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By Lesle | October 8, 2008
Brad Pitt has New Orleans, Louisiana and Leo DiCaprio has Greensburg, Kansas. Think any eco savvy celebs will jump on the TX/LA Gulf Coast bandwagon?
I may be biased, but I think this area needs a little more attention. Partly because entire communities were washed away, literally, and lives are destroyed. But mostly because it’s 3-1/2 weeks post Ike and there are still approximately 400 people missing.
And there are rumors that that number is shy by 600 or so. Allegedly, a Galveston County Sheriff implied that the UTMB morgue is housing many more than the 33 reported Texas victims of Ike. Now I do not want to start one of those frenzied internet rumors that takes on a life of it’s on, because I do NOT have any verification of this, nor do I have any way of verifying what I was told. And, I really hope that it is indeed just a rumor.
But unfortunately, it’s an easy rumor to believe because even the City of Galveston estimated that a quarter of it’s residents did not leave. And then there is the peninsula, Bolivar was decimated by Ike.
This is not a call for pity, but for action.
Vent all you want about personal responsibility and the foolish people who would not leave. But keep in mind there were plenty of people who could not leave. They simply ran out of time. This isn’t just about people who took their chances sheltering in place. Ike was a massive storm that broke rules. Ike took even the knowledgeable by surprise. And the surge that preceded the storm stranded many as they prepared to evacuate.
What we have left are pieces of life on the Gulf Coast that need to be put back together. I understand that this will take time. But we cannot drag our feet on what I consider the most important part of the process, which is the recovery of those who lost their lives and returning them to their grieving families.
Perhaps increased media attention will cause local governments to be more forthcoming with details, set the record straight about the current circumstances, and share their plan of action.
Families deserve to know at least that much.
L
Topics: This and That |
October 8th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
I’m sure and I hope someone will pick up the cause. The photos you posted were enough to show how decimated some place were.
October 9th, 2008 at 11:14 am
I hope someone does take it up as a celebretiy advertising cause.
October 9th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Hey Lesle, I got your package, thank you, its very cool!!
October 9th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Good points, Lesle. With the election and the economic meltdown, this story has been sadly pushed aside. Thank you for reminding us all.
October 26th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
There is almost NO post-Ike coverage in our area. Other than local churches initiating mission trips, I don’t hear of anything for that area.