One year ago, I walked out my front door to survey the damage from Hurricane Ike. As a native Texan living on the Gulf Coast, I've been through many storms. Nothing compared to Ike. Before it was over, Ike had become the third most destructive storm in US history just behind Hurricanes Katrina & Andrew.
As we approach the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Ike's descent on the Texas Gulf coast, I'd like to reflect on the past year and the long-term recovery work still ahead. I've had the unique privilege to work with Anna Babin, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Houston. This amazing woman (motner & grandmother) lead the response to the influx of Katrina refugees in 2005 and worked tirelessly with Houston Mayor Bill White again last year in response to Hurricane Ike.
In the days immediately after Ike, I was side by side with Babin and a few other staffers who managed to get back to our building and start answering calls and assessing the needs of those hardest hit by this massive storm. When I finally regained power, the first thing I did was turn to my new found community, those of you here at DAILY KOS, and I published my diary.
"It is a lengthy process recovering from a natural disaster of this magnitude," says Babin, "We fully expect to be in recovery mode for another two to four years – maybe longer—and United Way continues to help the most vulnerable with their recovery."
Steady progress has been made in the years since Ike, and though we have a lot of work left to do, we are thankful for the compassion and heart show by this community. Scott McLean, 2008-2009 Community Campaign chairman and president of Amegy Bank of Texas, proudly commented that
"Once again, Houston demonstrated its truly generous spirit in a year of unprecedented challenges. Even in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike and the economic uncertainty that followed, our community never faltered."
LONG-TERM RECOVERY
The havoc wreaked by Hurricane Ike is no longer front-page news, but many in our community are still struggling to recover from the storm. Long-term recovery efforts typically extend from three to five years following a disaster.
To date, United Way has invested more than $4.6 million in hurricane recovery, including $1.7 million in immediate funding to provide basic needs such as food and to help agencies become operational so they could assist with recovery efforts. At this time, United Way investments have provided basic needs assistance to 598,000 individuals recovering from Hurricane Ike. United Way has also invested $2.9 million in long-term recovery efforts and services such as home repair, transportation, debris removal, mental health care and case management.
Moving forward, the objective of long-term recovery will be to ensure case management is readily accessible to help families still recovering from Hurricane Ike. Through case management, families and individuals can develop and implement a personal recovery plan, which is a key element in helping them rebuild their lives. Today more than 7,000 families are in case management.
"Hurricane Ike was a devastating storm for our community and many are still struggling to recover today," says Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. "Thankfully, United Way of Greater Houston provides a key part of out community's social safety net. Since Ike made landfall, United Way has been hard at work helping those in need. It is critical for their work to continue."
BEFORE THE STORM
United Way's experience with Tropical Storm Allison and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita helped us refine our disaster model and our approach to serving people in our area.
As a primary hub for the statewide disaster transportation registry, 2-1-1 Texas/United Way HELPLINE begins to gather information in early spring from callers likely to need assistance in an evacuation. 2-1-1 provided the Houston area with up-to-the-minute information before and after the storm, answering more than 94,000 calls for assistance between September 1 and October 15, 2008.
IMMEDIATE NEEDS
Year round, United Way invests millions of dollars in our community's first responders, like the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, who focus on immediate response efforts. Immediately following the storm, United Way released emergency funding and resources to set up mass care shelters; provide basics like food, water and health care; help nonprofits restore and maintain services; and provide additional community assistance.
United Way published and distributed more than 630,000 copies of After the Storm, a community guide to assistance and resources.
United Way convened a group of nonprofit agencies and government officials to start planning for immediate and long-term relief. The group became the Greater Houston Long-Term Recovery Committee, focusing on basic needs and the most vulnerable in our community—seniors, low-income individuals and those with disabilities.
ASSESSING THE DAMAGE
A month after Ike hit, United Way conducted a frontline survey to identify the most critical needs. Six months after Ike, United Way conducted an additional assessment measuring progress, unmet needs and obstacles to recovery.
"The needs of those still in recovery will always outweigh the resources available," says Babin. "But, organizations like United Way are continuously evaluating where resources can be used in the most prudent and judicious way."
TODAY
Before it was over, Ike became the third most destructive storm to make landfall in the U.S. It damaged more than 480,000 homes in Harris County, displaced members of more than 19,000 households, and caused more than $8 billion in residential damage.
And still, the storm could not defeat the spirit of the people here, who came together with United Way, mere hours after the storm had cleared, to restore hope and rebuild lives. Today, with the help of so many resilient Houstonians, United Way continues that important work.
It is a lengthy process recovering from a natural disaster of this magnitude," says Babin. "We fully expect people to be in recovery mode for another two to four years—maybe longer for some—and United Way continues to help those who need our assistance most in returning to their normal lives."
View a pdf of United Way of Greater Houston's The Ike Report: One Year Later.
UPDATE:
I took the following photos 1-2 days after Ike made landfall.
View of downtown Houston with Buffalo Bayou flooding.
Uprooted trees on Washington Ave. as I drove to the United Way building.
My normal route to work, Heights Blvd, completely underwater.
Gas station near my apartment.
Gas lines at one of the few open stations in the city.
In front of my apartment.
Street lights dangling and stop lights bent from hurricane force winds.
My neighbor's patio.