The document discusses the impacts of Hurricane Ike on Galveston Island in 2008. Some key points: - Storm surge was 12-13 feet behind the seawall and 10-12 feet on the west end of the island. 90% of the entire island was heavily damaged. - Infrastructure suffered 100% system failure. Estimated damage costs were $970 million. 75% of homes were heavily flooded and businesses saw major inventory losses. - Debris removal totaled over 1.2 million cubic yards by February 2009 and cost $43 million. Integrated utility systems like water and sewer were completely inoperable during the storm. - Safety of personnel and citizens should be the

1. Hurricane Ike 2008
Galveston I l d
Gl Island

2. Brandon Wade, P.E.
Deputy City Manager
City of Galveston

3. Galveston Surge
• Behind Seawall
– 12 to 13 ft. Surge
• West End
– 10 to 12 ft. Surge
• Entire Island Affected
– 90% Heavily Damaged

4. LL1a: Be Prepared at Work !
• THIS MONTH !
– Identify what your “risks”
are (Hurricanes and Storm
Surge for Galveston)
– Identify what you can do to
mitigate those risks
(Design / Const. of
Hardened Utility Systems)
• Before summer
– Communicate to
Stakeholders.
– Prioritize
• For next budget
– Get the $$$$
– Build it !!
• REPEAT until you Retire

5. LL1a: More Prepared
• Have a Response
and Recovery Plan
• Discuss it ! And
again !
• Prepare y
p your staff for
what they might face.
• Prepare for
contingencies when
your plan fails.

6. LL1b: Be Prepared at Home !
• Have a Personal Plan
– Family, dogs, cats
– Spouse, home
p
– Insurance, photos, etc.
– CASH ! FUEL !
• Encourage Employee
Planning
Pl i
– Same as above
– Discuss Risk Situation

7. LL 2: Be Vigilant

8. As I was leaving my house
house…

9. It was a rough commute
Friday
F id morning…
i

10. And it got worse
worse…

11. LL 3: Protect your Assets !
• Protecting against
– Wind and Rain
– Storm Surge
g
– Fatigue
• Based on Risk
– San Luis Hotel
– Moody Gardens
– UTMB
• Develop your plan.

12. Damage to Infrastructure
• 100% System Failure
y
• New Infrastructure
– Simple Restart
– Performed as designed
– CIP “on-hold”—Funding
• Old Infrastructure
– Major Failure
– Latent Damage
• $970 Million Estimate
$

13. Damage to Businesses
• Flooded, Mud Damaged,
Inventory Destroyed
• Only 35% in Operation

14. Damage to Homes
• 75% Heavily Flooded, Possessions Destroyed
• City-wide Housing Need $735 M
• Public Housing Need $250 M

15. Damage to Tax/Rate Base
Ability Recover
Abili to R
• Well Prepared—Reserves, Loans
p ,
• Taking Action—Hiring Freeze, Pay cuts, Budget
Reduction $15 M, Possible Layoffs
• Property Tax down 35%, Water and Sewer down 40%

16. Hollywood Heights
S l di / 61stt S
Saladia Street A
Area

17. Cohen Subdivision

18. West End Damage

19. LL 4: Worst Nightmares
Can Come T
CC True
• Adapt your designs to
fit your Risk
– Different Roadway
Layout?
– Higher Lift Station
Control Panels?
– Different Sewer
(
(Grinder Pumps?)
p)
– Different Backup Drive
Fuel / Generators?

20. Bermuda Beach

23. LL 5: Don’t Expect Immediate Help
Don t

24. LL 6: Debris is a
Whole Different B ll
Wh l Diff Ballgame
• YOU need a debris
specialists ( two, or
p (or ,
three)
– Separate Rules
– The Rules are…
Inconvenient
– Debris Affects
EVERYTHING

25. Galveston Debris
• 1.2 Million Cubic Yards to
Feb. 12
F b 12, ’09
• 1.8 Million Pounds of
Household Hazardous
Waste
• 53,000 White Goods
• 7 200 Televisions/etc.
7,200 Televisions/etc
• $43+ Million so far.

26. LL 7: There are Other Agencies
Besides Yours
B id Y
• Texas Department
p
of Transportation
• Texas General
Land Office
L d Offi
• Galveston County
•TTexas Historic
Hi t i
Commission
• FEMA
• FHwA
• Others

27. LL 8: Don’t Expect FEMA Rules to
Make Sense
Mk S
• FEMA has rules
• They are serious
about them
• You need help
• There are FEMA
specialists
• Hire one

28. LL 9: Systems are Integrated
• When you have 100%
y
system failure
– You have no water
pressure
• It’s Hard to fight a fire
with no water
• The Fire Department
needs to understand
that…Plan for it.

29. LL 10: Citizens Clean Up
Sort f
S of…
It gets p
g pushed to the City
y
• Citizens don’t understand
FEMA rules…
• Citizens don’t understand
your resource constraints
• If not cleaned…you need
a Debris Specialist…
• If cleaned…you need a
Debris Specialist…

30. The Biggest Lesson Learned
• SAFETY
– Prepare your people for:
• Response to the storm
• The long haul
• The unexpected
– You can never prepare too much
– You can never harp too much on it
– Start today

31. It s marathon,
It’s a marathon not a sprint
sprint…

32. Finally…
Never spend the night on a pier
during Ike