A Year on Clear Lake-Jan 03, 2013

Remnants of Ike -Jan 3, 2013

Hurricane Ike hit the Galveston coast in September of 2008, but remnants of its destruction still linger nearly four and a half years later. Here, an abandoned sailboat serves as a reminder of the storm’s wrath.

Ike was a strong Category 2 with hurricane force winds that extended 120 miles from its center. It is blamed for the death of 112 people in the U.S. alone, and as many as 23 individuals remain missing. Ike virtually wiped out Bolivar Peninsular, leaving only a single, solitary house standing. It is the third most costly storm of record, superseded only by  Katrina of 2005 and the recent Sandy of 2012. It wreaked destruction from near Corpus Christi to the Louisiana coast with damaging flooding extending to the  Mississippi and Florida Panhandle coasts.

A simple reminder like this abandoned boat can dredge up a host of memories and emotions, and an appreciation for nature’s powerful force.