Shoreacres Texas after Hurricane Ike

The official City of Shoreacres website puts the information in plain terms."We estimate that 575 of our 650 homes have been flooded and today are uninhabitable". If you apply that number using the townusa.org figure, the number of housing units was 594. The 'official' numbers published by the city definitely make it look a little better. Whichever figure is used, the percentage of homes that are uninhabitable is significant.

Although many readers have never even heard of Shoreacres, Texas. To those who lived there, the storm and its impact was devastating news.To the 1488 residents, it was life changing. Just do the math. About 88% of the homes were made uninhabitable by the hurricane. Since it is a small community, the numbers have not made the headlines of major metropolitan newspapers. Consider if you would if 88% of the homes in Houston had been made uninhabitable by the storm. That is a staggering number of homes that were damaged by the 14 foot tidal surge that came across Galveston Bay. Prior to the storm, the city hall was spray painted with the measurement marks showing how high the water might reach.

The small community of Shoreacres is located on the western side of Galveston Bay. It lies south of La Porte and north of Seabrook on the eastern side of Harris County. The elevation of the city is 10 feet. Since the tidal surge was 14 or more feet, water covered a majority of the city which occupies .90 square miles along the bayfront. The bayfront community was home to the Houston Yacht Club, which often held regattas on the bay.The area was also popular with kayak fans who lived on Galveston Bay.

A common green area stretched along the shoreline. The area was a park for the city residents who gathered there on the 4th of July to watch the fireworks displays explode over the waters of Galveston Bay. From the bayside community, the fireworks displays of La Porte, Baytown, and Anahuac could also be seen, besides the main display at the Houston Yacht Club which gave those attending the displays 'more show' than anywhere else in the area.

The city was home to several authors and writers. Those authors often focused on various aspects of history as their topic. The city was also home to a Texas State Senator and a professional race car driver. The small city had some media exposure when the B-movie, "The Dark Dancer" was filmed at a house located in the community on Shoreacres Drive. Shots of the exterior and interior of the house were in the film along with views of Taylor Bayou, which flows through the community.

In the aftermath of the storm, the concrete blocks which lined the bay to prevent erosion were tossed ashore. Large chunks of concrete now covered the park and road along the bayfront. Debris from the yacht club consisting of timber, and boats now scattered about. In the days following the storm, front end loaders cleared away the larger debris so that the roads were passable. One observer commented "The boats were in places they weren't supposed to be", noting how they now occupied the parking lot of the Houston Yacht Club rather than the boat slips they formerly occupied.The Houston Yacht Club also has the distinction of being the oldest Yacht club in Texas.

The residents of the city were initialy under a voluntary evacuation, but this was quickly changed to 'mandatory' status as the storm approached. The automated telephone alert system communicated the need for evacuation to the residents.

There was a particularly severe threat of storm surge. The severe threat was due to many factors. The path of the storm, point of impact and quadrant that impacted Shoreacres combined to make the surge threatening. Although the community had survived previous hurricanes, none of those storms had hit at the angle and with the surge that accompanied this storm.

The storm surge came on like a fury, bringing with it salt water and the debris it had accumulated along the way. Debris from the bay and piers were now used to batter the homes along its shore. In the wake of the storm, the city itself was covered in sand and dark silt. The fourteen foot surge covered the roads which varied in heigth from five to eight feet above sea level. The storm had also covered over several of the barrier islands that had once existed in Galveston Bay.

The corrosive power of salt water managed to creep its way into appliances and cars throughout the city. Since many of the structures are single story, the storm made them uninhabitable. With over 40% of the city's population being over 45, the loss of homes was devastating. When the floods came in, they took out not only belongings, but also the memories and security that those homes offered their inhabitants. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, the only way through the city was by boat, as emergency crews assessed the extent of the damage. Even the boats and high water vehicles experienced problems with the downed trees and debris in the area.

The extent of the damage was such that electricity and water were not available and would not be so for some time. Although the storm came in the second week of the month, electricity would not be available to most of the residents until October. Utility boxes were spray painted "flooded" and power lines were down in various parts of the community. The city worked hard on resuming water services. Initially the water had to be boiled, but after several days, that improved. Curfews were set up. When the residents did return, the conditions were primative. The sound of chainsaws and generators filled the air.

Debris piles were began. The piles grew massively. Appliances, chairs, beds, sheetrock and cabinitery were piled along the sides of the streets. Those entereing the city commented that it looked like a 'war zone'. Many of the homes had shattered windows, and some were forced to deal with fallen trees. The humid gulf coast heat added a layer of misery to those cleaning up their homes.

Hand painted and spray painted signs were in front or on the homes. Some noted which insurance agencies the debris belonged to, while others spelled out serious threats to looters. The city reported some isolated episodes of looting, and the police found those responsible before the citizens did.

As the residents began cleaing up, they also began helping each other in the recovery and rebuilding of their homes. Concerned residents of neighborhing communities drove through the city and found themselves stunned at the devastation. Homes that were once places of comfort and solace were now hulks surrounded by debris.

As with any storm, there are often delays, as those effected by the storm await word from their insurance companies and agencies. Damage assessment teams from the government finally arrived on 9 October, almost a month after the storm hit.Besides assesment team, the debris removal crews were kept extremely busy. A makeshift dump was set up near the intersection of Highway 146 and Shoreacres to accomodate the debris and flooded appliances. Land that weeks before was a wetland was now home to the damaged belongings and devastation as testimony of the storm's fury.

The damage assessment agents are often stretched thin by the many demands they find themselves dealing with. The citizens are eager to get on with their lives and detest the delays. The situation grew worse when the city enacted new policies that were mandated on them. In the new policies, homes sustaining 50% or more damage would not be allows to be repaired. If a home sustained that much damage, the city required it be built to new codes, which meant raising the home by several feet. Since a large number of elderly residents found themselves with considerable damage, this decision was particularly difficult to deal with for them.

The residents were not looking for handouts, only for the ability to rebuild their community. Besides permanantly altering the landscape, the lives of the residents were also changed forever.This storm has changed their lives. I recall that on the backside of the entrance building to the city pier was a sign that said, "The last person leaving must turn out the lights".The saying seems to fit the city where electricity was still not flowing to all the homes a month after the storm. The city now looks at the painful prospect of rebuilding and all the struggles that involves.

The city itself faces difficulties in the wake of the storm. Since a majority of the operating revenues came from its property tax base, there are now problems. One of these problems is deciding whether the home shoulc be valued based on what they were before the storm, or on the value after the storm? If the values are based on post-storm structures, then a massive amount of revenue for the operations of the city is lost. The lost of revenues means that the city government faces some difficult choices regarding services and taxes for the residents who are rebuilding.

Five Month Update: Five months after the storm, the city continues its struggle. During the past few months, the site where debris was buried is now an empty field with few signs that so many debris lie buried underneath. The frequency of home demolitions is common. Many of the homes now have trailers or RV's in front of the residence while repairs are underway. Instead of streets lined with flooded appliances, they are now interspersed with vacant lots where homes once existed, overgrown yards outside of structures awaiting demolition or new trailers where the residents reside during their recovery. The Houston Yacht Club, which was once home to numerous sailboats with thier masts and banners filling the horizon is now empty. The number of "sticks in the air" (masts) can now be counted on one hand. Gas is still not on in the city as the rebuilding continues. The latest hassle is now dealing with the either the unrealistic expectations of city inspectors or with the lowballing of federal inspectors in either their esitmates or what they are willing to reimburse. The residents speak of FEMA like it was a curseword as they tell of their experiences during recovery. Despite the hardships, they remain hopeful and are proud of the progress they have made in recovering. In the true Texas hospitality style, they invite friends into their half-finished homes and trailers to share what they have accomplished. The spirit of Shoreacres lives.