Galveston shelves 'look and leave' policy

Maybe this has become a new form of social exercise, Baby Turtle ~ hang out through the storm to see how soon people will come and cater to you ~ then bi*ch and complain when they don't. I'm sorry, I have noooo sympathy for these self-made victims. They had several options and days of warnings. People who won't help themselves are not worthy of others' help, in my judgement. Let 'em starve. If we lower the percentage of idiots through natural attrition, the next storm will be more manageable.

Right on, Jim!

Much of the confusion stemmed from Galveston officials' short-lived decision to allow people onto the island Tuesday to examine their property briefly and head back out. Many along the interstate were unaware that the "look-and-leave" policy had been suspended.

Clearly one of countless foolish decisions by authorities. "Look and leave"? What the heck did they expect?

And then we have this gem:

Ike's death toll officially stood at 51, with most of the deaths coming outside of Texas.

For all the hatred about how stupid Texans were to not leave; that they should "rot"; let them pay for their own rescue; etc.- well, maybe these folks knew exactly what they were doing.

This was a terrible, destructive storm; next time folks from Arkansas and Oklahoma may want to pay attention.

You have the right to determine your own fate. If they want to stay there, knowing the risks, knowing that utilities will not be back for at least a month, then it is their right to do so.

I would wager that the government CAN come in and force an evacuation now with the lack of utilities and water and the threat of mosquito, and dirty-water bourne diseases about to bloom. I would also suggest that evacuation now is exactly what needs to happen so that for the next 30 days clean-up can occur. Then and only then, when the debris is picked up, the sewers are working, the water is running, and the lights can be turned on should people be allowed back in.

You have the right to determine your own fate.

Its not an absolute right ~ and when you change your mind about fate, others should have the right to allow you to suffer the consequences of your original decision. Perhaps if people knew that this would be their "fate," fewer idiots would play this dangerous game. A thinning of the herd might be a good thing ~ if stupid people were those thinned out.

Jason - it is called "personal responsibility"... Your absolutely correct in all the points you make.. The people who chose to stay behind and not do anything to prepare have no right to complain about FEMA's response.. FEMA has its hands full taking care of those who followed instructions and suggestions - and they can only do just so much..

Those who remained behind and / or declined to prepare for the storm took personal responsibility for a decision that has come back to bite them.. Now they expect FEMA and the public (through media attention) to feel sorry for them and to take care of them.. Newsflash - thier personal responsibility is to continue caring for themselves - not expect relief efforts to care for them unless they leave and go to the appropriate locations for assistance..

Why should relief workers endanger themselves by going into areas where there are potential diseases and dangerous rubble to care for those who declined to take the steps to care for themselves??

Okay - in a shelter you probably would have to share the space with a lot of other people but you would have food - water - and the ability to flush a toilet.. My suggestion to them is this - quit complaining to the media and move away until order and utilities are restored.. Us taxpayers (who are footing the bill for all this) are a little tired of hearing the whining and complaining...

I live in Florida and we had Hurricane alley going for two years. I always cover my windows, get gas for my generators (yes two so I can help my neighbors), gas up my RV so I can bring it over and have air conditioning for myself and my neighbors to get relief and if I it bad enough we leave. No one has to tell us to get water, canned goods, propane, bug spray, window air or fans, gas and generators. Fema reimbursed me my first generator. I feel bad they lost property but they needed to get out if they were not prepared.

Hey, I thought all you liberals were now calling it "Climate Change" based on the fact that according to the omnipotent Al Gore the world was going through a cooling phase now. Do us all a favor and just call it one thing it confuses the heck out of the rest of the liberals calling it climate change.

Yeah, Some people must have slept through geology. That's why it is so important to pay attention in school. So you don't have some dumb ass like Al Gore looking to make a buck and scare people into believing in this man made global warming. Ice ages come and ice ages go. The planet has been doing her thing for millions of years. We are but a blip on her radar.

Point made... to an extent... New Orleans and Galveston specifically should not be rebuilt.... with out human intervention these area would not exist... they are technically below sea level!! and those are supposed to be rising!

It's insane to keep protecting these areas and rebuilding them... even more so in Galveston which is Houston's quick get away tourist destination... why should we be forced to pay billions to rebuild resorts and vacation homes which comprise the bulk of the home/structures on the island.

Same reason I am against the government bailing out these morons who purchased impossibly large and costly homes they could not have afforded with exotic loans... now the tax payer is forced to pay for work arounds to all these people to pay what they can to keep it, so that the system does not go into more trouble...

The problem is that people don't seem to want help anymore...they want everyone else to bail them out of the cr*p they got themselved into. It's a free country...we can live wherever we please, but that shouldn't mean everyone else should have to pay for the damages that occur from dangers KNOWN to exist. I grew up in tornado alley. We assumed the risk and then prepared for them. Then if something did happen, we paid for them! What a novel freaking concept. If everyone down there was as prepared as they are taught to be, it would saved lives and us taxpayers huge sums of money.

Yes, some people are ingnorant and stupid but let's consider the socio-economic background of some of these people. They live paycheck to paycheck, do not have a credit card, and cannot afford to move into a hotel. A lot of the people that stayed behind are elderly and live on fixed incomes. They are alone and have no family near by to help them.

Yes, they should have left but many felt they had no where to go and no funds to get there. Do you know exactly what you would do or how you would act if you were in that situation?

Now there are thousands of people with no home, no food, no water, no source of income - I would feel helpless - would you?

THANK YOU...THANK YOU Shiloh2008 for your post!! It is 100% correct and is the absolute REAL truth for so many people and why they did not/COULD NOT leave. So many cold hearted people are not realizing this and can not feel just a tiny bit of sympathy for what may be someone elses ''reality of THEIR life'', just like what you said in your post..."They live paycheck to paycheck, do not have a credit card, and cannot afford to move into a hotel. A lot of the people that stayed behind are elderly and live on fixed incomes. They are alone and have no family near by to help them."

Let me add that many probably have NO FAMILY to help them (maybe they have out-lived immediate family or possibly estranged from them for what ever reason) and they do not own cars and had no way to even get to an evacuation point or shelter. How do we know that these people did not call for help to evacuate before the storm???!!! I remember seeing one picture of a husband and wife that were BOTH bedridden that had to get help and evacuated after their house flooded in an area that was not predicted to flood. It would have been impossible for the local governments to send out someone to pick up and transport to safety the THOUSANDS of people living in the reality of the situations that Shiloh2008 and myself have mentioned. C'mon people...think about the COMPLETE picture before you are so quick to judge or criticize and try to be a descent human being about someone elses misfortune.

You're welcome. I don't think people have much compassion anymore and they only think about their own personal circumstances, not in the eyes of another. That old saying "Walk a mile in someone else's shoes...."

Since many of these areas offer shelter, free of cost, for people willing to evacuate, I am not sure where the money issue comes into play. Are they too good to move into a shelter with many other people? If that was my only option for safety for myself and my family, I would make myself right at home with everyone else and make the best of the situation. If they are above that, then they need to rethink their way of life. Sometimes people need to swallow their pride for their safety and their families safety.

I am quick to judge, because I have been there. I was smart enough to save myself and my kids and get out before it was too late. It took a lot of hours and patience, but this is not too much when it comes to my kids safety.

As for the ones without family in the area, local churches are amazing for pulling together to find out what shut-ins are in the area and to help them, they just have to be accepting of the assistance, which takes me back to swallowing pride.

I am sorry if I come across as a witch, it just frustrates me that people are too proud.

I don't think it has anything to do with pride. It has to do with change and many people, particularly the elderly don't do that well.

There were no mandatory evacuations in the Houston area, Port Arthur, Orange, etc... and there were no shelters set up until after the storm.

Congratulations on being smart enough to leave. Your basing all this on your personal ideas and experiences, not seeing how others deal with it.

This woman lives in Houston and was told not to evacuate.

That's interesting, but we all saw the news...she should have been smart enough to make that choice on her own. If I see a tree falling on me, I don't wait for the government to tell me to run away.

For everyone who is not in the Houston metro area that is making such nasty comments .. this woman is in an area of Houston. Yes, those of us that live in the Houston metro were told not to evacuate. Why? Have you forgotten what the interstates leading out of this area looked like when Rita was coming this direction? Try getting 4+ million people off the coast and the metro area. I highly doubt that everyone would have made it out of here and many people would have been stuck on the interstates riding this hurricane out in their vehicles. How callous and heartless can you be? Over 60% of the metro area is still without power in the metro area. Yes, I know that a large amount of Louisiana is still without power after just going through Gustav. To those bad mouthing everyone here on the Gulf .. next time you fill up your car with gas .. enjoy a nice steak or seafood dinner ... or enjoy some nice Rio Grande Valley fruit remember where these products come from. We do not just live here for the fun of it .. this is where many important industries are located. We are Texans .. we are proud and we are strong. We will rebuild our area and continue to live this way of life. By the way ... the next time that you are faced with a natural disaster (and you will if you live in California, the Midwest ..) you are more than welcome ask for help. And guess what ... the first people to reach out and give you that helping hand will be from the South .. that is what we do ... help our neighbors.

Finally someone with a head on their shoulder. For a minute I thought there were a bunch of headless, heartless zombies walking around. No one can say for sure what they will do in any given situation. Help will be pouring in from Louisiana, even though we could us some help ourselves and we are not talking about coastal areas----Ike made a mark here in Southwest Louisiana also and we still haven't dealt with the blow from Gustav.

Wake up America, people need help. Write you Senators and tell them to quit sending billions to rebuild other countries, but can't seem to help our own. I find it very shameful reading the comments by others here and it just sounds like you are the ones who are the "ME" first.

Sorry, but I must agree with everyone else on the advanced warning. If there is a strong storm front in Illinois, I pay attention to the weather until it is through Indiana. As a matter of fact, our weather forecasters were warning Hoosiers of possible storms and heavy rains from the Ike aftermath before it even hit land in Texas. If the weather starts getting bad to the west of us, I get the jugs of water filled, the flashlights and lanterns out, and get emergency supplies ready. The rest of my family thinks I'm being paranoid, but I'm being prepared and taking responsibility for myself! When we get hit with ice storms, blizzards, tornadoes, flooding, etc., you don't hear much out of the Midwest. In fact, when the June storms left thousands throughout multiple states in the Midwest without power - many for several days if not weeks in some areas - with heavy damage to infrastructure, damage to homes and businesses, etc., you didn't hear Midwesterners complaining about FEMA and when they were going to get relief. You hardly heard anything about it on the national news other than a 30-second blurb for a day or two. It was nearly a month before some people in southern Indiana were back home; a regional hospital in southern Indiana was closed for nearly a month due to flooding damage, and a military training base received more than $4 million dollars wind damage - and Indiana didn't get nearly the worst of those spring floods. Those people didn't expect others to take care of their problems. They handled it themselves. Hoosiers helped out Hoosiers. You are correct that there is no place exempt from natural disasters, but sometime, somewhere people have to take responsibilities for themselves and use COMMON SENSE - which seems to be on short supply in this country nowdays. We have become a nation of "victims" instead of "doers." And the government is perhaps the biggest enabler of them all. God wants us to help each other, yes, but he also wants us to help ourselves. And by the way, I get my steak and/or ham, turkey, and chicken dinners from Midwestern farmers just down the road and buy my fruit from Midwestern orchards and vegetable farms or grow my own.

I would have thought that people living in the danger zone for Ike would have already learned from Katrina.. The lesson was plain enough - hurricanes hurt kill and wreak havoc.. What I'm seeing is the "It can't happen here" syndrome... Guess what folks - it can happen anywhere..

I live in an area where we get very few hurricanes - a few tornado's - but we get snow and ice storms.. Just to be on the safe side we keep about two weeks worth of food and water on hand in the event something happens and we cannot get out.. Severe ice storm for example.. In the event we should have to evacuate we have arraingements for a place to go with our kids and pets.. We call it taking responsibility and being prepared for emergencies..

We cannot continue to rely on the government to jump in every time a natural disaster occurs.. We really must start to take personal responsibility to help ourselves before an event occurs.. I'm not a very religous person but there is a saying that sums it up - - "The Lord helps those who help themselves"..

Climate change is a natural cycle that has been going on for millions of years.. Man did not cause the last ice age nor will he cause the next one.. Preparation for climate change should start now - "be prepared" as any boy scout will tell you.. Over the next fifty years a number of things are going to occur - I won't be around to see them - but my kids will be.. My wife and I are ensuring that they both understand that the first line of help is themselves - prepare for the worst - anything less is a plus.. Regardless of whether it is a natural disaster or something like 09-11 - 01 - the key is to be prepared..

Hat's off to your husband for his unselfish assistance.

But don't you think if we were not spending 10 Billion a month in Iraq we could send some National Guard troops in to help so your husband can stay home with his family?

Wife - I hope every person in the disaster area takes the time to think about the firefighters - emergency medical technicians - red cross field workers and every one else involved in the Ike recovery..
Dag - my undestanding is that there are already national guard troops and equipment in the area assisting - let's not turn disaster relief into a political thing... Maybe if we could get away from all the politicking we could get something worthwhile done in this country.. You are opposed to the war - thats okay with me but save it for the blogs about the war..

I applaud your husband's and your family's efforts! I hope that he is returned to you soon.

The Danes have figured out how to deal with living below sea level and for far less.

Your throughing the baby out with the bath water.

They don't deal with hurricanes!!

Now I know why they call Kansas & Oklahoma the "flyover states".

Oh, and don't worry. I won't shed a tear when the tornado rips through your trailer park.

Don't live in a tornado magnet, but I get your point. I won't be shedding any tears that you aren't here either. We'll be dead or fine. If dead no more worries, if alive, continue with emergency plans and go to the shelter previously planned.

My thoughts exactly!

Yeah...it's hard to feel sorr for many of these idiots because of remarks like that about the rescuers & utility workers. And you can bet that he'll be the FIRST to scream when his lghts go out in "normal" weather....."Where are the utility workers?!?!?!"

You just see so many idiots like this in a disaster, it puts a bad rep on the entire bunch...."I chose to stay in the path of a hurricane & my house washed away....give me a place to stay now!!!!", "I didn't do the mandatory evacuation, now the city water system is trashed....give me water!!!!", "I wan to go see what the foundation of my house looks like, but those damned emergency vehicles are in the way!!!", "I live 50 feet from the ocean & didn't think a hurricane would actually flood my house....come get me in a helicopter!!!"....on & on &....on......&....................

True, some people WANTED to leave fo safety, but for various reasons couldn't. Those are the people I feel sorry for....elderly, children, poor without a vehicle, etc. By all means, everything possible should be done to help these recover.

The idiots that COULD leave, but DIDN'T, & now are up-a-creek.....oh well. At least we might can get some of that idiocity out of the gene-pool.

Hate to sound harsh, but that's just the way it is.

Just for the record, I live in a tornado area. If I know that a tornado is coming, I GET OUT OF DANGER!!! That means a storm cellar or safe room in tornadoville, since you typically don't have time to evacuate, as you do in a hurricane. But I DAMN SURE don't just stand right in the path of one, knowing it's potential.

And I CHOSE to build my house here, knowing the history of the valley. So if it ever gets blown away, you won't find me whining about it....my fault. It's called responsibility.

Please don't spread this conspiracy crap. That authors facts have been proven wrong over & over....he's just a troll looking for a sensational story. Don't feed him.