A residentail street in Seabrook.

I-45 near downtown Houston.

I-10 near downtown Houston.

The Chase Building downtown. The windows blew out over-night, that's the glass on the ground.