jhefner
May 26th, 2009, 12:07
My family and I used to live down on the Gulf Coast of Texas, but decided to move further inland in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita. Hurricane Ike and another hurricane in between confirmed that our decision may have been a good one.
With Tileproxy now working on my computer, I made a flight from KBPT to Galveston Island, with Tileproxy turned on. I thought that maybe enough time had passed that the images would be post-hurricane; but they (as well as those on Goggle Earth) are pre-hurricane; giving a picture of the way things used to be.
This is a stretch of the coastal highway (Hwy 87?) between Sabine Pass and High Island, Texas. This stretch of highway was closed after a hurricane in the early 1990s; and this image shows why. There is just a narrow strip of beach and road together now, with the Gulf on one side, and the marsh on the other. (Some hardy souls, however, have still tried to drive it with 4WD vehicles.) I think that is barge just offshore?
http://inlinethumb53.webshots.com/45044/2373309210079522983S600x600Q85.jpg (http://news.webshots.com/photo/2373309210079522983DULPDA)
Continuing to follow the highway, we are now flying on the stretch between Crystal Beach and Galveston Island. It is hard to believe that Hurricane Ike wiped out all but one of the houses that dot the landscape, as well as much of the land on the right side of the highway.
http://inlinethumb04.webshots.com/41987/2374309810079522983S600x600Q85.jpg (http://news.webshots.com/photo/2374309810079522983wYRPuV)
We continue on to Galveston Island itself. The state's ferry service that used to connect the above highway to Galveston Island is just above the top of the picture. The Galveston seawall is the light brown strip you see running along the right edge of the island; with the darker beach beyond and jetties sticking out every now and then. The broad strip near the top of the picture is the Commodore Hotel; which was built on piers out over the Gulf itself.
The seawall was built after the 1900 hurricane to protect Galveston from a repeat of that storm's destruction; all of the houses/ships/buildings on the right side of the island was piled by the storm surge into a giant wall of wreckage that ran the length of this area at about the right wingtip of the Fairchild. The seawall held up as hoped for, but the Commodore Hotel and some buildings built on the seawall itself were damaged or destroyed, and the left side of the island was flooded by the storm surge moving into Galveston bay. Much of the beach was also washed away.
http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/44585/2975538000079522983S600x600Q85.jpg (http://news.webshots.com/photo/2975538000079522983nlCvrn)
Here, we see Galveston's airport, and the I-45 road bridge and railway viaduct that are remaining means of getting to the island. The blue, pink, and grey pyramids of Moody Gardens are just below the plane; they were spared from a devastating flood by a few inches.
The Lone Star Flight Museum is located in the hangers off the left wingtip. The flyable planes were flown out and escaped the storm's wrath; but the planes that could not be flown out and the permenent exhibits suffered devestating damage; as did the railroad museum near the historic Strand. (The Strand is a section of historic buildings that escaped damage in the 1900 hurricane.)
http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/45565/2934518930079522983S600x600Q85.jpg (http://news.webshots.com/photo/2934518930079522983HFqBib)
The good news is that the island's population is at 50% or maybe greater than the pre-hurricane number. The bad news is with the loss of the ferry service, the extensive medical complexes on the island are moving inland. With the loss of the ferries; there will be no one coming from the east; and it doesn't make sense to make folks coming on I-45 drive all the way to Galveston anymore.
Tileproxy is a really neat way to explore; and I can see some more (maybe less sober) expeditions in the future.
-James
With Tileproxy now working on my computer, I made a flight from KBPT to Galveston Island, with Tileproxy turned on. I thought that maybe enough time had passed that the images would be post-hurricane; but they (as well as those on Goggle Earth) are pre-hurricane; giving a picture of the way things used to be.
This is a stretch of the coastal highway (Hwy 87?) between Sabine Pass and High Island, Texas. This stretch of highway was closed after a hurricane in the early 1990s; and this image shows why. There is just a narrow strip of beach and road together now, with the Gulf on one side, and the marsh on the other. (Some hardy souls, however, have still tried to drive it with 4WD vehicles.) I think that is barge just offshore?
http://inlinethumb53.webshots.com/45044/2373309210079522983S600x600Q85.jpg (http://news.webshots.com/photo/2373309210079522983DULPDA)
Continuing to follow the highway, we are now flying on the stretch between Crystal Beach and Galveston Island. It is hard to believe that Hurricane Ike wiped out all but one of the houses that dot the landscape, as well as much of the land on the right side of the highway.
http://inlinethumb04.webshots.com/41987/2374309810079522983S600x600Q85.jpg (http://news.webshots.com/photo/2374309810079522983wYRPuV)
We continue on to Galveston Island itself. The state's ferry service that used to connect the above highway to Galveston Island is just above the top of the picture. The Galveston seawall is the light brown strip you see running along the right edge of the island; with the darker beach beyond and jetties sticking out every now and then. The broad strip near the top of the picture is the Commodore Hotel; which was built on piers out over the Gulf itself.
The seawall was built after the 1900 hurricane to protect Galveston from a repeat of that storm's destruction; all of the houses/ships/buildings on the right side of the island was piled by the storm surge into a giant wall of wreckage that ran the length of this area at about the right wingtip of the Fairchild. The seawall held up as hoped for, but the Commodore Hotel and some buildings built on the seawall itself were damaged or destroyed, and the left side of the island was flooded by the storm surge moving into Galveston bay. Much of the beach was also washed away.
http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/44585/2975538000079522983S600x600Q85.jpg (http://news.webshots.com/photo/2975538000079522983nlCvrn)
Here, we see Galveston's airport, and the I-45 road bridge and railway viaduct that are remaining means of getting to the island. The blue, pink, and grey pyramids of Moody Gardens are just below the plane; they were spared from a devastating flood by a few inches.
The Lone Star Flight Museum is located in the hangers off the left wingtip. The flyable planes were flown out and escaped the storm's wrath; but the planes that could not be flown out and the permenent exhibits suffered devestating damage; as did the railroad museum near the historic Strand. (The Strand is a section of historic buildings that escaped damage in the 1900 hurricane.)
http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/45565/2934518930079522983S600x600Q85.jpg (http://news.webshots.com/photo/2934518930079522983HFqBib)
The good news is that the island's population is at 50% or maybe greater than the pre-hurricane number. The bad news is with the loss of the ferry service, the extensive medical complexes on the island are moving inland. With the loss of the ferries; there will be no one coming from the east; and it doesn't make sense to make folks coming on I-45 drive all the way to Galveston anymore.
Tileproxy is a really neat way to explore; and I can see some more (maybe less sober) expeditions in the future.
-James