10/05/08: First Organized Body Search On Bolivar Peninsula: 7 Men, 1 Dog, 80 Square Miles To Cover
10/05/08: The stories of some who died…and some who are still missing.
Searchers and dog teams will begin looking for victims in the Hurricane Ike storm debris in Galveston and Chambers County, for the FIRST organized search and recovery. Why this is just NOW being done is very puzzling. Click here for video on the search.
The search will begin in Galveston today, and then move to Chambers County over the weekend. Chambers County Judge Jimmy Sylvia has been asking for help from the governor’s office since DAY ONE. He says he’s confused by the delay, and that some of the missing from Galveston Island may have been blown across Galveston Bay into Chambers County.
“I don’t have a clue why it is taking so long. You know, it really should be Galveston County pushing because those are Galveston County folks that would be up here in my county.”
State Representative Craig Eiland says the delay is something that will have to be investigated. There are quite a FEW things that need to be investigated about Hurricane Ike. With over 400 people missing- and probably a lot more, the official death toll in Texas still only numbers in the 30’s. Lan Lamphere, photojournalist and witness to Ike’s fury, interviewed Tracy Turner who is desperately trying to find her sister and two nephews. She hasn’t had contact with them since Hurricane Gustav. Tracy posted here as well, trying to do anything and everything she can to find her family members. Snarkfood is frustrated…families are frantic. It is HIGH time we got some answers.
private, volunteer search parties like the famous equu search have been ready and waiting since the storm with hundreds of people to carry out searches, but have been denied permission. did you know that fema wont let these people have trailers that are ready and waiting because there is nowhere in galveston above the flood plain?
in addition, where is the mention of all the damage in houston? i live 75 minutes north of galveston and just got power last monday. every 6th house in my neighborhood has a tree through it and every 3rd house has some damage. i lost 5 huge trees, but am one of the lucky ones, no house damage. where is the rest of the country, where is our bailout, where is our benefit concert? i finally saw a network news program monday and could not believe no one is talking about the failures of fema and the military in response to this disaster.
Why waste scarce resources looking for corpses? Anyone foolish enough to have stayed behind, despite evacuation orders, took a chance and lost. Why should their poor judgment be a burden to civil authorities?
These people were given mandatory evacuation orders, which they chose to ignore. If they had left, their relatives wouldn’t be frantic and rescuers wouldn’t be risking their own lives looking for people who should have been gone. What part of EVACUATION did they not understand?
Do not trust the Government. I went through hurricane Andrew in Florida. The government hid the fact that over 500 migrant workers simply vanished. They told the families that “The workers must have left for another job.” They don’t look too hard for people, but they do let the media tell us that there isn’t that many people missing. If you’re missing someone–GO FIND THEM. If you wait for the officials, you may as well just have a service and bury the memory of them.
If you want to find these people so bad go for it. They ignored the evacuation so whatever happened to them is their own fault. Nobody else should risk getting chewed by a ‘gator to find their dead ass.
Why is that everyone always expects the government (local, state, federal) to always come to the rescue? There was a mandatory evacuation…if they didn’t leave then they got what was coming to them. If they did leave and didn’t take phone numbers to call family to let them know where they are then that’s their problem. Stop blaming the government for everything and start acting like adults and accept responsibility for your actions!
Can someone explain to me why people live in areas prone to bad weather? Look at New Orleans! It was built below sea level and requires levees to prevent the area from being inundated during hurricanes and yet people are rebuilding in the same area! They have moved towns in the midwest due to flooding issues, so why can’t people in coastal areas figure the same thing out. Insurance companies need to start saying no and we’ll just let Mother Nature do what she wants just as she has since the planet was created…we’re never going to be able to stop her!
Acts of nature cannot be truly predicted or ignored! If something becomes MANDITORY a human must take heed, everyone seen the pictures, everybody new the RISKS! CARMA,MR.BADLUCK and MOTHER NATURE sometimes they get together and this is what you get! you don’t have to like it,you just have to know i’m right. You want to HELP, go be a volenteer, but be ready it’s going to be very harsh. IT JUST GOES TO SHOW “COMMON SENSE IS NOT TO COMMON”. WAKE UP PEOPLE!
hello everyone who is not from this area (ABOVE) you are very brave to make the comments you have made…being a nurse from this it saddens me to hear the remarks and inhumanity from all of yall…shame on you…many of the people from the area (esp. elderly) live on fixed incomes and if you stretch your brain to a couple of weeks before ike the was a manditory evac. for gustav and that took alot of the money that many of the people use to buy medications and food let alone evacuate again… the emergency management system failed in our area which left several people unable to leave ,stuck here…i pray that you people are just lead by ignorance rather than being cold hearted and hope you never experience anything lie this because people with your attitude would never make it….when you lay your head on your pillow tonite say a prayer for all the elderly and the people who “ignored” the manditory evac. and then say a pray for yourself that you become less of a shallow humanbeing
I am truly sorry the world is full of the DUMB ASSES like(mike deborah bob bruce and jeff c)… these people need to be stuck in the middle of a storm like that with their families and be told to fend for themselves …Dont make any comments if you do not know the facts … it shows your stupidity!!!
I can not believe what I am reading..NO Mercy and Not one once of Compassion for the Dear Families that are Searching for Love ones.. You must remember what Our Lord And Savior Jesus has Said What Mercy you show is the Mercy you will receive.. He also Has told us that When One of our Brothers and Sisters are in mourning that we too should mourn with them..GOD BLESS THE BROKENHEARTED… Turn to the True Answer JESUS CHRIST,HE WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU OR FORSAKE YOU…HE HEARS YOUR CRIES AND HE WILL HEAL YOUR HEARTS..JESUS LIVES!!!
AMEN SHERRY!!!
It cost over $500 for gas alone to evacuate. What do you think it cost for food and for lodging. What about what people went home to. How about $7,000 worth of fence repairs. What about roof repairs? what about insurance dedutibles? And we don’t live on the coast. I have friends in Kentucky who had siding ripped off their home and windows blown out because of hurricane Ike and Kentucky is not on the coast. If people don’t live in the coastal towns who will run the refineries? Who will run the ports? Some people do not have the funds to evacuate twice only 6 days apart. Ike did more damages than Katrina did yet the people are not getting the help that the victims of Katrina got. The media is not even covering all the towns that were hurt. Galveston was not the only city that was hurt. Check the entire coast of Texas. The surge took out a lot of coastal towns and a lot of marinas. Insurance does not cover wind and surges. That is not considered flood damage.