Brother Jesse of Millions More Movement on the ground in Houston after Ike : Houston Indymedia

The scene in Houston has not improved the last three days. City officials, state officials and FEMA have been in the middle of a finger-pointing match in the midst of people in dire need of food and water. What's the cause of the finger pointing? There apparently was a delay in the shipment of goods because FEMA says they were "surprised" that they had to do the job instead of the state, which said they would not run that operation. Surprised? I'm not. So Points of Distibution (PODS) were delayed in being erected which cause thousands to stand in line for nearly six hours starting at 6am Tuesday morning. Amongst those people included my grandmother and aunt.

According to emails sent to me from people within the city limits, Texas Southern University is a pod site for Houstonians that are in need of food, water, and ice 10am-5pm. SW houston and Missouri City residents can go to the Fountain of Praise Church on Hillcroft and Beltway8. Also the gas station on hillcroft and beltway8 is now open. On the Northwest Community Church on Pinemont is a pod and New Jerusalem Church on Jensen is as well.

Stories of triumphant rescues are circulating about the the Inner City Emergency Response Teams (IN-CERT) led by Khallid Greene, who has been at the forefront of training community organizations, residents, project residents and others for moments like this. Also the Chief of Staff for the New Black Panther Party, Hashim Nzinga, emailed me today saying "We had trucks leaving this morning with traps and other supplies and our prayers go out to you and our Texas family."

Once again, the grassroots groups are making things happen.

There are still over 1 million residents without electricity and because so many people are running generators, the gas lines are stretching nearly a mile at every pump.

The The Final Call Chronicles Part II is coming soon with footage of the Northside of Houston.

Watch the video HERE.

Posted by Brother Jesse at 10:04 AM 0 comments
Monday, September 15, 2008
The Final Call Chronicles: Hurricane Ike Aftermath Part 1
Report and Photos by Jesse Muhammad

On Sunday, September 14, I drove back to Houston from Austin which was 24 hours after Hurricane Ike ripped through my hometown. I wanted to check on my family members who remained back, investigate any damages to my home, visit with members of Muhammad Mosque No. 45, check out our Mosque property and of course I wanted to take pictures along with interviewing storm victims for the Final Call Newspaper. (pictured below with a fallen tree)

I filled up my tank before leaving and I was planning to fill up several gas cans and place them in my trunk. But I was rushing and FORGOT! Can you believe that? And I didn't think about it until I got half way down 290 East. Boy I knew that was going to present a problem later on. In route to Houston, the traffic was moving swiftly but the gas stations were packed and lines stretched for miles. I even personally witnessed a fight at one station at a gas pump! Once I got into the city, the destructive sting of Hurricane Ike was no mystery. I immediately lost my cell phone signal, all tollways were FREE of charge, and people were packing highways trying to go in the opposite direction. (mosaic collage below)

Within my subdivision in Missouri City, Texas, thousands of tress were prostrating, split in half, or sitting in the middle of the road. Just about every home lost their fence. My personal home is still standing and the backyard (pictured below) looks like a war zone...but no major damages at all. And no electricity, so it was super hot in the house.

I then headed over to one of the hardest hit areas in the city. That's 3rd Ward. So many damaged properties and huge trees were UPROOTED and landed on homes. Schools and popular local businesses were hit hard by the 100+mph winds. The famous Mac Gregor Park (pictured below) has shattered trees everywhere...who knows when we will get to gather there again anytime soon.

In a rare move, I had my radio on 97.9 The Boxx (I'm not a radio listener) and they were calling out the locations for gas stations that were refilled because gas was completely out within the city limits. People were panicking and sitting in line for over a hour just to fill up their gas tank. Gas stations were wrapped in yellow tape like a murder had taken place. (see pictures below)

I drove up and down the streets shooting hundreds of photos and interviewing people. I shot some video coverage as well, that I will be posting to my blog real soon. I made it to the grounds of Muhammad's Mosque No. 45 (Pictured Below) and there were two huge trees that fell in the back yard by our Regional House and in our neighbor's yard, minor single displacements, but no major damage. Tons of debris to clean up too. Our sign was knocked down and bent up. But we may be able to host our first meeting post-Ike this coming Sunday. (See Pictures below)

I then headed to the Northeast side of Houston, which looks just as bad as 3rd Ward. In Part II, I will describe that experience plus how I almost ran out of gas heading back to Austin! (yes, it is true.)

Here are a few more of my photos. ***IF YOU HAVE A STORY TO SHARE LEAVE ME A COMMENT***EMAIL YOUR PICTURES TO:
jesse.muhammad@gmail.com.