This morning, everyone that chose to remain in Bridge City and Orange Texas woke up to rising water levels from Ike’s storm surge. I’ve been collecting pictures that people are sending to my cell phone, so I thought I’d repost them here, along with what I’ve learned through conversations and following several bits of news.
* Downtown Orange is “devastated” according to the mayor.
* Ridgewood and Bradford in Bridge City had almost six feet of water in that addition yesterday night. Today, it’s gone down to about three.
* As you head south and east in Bridge City (i.e. closer to Sabine lake), the flooding seems to get worse. Here is a picture of the pizza hut on Texas avenue.
Pizza hut on Bridge City flooded by ike storm surge
* I don’t exactly know when these pictures were taken, but my family is saying that the water levels seem to be dropping pretty rapidly, which is good. Here is a picture further south near the dairy queen and the intersection of Texas and Roundbunch.
Texas avenue and Roundbunch, across from Dairy Queen
* My sister lives on Charlotte street and her house had six feet of water in it this morning. That doesn’t bode well for Hatton Elementry, which was across Roundbunch from there, and has always sat in a low spot.
* By some kind of amazing miracle, my parent’s house was ok. They estimate there are three other houses in the Quail valley subdivision that are also above the water line. Here’s a picture of their place.
Mom and Dad got lucky
My dad walked down Connecticut street. Our old place at 965 Connecticut had about two feet of water in it, and we were at the north end of that street (the higher end). He estimated that there was about three to four feet of water in the houses at the south end of that road. Across the levee, looking toward the Bridge City Bank, he could see water that appeared to be about five feet deep.
It’s brackish water, full of balls of ant colonies and snakes floating about, not to mention debris. It’s really hot and humid down there, so anyone heading into that area to help out needs to bring plenty of water.
* The closest Red Cross chapter (I’m not sure if they are there) is: http://www.redcrossorange.org. The phone number is 409-833-2322.
* As usual, FEMA doesn’t have a damn thing on their site regarding Ike yet. I think we all know better than to wait on them. However, it’s important to have their number handy. That number is: 1-800-621-3362. If you need a TTY: 1-800-462-7585. Their website is here: http://www.fema.gov/
That’s everything I know at the moment. The moment is 5:03PM CDT. Keep your prayers with the folks of Galveston, Jefferson, and Orange County.