Unbelievable Comparison Pictures

[Bethers]

Here's a page on one of our government websites with some daunting before and after pictures of a TX coastal town - aerial pics taken just days before Ike, then 2 days after Ike -

http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/i ... livar.html

[MsBHaven]

Unbelievable definitely describes the photos. Very sad.

[mtngal]

wow, reminds me of the San Diego fires a few years ago when hundreds of homes were lost.

[avalen]

holy moly, the devistation is incredible, I spent quite a bit of time studying
those photographs and even some of the streets are gone, or they are just
covered with sand. There is no more green, everything is brown.

[SeeyaGal]

Well I assume everyone that builds in places like these have Insurance to cover them losing their homes, I really feel for the ones that don't and lordy some lost EVERYTHING!!! Really Sad

[Cedar518]

I'm sorry for those suffering the loss of their homes/vacation homes,....but geeeeesh! to build right on the water on the Gulf is just playing a waiting game with Mother Nature! Talk about taking a gamble! I'd enjoy that area, but in something with wheels so i could snag it up the road if a storm was threatening.

[retiredhappy]

I, too, wonder about building so close to the water, anywhere. Just like people in California that keep building on the hills that are so prone to crumbling away when it rains; or the ones that won't trim their brush 200 yards around their homes in fire prone areas. With so many hurricanes down there I wonder if they can even get insurance or the cost if they can. We had a lot of evacuees up here in Kerrville. I can't even imagine what it would be like to just have to wait and see if you have anything to go back to.

[Getupngo]

Wow. And that's just one little patch of ground ... compared to the entirety of it. Geez.

[Bethers]

I'd hazard a guess that most of those people didn't have insurance. Most of those homes and building probably wouldn't pass a requirement in TX - having a windstorm certificate - which you then need to get the insurance for wind, etc here. And if they do pass - that insurance is high. Which actually makes sense, as insurers know that eventually, it will be damaged, if not destroyed.

I once looked at buying a piece of property on a lake. The lake I was looking at, turns out the homes there flooded about every 10 years. Most of the people there could no longer get insurance. But they sell like hotcakes anyway, cuz the people just "have to be there". Kind of like those building on the mountains that will eventually slide away in California. I couldn't and wouldn't take that risk - there are lots of other lakes, etc out there where I could buy without that damage.

As for the TX shore - I'd rather be in my rv, which is movable - than own right along the shoreline. But that entire shore will build back up - and people will continue to buy - and continue to not afford insurance. Yep, I feel sorry for their loss, but on the other hand, I think people have to start realizing that some purchases just shouldn't be made - some areas just shouldn't be used the way they are. But they always will be. Now, the places damaged inland - and in other states, etc - those are things that no one can predict - and those people I truly feel sorry for. And hope they all do have insurance.

[SeeyaGal]

I am soooo thankful my home has wheels and I can get all of us AND the house out of harms way!!! Yep I head to drier ground or places where there are no fires. We sit in the campgrounds over weekends and don't leave till Tuesday try to travel during week days and not rush hour times and like the Red roads to avoid traffic accidents. I want to live to be a little old lady in my RV.
I say my prayers everyday for safe journeys and safe journeys for everyone else. I am blessed!

[sunshinecruiserTN]

Simply amazing! Thanks for sharing that website.