|
‘The harbor was one huge mess’
By Fred E. Hempel
Published July 27, 2003
We had little official warning of the impending weather.
On the morning before the storm, the wind had reached gale force and the Gulf had large rollers coming in. (My father had once told me that the locals could tell you how far away the storm was by the time between the swells.)
I am a BOI and was working at Todd Ship Yards as a sheet metal worker. I resided at the family home at 3418 Ave. R1?2 with my new bride and my mother.
I was on the day shift and, as usual, I picked up my rider and drove to a parking space on the Strand between 19th and 20th streets. I decided that it would be wiser to return home. My friend, a metal worker from Georgia, allowed that I knew more about Texas weather than he and would stay with me.
As I pulled out of my parking space, a friend took the area over. That car was removed as junk a week later after the debris from a huge sign was removed that had covered it.
I later drove my wife to the John Sealy Hospital area. She was a student nurse and was assigned to Psyche 1.
It was suggested that she wear a swimming suit as a uniform. That was correct.
The building had rising water but did not reach the mattresses. The staff had a night to remember.
The patients were, on the whole, well behaved.
The ride to the hospital area during the storm was a trip that I could have done without.
The next day I reported for work. The harbor was one huge mess. The Kane Boiler Works were building AOGs (oil and gas small tankers to be used in the Pacific theater). Several had broken their lines and were aground up and down the channel.
Galveston suffered heavy damage. During the storm, the water pressure had dropped to zero for a time and was possibly contaminated. We had to boil our drinking water.
At Todd’s, that was impossible, so we drank out of 55 gallon barrels laced with a gallon of Clorox.
As we were then rationed to three gallons of fuel per week, there was very little sightseeing. It was rumored that the wind gauge had reached 112 miles per hour when it became inoperable.
I would place this storm as worse than Alicia but not as bad as Carla.
Fred E. Hempel Galveston
Share |
Save |
Mail |
Print |
Letter |
Comment
Related Stories: ‘I have to go … to identify the dead’‘I can never forget my grandfather’s … faith’‘I promise not to stay next time’‘A woman being carried to her death’'Buildings were collapsing’‘Waded across a bridge, water was knee deep’
|
|
|
