Declarations

Do Not Come Back

“Galveston has been hit hard. We have no power. We have no gas. We have no communications. We’re not sure when any of that will be up and running. … We want our citizens to stay where they are. Do not come back to Galveston. You cannot live here right now.”

—Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas echoed the message from authorities all along the Texas coast just two days after Hurricane Ike made landfall in Galveston on Sept. 13. Leaders in communities along the devastated coast warned it would be weeks, even months, before the towns were livable, the Associated Press reported. Two-story homes had been flattened into pancakes, yachts were tossed like toys onto major roads, and utilities were cut off. Authorities imposed a curfew in Houston and warned it would be weeks before the fourth-largest U.S. city is fully back up and running.

Working ‘Round the Clock

“People in the area need to understand that our team is working ’round the clock to restore services while people outside the area need to stay away until we have reached an acceptable level of safety.”

—Texas Gov. Rick Perry, after surveying Hurricane Ike storm damage from the air on Sept. 14, 2008, the day after Hurricane Ike swamped the Texas coastline. Perry, accompanied by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Steve McCraw, Texas Director of Homeland Security, visited Galveston Island and Ellington Airfield to consult with local emergency management officials.

Critical Mission

“Our search and rescue teams have been pulling people from the water from late last night and into the early hours of this morning. In addition to rescuing those people who need our help, we have teams conducting coordinated surveillance missions all along the coast, in order to look for any people who may be in danger but are not able to call for help. The safety of our people is our critical mission right now.”

—Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal commented in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike that the state is focused on saving lives and helping to rescue people from high water. At press time, around 700 people had been rescued in Louisiana, including 179 rescues reported by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Jindal visited Southwest Louisiana parishes and surveyed the storm’s impact on Delcambre, Erath, Abbeville, Pecan Island, and Lake Charles, where many homes and businesses flooded. As of Sept. 14, most of Louisiana’s 250-mile coastline remained flooded.

Topics Texas Louisiana Hurricane