In the early morning hours of Sept. 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike descended onto the Texas gulf coast as a category 2 storm with a storm surge equivalent to a category 5.
Thousands of people felt the damaging effects of the storm everywhere from the Florida panhandle to Corpus Christi, Texas.
Ike is blamed with contributing either directly or indirectly to an estimated 195 deaths while on its destructive path. Approximately 74 fatalities were in Haiti, and 112 were in the United States. Around 26 are still missing.
According to a September 2008 article in the National Post, the system may have been “the worst storm to hit [Texas] in nearly 50 years.”
With winds around 108 mph and up to 19.5-foot storm surges, Ike was just shy of becoming a powerful category 3 storm when it made landfall.
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The U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, Michael Chertoff, said at the time the nation was facing a potentially catastrophic hurricane.
“This certainly falls in the category of pretty much a worst-case scenario,” said Chertoff.
Becky Cormier of Bridge City, Texas remembers the moment she learned her town was under 4 to 8 feet of Ike’s storm surge.
“I was in shock, completely devastated,” said Cormier. “We had evacuated for storms before, but we never expected the damage we got from Ike.”
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Despite the unfortunate conditions of the hurricane on coastal area residents, people have since been on a long but steady path toward the reconstruction of their communities.
In the year and two months that have passed since the hurricane hit, recovery efforts in southeast Texas have been in full force for damaged neighborhoods and counties.
“After the storm hit, you would go through town and see FEMA trailers everywhere,” said Jamie Becker of Nederland, Texas. “Everyone was ready to get to work and get the city back on its feet.”
The road to recovery has been a long one for small towns along the coast, but the commitment to rebuilding has never faltered.
While a handful of residents in affected areas still reside in trailers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the city is on the verge of a complete renovation thanks to the determination and motivation of the people who call it home.
“Ike really made people come together. People really felt united through the tragedy,” said Cormier. “Soon we’ll have a brand new, rebuilt city to call home.”
Story photo 1 - Bridge City Pizza Hut under several feet of Ike's storm surge
Story photo 2 - Bridge City Jack in the Box
Story photo 3 - Bridge City resident, Morris Norman, cleaning up post Ike
