PORT BOLIVAR — For residents who braved the wrath of Hurricane Ike, Friday’s look-and-leave policy means they are no longer forced to endure the rigors of life on a peninsula without running water and electricity.
Carol Mardis and her husband, Daryl Mardis, have relied on the kindness of others since the storm made landfall Sept. 13. Friends have supplied them with gasoline for their generator and other provisions.
With authorities barring access West of Gilchrist until today, the Port Bolivar couple refused to abandon their animals and have fed and watered neighbors’ livestock since the storm.
Their home sustained no wind or water damage to its living quarters. “We figure since they’ve opened up Bolivar, even if we have to drive around the peninsula, we can get gas for the generator and feed the animals,” Carol Mardis said. “Making a daily trip is better than being landlocked.”
Galveston County officials solidified Wednesday a look-and-leave policy for the peninsula, which sustained extensive flooding damage.
Beginning today at 6 a.m., peninsula residents can view their homes, but without basic services such as electricity, water and medical care, County Judge Jim Yarbrough urged residents to leave by the 4 p.m. curfew as a matter of safety.
Residents can return daily to check on their home, animals or other belongings, Yarbrough said.
“One of the amazing things is the patience of folks in Bolivar,” Yarbrough said. “Obviously, we’ve had some nasty calls, but eight out of 10 calls have been positive.”
With Galveston-Bolivar Ferry service limited to one vessel and one working dock, the Texas Department of Transportation is allowing only emergency vehicles passage.
Yarbrough, quoting state estimates, said it could be three to six months before the ferry becomes fully operational.
The state approved Wednesday an emergency contract for temporary repairs to the heavily damaged bridge at Rollover Pass in Gilchrist, which was another obstacle to the safe return of residents of Crystal Beach and Port Bolivar.
“The bridge is one-way now, but with in two weeks, there will be two lanes, and it will be safe to travel,” Yarbrough said.
No one will be allowed to travel west of the bridge after 2 p.m. Yarbrough met with Entergy Texas officials, saying the company is committed to restoring electricity to its roughly 7,300 peninsula customers.
The company has yet to determine an electricity restoration date. Yarbrough said Entergy is weighing its options for restoring power.
“One is brining poles down the line in sequence, and that’ll take time,” Yarbrough said. “Or they’re trying to locate a supercharged generator to help get power back to the west end. If they’re able to pull that off, power will be restored quicker, but it could be several months before there is a good, reliable power source.”
Carol Mardis said it’s a blessing that they may leave their peninsula homestead of 30 years and return with supplies.
“We have a house on Galveston that has power, but it may not have air-conditioning,” she said. “We can baton down there.”
