GALVESTON — No one thought it would be this bad. But by 1 a.m., when the eye brought momentary respite from Hurricane Ike’s raging winds and driving rain, island residents began to realize the worst.
About 100 people called 911 begging for someone to rescue them. Many told dispatchers the water was so high in their houses they were preparing to retreat into attics. They were the first ones rescue crews attempted to reach when they headed out Saturday, city spokeswoman Alicia Cahill said.
By 9 a.m., crews were already on the streets, looking for survivors. Police officers also headed to the causeway to stop people from coming onto the island.
Officials were overheard fretting that many people did not survive the storm. Not long after midnight, Steven Rushing began to fear his family might be one of the ones that did not make it.
“I was born on the island, and I’ve never seen water like this,” he said. “The water was higher before the storm than it ever was during Hurricane Alicia,” the 1983 storm that ravaged the island.
At 11 p.m., Rushing, his wife, their pregnant 17-year-old daughter and their 19- and 12-year-old sons were sitting on dry ground in their Gulf Village home. Rushing made them wear life jackets because he knew the water was rising, but he thought they were safe.
Using a generator, they watched television storm coverage until about midnight, when their generator failed.
By 12:30 a.m., they started to feel the water creeping up their legs as they sat on the couch. He knew they were in trouble when water starting spewing in from the electrical outlets and door frames.
At first, his children just watched in fear. But when his 12-year-old son heard the water could rise as high as 20 feet, he threw up, Rushing said.
Realizing they couldn’t stay in the house any longer, Rushing and his sons waded out to their garage where their ski boat was waiting. Thousands of spiders were floating on the water and ants covered the palm trees, he said.
When they opened the garage door, their washer and dryer and a pool table floated past them.
The boat floated off its trailer as soon as they rolled it into the driveway. The men paddled in and drove it around to the front of the house to pick up the rest of the family, including two cousins who were staying with them.
They also loaded up their two panicked dogs, but the water was rising so fast, Rushing didn’t have time to gather up their five 4-week-old puppies. They motored down Stewart Road toward the San Luis Hotel, where Rushing knew city officials were hunkered down. He tried to keep the boat in what he thought was the center of the road. He was afraid of hitting fire hydrants and other objects that were completely submerged.
The boat finally ran aground when they got to Moody Methodist Church on 53rd Street. They waded the rest of the way to the hotel. Standing near the front of the San Luis, peering out holes cut into the plywood covering the windows. Rushing just shook his head.
