After Hurricane Ike receded, leaving most of our homes and businesses in ruins, a distraught and disheveled Galveston Mayor Lyda Thomas appeared on television telling those who had evacuated from Galveston to please not return. The following day, in a state of seeming panic, she told those remaining on the Island to “just leave”. In every community where there was widespread devastation, the “authorities” asked the evacuees to stay away, and even recommended that those who had stayed ought to vamoose as well. FEMA offered hotel vouchers to lure them away.
This occurred in every place except one – San Leon. In San Leon, we do not have a lot of community leaders and very little in the way of authorities. The ones we do have are well-aware that the hardheaded folks in this tiny dot on the map are not accustomed to being herded around like sheep.
Which explains why only 10-15% of San Leon residents evacuated ahead of the storm. No town along the coast had a higher percentage of residents who stayed.
The media ridiculed and castigated those who remained, but the folks in San Leon have roots in the sea, and were prepared to survive. Only one person in San Leon died in the storm, 71 year-old Jim Devine. It is said that Jim died while trying to save a dog from drowning, which sounds like him all right. Most folks here know how to prepare for and survive a hurricane.
Once the storm was over, San Leon again distinguished itself from our neighbors by taking a reverse stand regarding what residents ought to do. The community went straight to work.
Before the last winds of Ike had died down, people were already pulling debris out of the streets to make way for vehicles to pass. They were searching and asking to make sure their neighbors had made it okay. They were sharing food and supplies with each other.
Constable Matranga, Mayor Scott Lyons, MUD President Joe Manchaca, and newspaper publisher Gator Miller were already urging the opposite of what other communities were saying. They urged San Leon residents to get to work, and urged all honest, able-bodied citizens who had evacuated to come home and assist in recovering and rebuilding our town. And they have done so.
That independent self-reliant attitude is a large part of what has made sunny San Leon such an interesting place to live, and it is the attitude that will rebuild our community.
There will be help from friends and neighbors. FEMA and the State will toss a few dollars in. Insurance will cover some of the damages. But the brunt of restoring San Leon will be on the backs of the people who live here.
We cannot expect the government or any other agencies to reconstruct our idyllic tropical paradox – it is a responsibility each of us must take on personally.
Our town looks like hell right now. But all of the signs are pointing to a full recovery. We all knew our neighbors pretty well before the storm, but Ike has cemented a lot of friendship and community spirit in San Leon.
This web site has served as a forum for San Leon during the initial phase of recovering from the damage Ike did. We will continue to keep our readers updated with news and photos as we get San Leon fixed back up. Of particular concern is helping some of our citizens who cannot afford to repair their houses, especially the elderly and disabled.
There is a long road ahead of us. As our friends from Mississippi’s Gulf Coast have told us, it will take years and a lot of hard work.
There have been many who have helped us so far, and there is no way to express the gratitude we have to our friends and neighbors who have pitched in. We especially thank all of the help we have received from the fine Presbyterian folks who came down from Michigan with brother Dave Stewart, and Bruce and his crew from First Presbyterian of Austin. Both groups contributed about $2,500 in cash donations and gift cards, along with many days of back-breaking work.
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San Leon has always been a happy place, and a friendly place. The storm has changed the appearance of our community, but not our personality. We are still the friendliest town on the coast and you’re welcome to come catch some of our fish anytime! (Gator & Steve – Seabreeze Newspaper)
