Galveston has a lot of stuff going on for the anniversary of Ike. www.galveston.com

Events start September 8-the anniversary of The Great Storm (1900) and end on Sept. 13-the anniversary of The Storm (Ike-2008).

The trees on Broadway will be cut down starting in a week. Some trees have been given a temporary restraining order and will be reevaluated before being cut down. One tree by city hall has been sculpted to a dalmation & work is to begin on a fire hydrant by the dog.

Tree removal on private property will begin in September also. There is still no plan to remove dead/dying trees that pose hazards to wiring, etc. The city, electric, phone & cable companies are trying to establish a plan.

Trees are starting to fall over, lose branches, lose bark...some are trying to recover and others that seemed to be are now dying. We have 2 Japanese yews in the front yard that initially looked fine but are now dead.

There is still no plan for low-income housing. There is a lot of public outcry about not bringing it back. The reasoning is it's not right to place poor people in a hazardous area with no way to escape. Makes sense unless you are the one who can't come home.

It looks like there is about 60% of the island back. Noone but the city believes it is 80%. There are so many empty houses, abandoned houses, houses that fell down, empty apartments. My cousin is the only one for 3 blocks in her neighborhood. Even ours is much quieter than it's ever been before with lots of empty houses and blue tarps. The death rate remains higher than average, the storm, evacuation, etc. took a high toll on our elderly and ill population.

The AG ruled on the vegetation line at the beach, only 24 or so houses remain on public property on the island. It's not an issue in Bolivar, per the AG, because the houses are gone. Of course, there are lawsuits being filed to protest. Hard to believe but if a house is in the water people want to protest! You know the risks and sign a statement of same when you purchase on the beach. People agree until they have to live with the decision they make.

Happy September everyone, here's hoping it's a fast month with no activity!

Tally HO!