Archive for the ‘Houston’ Category
Galveston Beach Front Devastation (September 13, 2008) –Source: http://strangecosmos.com/
Water’s Rising
water’s rising, and you who were caught
in last year’s flood, you are ready to scramble
onto the roof of the car and scream
but on this lonely backstreet, with a good
meal still warm in my belly and the wine
still sweet in my mouth, there are no lights
there is no cell phone, no traffic
no friendly strangers out for a stroll —
there is only the dark, and the current
— Bryce Milligan
Lake Woodlands Drive, The Woodlands, Texas (September 13, 2008)
Born in the Eye of the Storm
A storm in the Gulf
Satellite views as big as Texas
On track for Galveston
Strong winds of medium strength
Pushing a wall of seawater
People boarding up windows
Placing valuables in cars
Preparing to run from the storm
Others preparing to shelter-in-place,
Hoping the storm will turn away
Outer bands begin coming ashore
Bringing water from the sky and the Gulf
Providing a taste of things to come
As cars head north, one is headed south
With baby to be born
Arriving at the Medical Center
The delivery process begins
Outside the winds gain strength
Choreographed with mother’s labor
Moving toward a crescendo of life
Suddenly, there is peace and calm
As a baby is born in the eye of the storm
A prince of strength – symbol of the storm
A prince of peace – symbol of the eye
Forever in the eye of the storm.
kenne (Written for James, September 9, 2009)
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Computer Art by kenne
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Image by kenne
The following was written by a Gulf Coast resident and close friend, Kris Nordstrom McBride and originally appeared on Facebook.
I just have to share something (long) in the aftermath of Harvey.
Here in Texas, in our darkest hours, the people of this community, this state, this country and indeed around the world, have shown one another such kindness and generosity that it should renew our faith in our fellow man.
Recovery is an imperfect thing – there will be mistakes and missteps; sadness and frustration; devastating financial losses. And yes, there are bad people out there who will take advantage of the misfortune of others. But the VAST majority of people have opened their hearts and their homes to help others.
Friends and family have helped one another in unprecedented ways. Our churches, our ACTS and KC brothers and sisters, our Rotary Clubs, our Parrothead Clubs have all found ways, big and small, to help one another. Neighbors are checking on one another. Small business owners have gone the extra mile for their employees, reached into their pockets to cover motels and food costs for their displaced staff, often when they could really not afford it themselves. And of course, our First Responders (two of them Scott and Sabrina’s close, close friends and “my kids” too) and untold everyday people have put themselves in harm’s way to help others.
Most of you reading this know my friend Linda Johnson, my dear and special friend of more than 40 years. I stay with Linda when I work overnight in Houston. We drink a little wine and never run out of things to say to one another. A true and devoted friend.
Linda counts herself as one of the lucky ones. She “only” had a few feet of water in her home. She has two fabulous daughters and their families to stay with, a great employer who cares about her, and a huge circle of extended family and friends who love her dearly and will not let her be alone or in need.
BUT – she is still a single woman living alone, working toward her retirement in a few years, and like most of us, living on a budget and with no flood insurance. Walking into her home for the first time and seeing the destruction, the loss of family things, was…well…..just like for everyone else – horrible beyond words. Linda is a strong woman, but even for her, it was becoming overwhelming. How would she get this done? Where will the money come from? How does this happen?
Sunday she pulled up to her subdivision, found a high water vehicle to take her to her doorstep to begin the slow and painful process of wading through her home and trying to figure out where to start. Where do you start? How do you do this? Out of nowhere, “THEY” appeared and said, “what help do you need?” Tears streaming down her face she said “Everything” …..
Monday morning a group of about two dozen people met her at the house, complete strangers, and in SIX HOURS took her from destruction to on the road to recovery – these amazing people, again, complete strangers, worked in teams – one team packing her things, one pulling out carpet, one hauling things to the street, another cutting the sheet rock. IN SIX HOURS they changed her life!
During their short time together, they laughed with her and talked about her collection of beautiful wine glasses and nice wines, which made it through the flood intact.
Before she left for the day, she went upstairs to her office and the ladies who had packed her things had left 4 wine glasses, two bottles of wine and an opener on her desk – a small gesture that meant so much. They knew this would mean “home” and “normal” to her.
Linda is still in such a state of shock (as so many are) she doesn’t even know their full names, and will likely never see these folks again, but the impact they had on her life will never be forgotten. As best I can gather doing a little online research, these amazing people were from The Bayou City Fellowship Church and they have organized an unbelievable volunteer effort to help their community. Bless Them!
EVERYONE has done so much – I know this sort of amazing help is being repeated over and over all across Texas.
From the bottom of my heart to everyone who has served a meal, donated a piece of clothing or reached out to their fellow man in any way……..THANK YOU! And BLESS YOU!
As we say in ACTS —
God is Good, all the time.
All the time, God is Good.
— Kris Nordstrom McBride
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Industrial waste is left behind when the Harvey flood waters move on in the Houston, Texas area. Plus, there’s plenty of human plastic trash not included in this picture. — Image by kenne
We continue to destroyed nature with our industrial waste more than any other nation in history. Despite this, we have now backed out on the Paris Climate Change Accord. Hospitals in the Houston area are now beginning to deal with health issues related to the Harvey flood waters — breathing problems; skin problems; intestinal problems, just to name a few.
— kenne
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We moved to Tucson, Arizona seven years ago after living many years in the Houston area. When we return to visit family and friends, we stay with daughter Jill in Kingwood. During most visits, I go for walks in East End Park. The park takes in an area on the shore of Lake Houston. A lot of the recent flooding in Kingwood from Hurricane Harvey resulted from the lake overflowing.
Walking the trails in the park yesterday I dealt with some trails impassable, mud, debris, humid heat and many mosquitos. The gray line marking the trees and bushes in many cases was 15 feet above the ground. Now a week after cresting, most of the water is back to a normal level. Since the park has many path bridges, I was surprised to see they were still intact after all the high-water flooding.
— kenne
Walking In A World Of Green And Gray — Images by kenne
(Click on any of the images to view in a slideshow format.)
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This is the flooded home of the couple on the right. With the help of her brother and sister-in-law on the left, they have been working for days as they recover from Harvey.
Like a lot of people in Houston, even with severe loses and being very tired, their spirits are upbeat — check out the smiling faces.
For days, cars of people coming to help those flooded have been parked along each side of the street.
We attended Jill’s church Sunday morning, and it was obvious many were taking a break from a week loses and being of service. Everyone has stories to share. Some homes were not only flooded, but they are also collapsing because of sandy sub-soil. Kingwood high school will be closed for the school year because of structural damage making the buildings unsafe.
This is where Jill’s street ends. Beyond the barricades, there is an eight-foot drop into the surrounding forest, not enough to stop the waters as they continued to rise for at least another six feet.
This is looking from the end of the street where the barricades are, up to where the street begins to level off. The waters stopped just before reaching the top street elevation, which is where Jill lives.
These images are representative of the devastation much of southeast Texas has experienced since Harvey ran amok in Texas. People of the Gulf Coast use to unsettling nature of storms coming inland off the coast, but Harvey will be one that will be remembered for generations. Maybe it’s time to start taking lessons from the Dutch, but then, I’ve heard that before.
— kenne
Images by kenne (September 3, 2017)
Bayous over banks
Rivers filling man-made lakes
Gaters in back yards
The rain has moved on
Texans help one another
Trash along curb sides.
Bodies over worked
Unaccustomed to the smell
Nightmares when you rest.
A new birth of sun
People sharing their stories
Helps lift the spirits.
— kenne
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A new HEB Grocery Flooded in Kingwood
Flooded Whataburger
Waterline Tells the Story
A Randalls Grocery
LaMadeleine French Bakery and Cafe
LaMadeleine French Bakery and Cafe
No Gas at this Station. The tanker was turned away because of water in the underground tanks.
Cleaning Up for Business
A New Business Now Closed — Will Not Be Raising Cane Anytime Soon.
A Local Business In Kingwood
A Picture Representing Thousands of Cars in Houston — Images by kenne
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![Frenzy [Illwaco, WA]](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4481/37263416932_9fe762707d_s.jpg "Frenzy [Illwaco, WA]")
