Hurricane Ike - Day 5 Aftermath
The death toll in Galveston has now risen to 20 and the confirmed hurricane deaths in Houston now stands at 10. Both are expected to increase as the days go by. And the newest and unexpected problem that officials are dealing with is a TIGER! It’s just one of those unintended consequences of STUFF HAPPENS.
A county official said Tuesday that the animal somehow left its enclosure at an exotic pets center in Crystal Beach. Animal experts are coming in to try and catch the tiger. Galveston County Judge Jim Yarbrough put it this way: “Turns out there’s a tiger, and I understand he’s hungry … so we’re staying away from him.”
Any tiger that’s on the lose- hungry or not, I’m staying way far away! :-(
A curfew remains in force for Houston, barring people from being on city streets from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., and officials were working to prevent looting and theft. Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt said the city has issued 108 citations and arrested 33 people who violated the citywide curfew that began on Sunday night. Hurtt said the arrests included several people in a stolen car, with stolen items inside.
Amazing!
Testimonies are amazing and heart-breaking. “A good bath would be nice: have the fire department swing by and spray us down,” said Carlos Silliman, 48, as he sat on a picnic bench in front of his Galveston Island home, where 18 inches of water flooded his garage and ruined a freezer full of venison. “I’m ready to have a cold beer and read the paper.” For most, such luxuries are far beyond the horizon. Many service stations have no gasoline, and some major highways remain under water. More than 30,000 evacuees are still living in nearly 300 public shelters, and roughly 2 million people in Texas alone are without power.
One of the biggest problems Houston faces in the wake of Hurricane Ike is a shortage of ice, Mayor Bill White said today, pledging to seek assistance from all possible sources, both private and public. “I’m more concerned about getting ice than anything else,” White said. “So long as the president is concerned and as long as we get all the resources of the United States …. the people of the United States will know we take this very seriously.”
So for the next few weeks Houstonians and those in the surrounding communities will learn to live a different life- much different than we’ve known.
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