Not in the News Anymore

Other than mentions of gas shortages throughout the southeast, Hurricane Ike is no longer a news issue. And this is sad. So many of our fellow countrymen are now facing the arduous task of clean-up and rebuilding. From Orange Texas to Galveston, the destruction is reminiscent of what occurred along the Mississippi Gulf Coast from Hurricane Katrina. Like the Mississippi Gulf after Katrina, small towns like San Leon, Port Arthur, and Beaumont are ignored. Mississippians continue to pay it forward.

Signs throughout the area echo the messages of those scrawled throughout the lawns of South Mississippi after Katrina, declarations of resiliency, warning, and of course, humor. Like the coast, people in this self-sufficient small town, believe they were overlooked by the national media, as coverage focused on nearby Galveston and Houston. And though self-sufficient, they are well aware it won't be easy to pull off recovery on their own.

"We definitely need outside help," said resident Terry Loutham.

The good news is some people have been exposed to the plights of the people in San Leon. Since the TrailGrazHer's trip, two 18-wheelers full of supplies have been loaded up and will head to San Leon on Monday, and the Diamondhead Fire Department has nearly filled up another 18-wheeler full of donations.

As for the residents of San Leon, those who have decided to stay are doing what they can to get back on their feet, while opening their arms to outside help. Collections at the Diamondhead Fire Department will continue until the 18-wheeler is full.

Besides the messages of hope and strength made by state and local officials in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina, there was one business that also passed along that message. Hancock Bank saw its main office building flooded from Katrina's storm surge. Many of its branches were also destroyed. They reassured the public and printed bumper stickers that said "Rebuilding better and stronger: Together". They remember all too well the destruction from Hurricane Katrina and from that experience know people in Texas need our help.

Texans made generous contributions to South Mississippi's relief and recovery efforts from Hurricane Katrina and the Sun Herald wants to honor those precious gifts of time and money.

So the newspaper has joined with Hancock Bank and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation to establish the Galveston Bay Hurricane Relief Fund to help the cities and counties around Galveston Bay recover from Hurricane Ike.

Contributions to the fund can be made at any branch of Hancock Bank. And every penny contributed to the fund will go to the relief effort - there will be no administrative expenses or handling costs deducted from the contributions.
The more we learn of the devastation around Galveston Bay, the more it reminds us of ourselves three years ago as we were reeling from the impact of Hurricane Katrina.

As we have said, Katrina and Ike both made landfall in a region of multiple jurisdictions - a cluster of towns and cities and counties with varying degrees of damage and with varying levels of resources to recover.

Another similarity has also arisen: just as the flooding of New Orleans overshadowed the shattered Mississippi Gulf Coast, the national financial crisis has shifted attention away from the coastline communities of southeast Texas.

Having been lost in those media shadows ourselves, we dare not allow other coastal communities to suffer the same fate.

We will be promoting the fund often in the pages of the Sun Herald in the hope that the appeal will produce an amount of money that will make a significant difference to our great neighbors in the Lone Star State.

We hardly need to remind our readers how much any contribution will be appreciated by the recipients. We have all been there. And we all know the value of every step toward recovery.

You may contribute to the Galveston Bay Hurricane Relief Fund at any branch of Hancock Bank.

I want to add that the Sunherald did many things after Hurricane Katrina as well. Their coverage of Katrina was impressive. They also gave newspapers away after Katrina. They knew with the communication problems, we needed information. They also won a Pulitzer for their coverage.

Texans are busy cleaning up the mess from Hurricane Ike. They are pulling together like we did in Mississippi. They have a long road ahead of them and they mustn't be forgotten.

From Gulfport to Galveston

Mayor Lyda Thomas of Galveston and other city officials have requested help from the City of Gulfport Mississippi. Gulfport Mayor Brent Warr and others are heading to Galveston to share the lessons learned after Hurricane Katrina. But even before Hurricane Ike struck the Texas coast, Mayor Warr spoke with Mayor Thomas. I can only speculate but maybe he influenced her for her to finally order a mandatory evacuation of Galveston.

Three days before Ike struck Texas, even with Ike well to the south of us, Mississippi experienced two days of flooding from the massive amounts of water Ike was pushing. The storm surge affected Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas days before landfall.

Others along the Mississippi Coast gave warnings of just what a massive storm surge could do. The storm surge from Hurricane Katrina is officially estimated at 28 feet. Evidence points to it being between 30-35 feet. The 66 miles of Mississippi Coastline were defenseless against the onslaught the massive wall of water. The images of Crystal Beach and the Bolivar Peninsula in Texas bring flashbacks of what we in Mississippi experienced from Katrina's storm surge. Ricky Mathews wrote an editorial pleading days before Ike made landfall in Texas.

MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST -- For whatever reason it now appears that thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of the residents of Galveston Island, and untold others along the Texas Coast have chosen to stay and face the wrath of Hurricane Ike. As your neighbors in South Mississippi, who have watched the deadly surge of Katrina destroy virtually every mile of our coast, we care for your survival, and beg you to leave now. You should know further that in a nighttime storm your chances will be further reduced.

The hours dwindle, but it is not too late for you to flee and save your lives. There is something deceptive about the idea that Ike is only a Category 2 hurricane. The developing science of Integrated Kinetic Energy (ironically IKE) which expresses the destructive power of a hurricane’s surge, shows that Ike represents a force exceeding even Katrina’s surge, which was the largest ever seen against an American Coast.

The people of the Mississippi Coast know all of the excuses to stay “hunkered down” in their homes and comfort zones.

They survived the previous big storm(Camille for us), there was no place for their pets, they were old, sick, tired, etc. Some were just skeptical. Many of them now lie in the sandy soil of their homeland, victims of the storm surge.

We ask our citizens to join us in this heartfelt mission to save those who may otherwise die where they are making their stand against Ike. If you know someone in Galveston or the South Texas Coast, please call them or e-mail them and tell them your stories of Katrina. Pass along this editorial and the links to our Katrina photos and stories. Make your comments on the reader commenting opportunity with this editorial.

It is not too late but with every passing hour your possibility of evacuating to safety is diminished. We implore you – do not become a casualty of Ike. Its deadly surge is coming, and no seawall, no plywood nor your false notion of safety will save you from its destructive force.

He also made a video pleading for those in harm's way to get out.

Both his editorial and video were made in an effort to warn those in Texas what wascoming. Both can be a warning for anyone who faces the threat of a hurricane heading their way. The message is clear: No excuse is worth putting you and your family in harms way. You cannot judge what will happen based on previous hurricanes. If you are told to get out, get out!