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After Ike: Traveling to East Texas

Mike Mitchell - 9/18/2008

After four days of flickering candle light, cooking on the grill and using electric fans to keep cool, it was time to re-enter the 21st Century (heck, at that point I would have settled for 20th Century!).  Weeks before Hurricane Ike struck on Sept. 12/13, 2008, my wife and I were already scheduled to leave Houston on Wednesday so we could attend my brother's wedding near Tyler (about 250 miles north of Houston, halfway twixt Dallas and Shreveport).  So, after we cleaned up some of the wreckage from Ike, and still waiting for power to be restored, we hit the road and made the drive up here.

Along the way we saw numerous signs of the damage left in Ike's wake.  Houston had lines at the gas pumps (if you didn't see a line, that meant they were out of gas or had no power).  That is, of couse, referring to the gas stations that were still there.  We saw a few stations missing roofs or blocked by trees.

Outside of town we saw countless downed trees, piles of debris neatly stacked awaiting collection, or small plumes of smoke where the rural residents took matters into their own hands and burned the trees and fallen debris in carefully watched bonfires.

In Livingston we stopped at a Whataburger that was open and serving a limited menu (burgers, fries and chicken strips, plus softdrinks and tea).  We ate dinner and moved on.  Every now and then we'd pass a small town on Hwy 59 that looked untouched by the storm.  Other times we saw deserted town where the lights were dark and the streets were all but empty.

There were also the caravans of utility trucks with their rapidly flashing amber lights.  These were spotted rolling down the highway, or on the side of the road next to high-climbing workers who struggled to pull the power lines back together through the twisted mess of branches they cleared away.

When we finally made it to Mineola (a small town outside of Tyler), we got to our hotel.  The sweet cool breeze of the air conditioner... the senseless prattle of the TV... the comfey decadence of a long soak in the tub... all these luxuries made us forget Houston, the storm and the tree leaning on our house back home.

And then the Internet!  Ahhh, the joy of connecting again.  Right now I'm too tired to respond to all the messages you guys posted, but thank you for them.  They really boosted our spirits. And thanks to Murphy for keeping ya'll posted about my current plight. 

I'll write more tomorrow.  But for tonight, it's time to hit the hay!

Thanks again,

Mike

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