The Aftermath of Hurricane Ike

This morning we took off to survey the damage caused by hurricane Ike when it slammed into the Texas Coast on the Boliver Peninsula on September 12. The skies were clear, the air cool and the flight was smooth. We began seeing damage at Sargent Beach, erosion and debris along the beach was very evident.
Homes that once stood on beachfront property, now stood surrounded by water, the beach changed forever. Along the beach, roads were washed away and power lines down, crews were still hard at work restoring electricity. We landed at Scholes Field in Galveston and got to see the damage up close. The airport buildings had suffered major damage with about fourteen feet of water causing havoc, the fuel tank had been pulled up and floated away. The airport was operational, but had no fuel and a Port A Potty full of mosquitoes was the only bathroom. We took off, flying over the end of the sea wall which had sustained slight damage. It wasn't hard to see that the sea wall, built after the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 had saved the city. We flew over the Flagship Hotel and saw were the historic Balinese Room once stood. We crossed the Houston Ship Channel and saw a sea of tankers and freighters waiting to enter the port. A part of the jetty was damaged by the force of the storm.
We flew over the Boliver Lighthouse that looked like it had weathered the storm in good shape.
Cargo containers, boats, cars and debris littered the coast. At the community of Gilcrest the power of the storm was more evident. Where many beachfront homes once stood, now only the pilings remained. Septic tanks and swimming pools were unearthed, and it was easy to see how the sand had washed away. Huge piles of sand could be seen everywhere, the result of clearing the roads. Crystal Beach sustained almost total devastation, with few homes still standing. The water and the wind had proved to be a deadly force.
We turned around at this point and made our way to Brazoria Airport for fuel and lunch at the Windsock Grill. We flew back to Victoria, landed and put the plane in the hangar.
We lucked out in Victoria when the storm turned away from us, but it will take years for the damage caused by Ike to be repaired. The coast is a beautiful place, but no place to be when the power of Mother Nature strikes.