On the Anniversary of Hurricane Ike

Death came howling on the ocean
Death calls you gotta go
Galveston had a sea wall to keep the water down
and a high tide from the ocean spread the water
over the town

Wasn’t that a Mighty Storm
Wasn’t that a Mighty Storm
Wasn’t that a Mighty Storm
It blew the people all away

You know the trumpets gave in the morning
You better leave this place
Now no one thought of leaving
till death stared them in the face
And the trains they all were loaded
the people were all leaving town
The tressels gave way to the water
and the trains they went all down

Wasn’t that a Mighty Storm
Wasn’t that a Mighty Storm
Wasn’t that a Mighty Storm
It blew the people all away

Burning walls are falling
Thunder began to roll
Lightning flashed like hell fire
The wind began to blow
and the sea began to rolling
and the ships they could not stand
and I heard a captain crying
Oh God save a drowning man

-The Duhks, Mighty Storm

One year ago today Hurricane Ike hit Galveston at 2:10 a.m. CDT as a Category 2 hurricane. Ike had sustained winds of 110 mph and was the third most destructive hurricane to ever make landfall in the United States. Damages from to U.S. coastal and inland areas have been estimated at around $24 billion.

Prior to Ike, Galveston was becoming a haven for lovers of great food and wine. Recently we were happy to report that some of that burgeoning food and wine scene has begun to make a comeback, but one year later Galveston is far from being “back.”

To commemorate what was lost and to celebrate what remains, here are links to all of our Hurricane Ike-related stories:

A corner in Galveston was the first time we wrote about Galveston on this site. This was written prior to Ike and was about our discovery that it was a wine and food mecca.

Don’t be the dumbass was also written pre-Ike. This is one of Amy’s favorite posts that I have ever written, and I have to admit, still makes me chuckle a little.

The first post written after Ike was Coming home to Hurricane Ike. It describes the aftermath immediately after the hurricane.

Soon after I posted a collection of Some unrelated thoughts that talked some about Ike. Sorry about the formatting, some things have not yet been edited to work in the new template. Soon, I promise.

Wine, Women & Hurricane Ike: On Being Thankful talks about our first trip back to Galveston after Ike. I’m still thankful we did it at night so that I could not fully see the damage and no one could see my tears.

Toasting my Father, Six Months After Ike talks about the emotional impact of seeing Ike’s devastation on places that held fond associations for Amy connected to her late father.

Listen to The Duhks performing Mighty Storm.