Mr. Achievement - Stanley F. Bronstein - Personal Development BlogPersonal Development Blog of the Founder of the Achievement IQ Movement and Creator of the Laws of Positioning

Galveston Got Nailed Last Night !!!

Where My Thoughts Are Today

Even though I presently live in Arizona and I was far away from any of the nasty wind and rain coming from Hurricane Ike, it was hard for me to watch the national news and watch Galveston, Houston, surrounding cities and even  parts of Louisiana get absolutely NAILED last night by Hurricane Ike.

Family and Friends

I still have lots of family and friends back in the Houston / Galveston area.  To the best of my knowledge they are all fine, but I’m quite sure they’re going to each have their own major messes to deal with.

Strangers

Even more so than with family, there are thousands and thousands of strangers in Galveston and the surrounding areas who doubtlessly got hit HARD.

Just like in Louisiana with Katrina, many of these people didn’t have a whole heck of a lot BEFORE they got nailed.

I’m sure because most of the damage appears to have been caused by the flooding, they might not even be covered by their homeowner’s insurance.

For those who don’t know, homeowner’s insurance generally only covers damage from wind.  You have to have separate flood insurance to be covered from rising water and statistics indicate not too many people have that type of insurance coverage.

Property and Familiar Institutions

I can’t help but think of my former home in Houston that I owned and lived in for 20 years.  I remember back in 1983 during Hurricane Alicia when the house “almost” flooded.

I remember in 2000, shortly before I moved to Arizona when it was even worse.  While the house did NOT totally flood, water did seep in from the doors and walls.  It was definitely a scary night . . .

I’m also wondering about the house I grew up in in Galveston.  Fortunately, it sits on one of the highest spots on the island, BUT it is also only 2 blocks from the beach and the seawall.  No telling what happened to it.

A familiar downtown restaurant, Brennan’s in Houston burned down last night.  It had been around for more than 45 years.  I remember going there on special occasions with my family.

Businesses Take A Hit Too

I’m sure many businesses have been nailed, if not wiped out.  Insurance companies are going to make a major hit.

As a result, insurance prices will undoubtedly rise (and that’s if people will even be able to get insurance after this - as many companies may want to no longer insure the coastal areas.

Since many major refineries are located in the Houston area, gas prices will no doubt rise as a result (even if it’s just for the short term).

Just How Powerful Are These Hurricanes?

As previously mentioned, the two main components of hurricanes are wind and rain.

While this storm was incredibly powerful in the wind department, it was unusual in another aspect.

The storm was so large, as so spread out (at one time it covered more than 40% of the Gulf of Mexico), that it dumped massive amounts of water (called storm surge) in coastal areas all the way from west of Galveston to Mississippi.

I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of a storm hitting such a spread out area before.

In fact, there were many areas in Louisiana that had been nailed only two weeks earlier by Hurricane Gustav that took another major hit from Ike.

Needless to say, these storms are powerful.

I remember once as a child that we had a storm come through and there was a pickup truck 3 blocks away from the beach that had been parked facing the water.  When we came out the next morning, the entire hood of the truck had been lifted up and bent backward, ALL FROM THE WIND.

Other People Who Got Nailed

And it wasn’t just the United States that got nailed by this.  Just think of the people of Cuba.  They got hit, HEAD ON, by both Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike, all within two weeks of each other.

And it wasn’t just Cuba.  Other islands and places along the way got nailed too.

So, What’s My Point?

My point is be grateful for what you have.  We should all learn to be appreciative a little more and to complain a little bit less.

Think of others a little bit more and think of ourselves a little bit less.

As I write this this morning, I realize that I truly do NOT have any problems.  The people who got nailed by these hurricanes, have a lot more problems than I do.  They have more problems than most of us do.

Recommended Reading

Laws of Positioning #3 - Position Yourself To Be Appreciative

Laws of Positioning #28 - Position Yourself To Be Empathic