Ike Impact Notes : Houston Indymedia

I spoke with Rob from Houston IMC, and he reports that the storm was bad, has knocked out power including backup generators all throughout the city, but that sustained flooding in Houston has been minimal.

He had heard of a handful of storm-related casualties. Three people, including one child, were caught in a fire at Brennan's Restaurant. Rob had heard they were all killed; the Houston Chronicle reports that as of this morning they were taken to the hospital in critical condition. Additionally, Rob had heard reports that a man was shot and killed in a looting-related incident. Authorities are not verifying any death tolls yet. Blogger "Grits for Breakfast" continues to seek information on the status of inmates kept in the Galveston Jail.

Flooding seems to have been bad in some areas of the city, but Rob did not know the details. He had heard reports of extensive damage at the Galleria shopping district in west Houston, including completely submerged cars and many windows completely shattered.

Rob reports that authorities are telling people not to drink water from the tap, and reports are that Galvaston County is still quarantined for at least 72 hours.

The most alarming news is that it appears power might be out for a week or even weeks, which will severely impact the ability of many community services to operate, including Houston IMC. They are not the only ones impacted in this way — KPFT went off the air at 5pm last night due to problems with its digital backup transmitter. Rob reports that he has heard of several situations where multiple backup generators have been taken out, leaving organizations -- including community health services -- unable to communicate internally.

Mainstream news has focused on the impact on the oil industry, which is estimated at 20%. President Bush explained that they have "moved quickly" by suspend[ing] EPA waivers on certain reformulated gasolines which will make it easier for imports from abroad to make it into our markets."

Sources:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/5999179.html
http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2008/09/hubris-galveston-sheriff-leaves-inmates.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqmrsC_lgd0
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a2Uu7mlj8lE8&refer=home
http://www.kpft.org/