The Galveston County Daily News

“The first three days are yours,” Bruce Clawson said.

He was reminding those who chose to stay during a hurricane that there would be a time when no help from the community was available.

Responding to a long list of comments and criticisms concerning Hurricane Ike, Clawson — who is director of Homeland Security for Texas City — revealed some of the actions taken before, during and after the storm.

Members of the Community Advisory Committee, divided into several groups, had created the list of challenges several months ago, and those members were hearing an update from Clawson at their most recent meeting.

Clawson reminded them of the blessing sustained by the community because the levee had kept back the storm surge.

“Our forefathers did a good job of saving us,” he said.

And he added more facts about the ring-down phone system that had alerted everyone to the storm and then kept everyone informed during the aftermath.

“We made 658,000 phone calls,” he said. “I don’t think that’s ever been done before.”

He also said in the next situation the number would probably reach 900,000.

Comments about a lack of radio communication, which made the phone system a good alternative, led him to say, “The radio towers blew down. They are always going to blow down.”

Though many people thought otherwise, Clawson said the Texas City water system had never gone out.

“We turned the pressure down so people would not use too much water,” he said.

The city put artesian wells into service, pumping them with generators. Mainland Medical Center did have a problem with water pressure, he said, but “we worked with them on that.”

He said the local industries responded to requests for all kinds of needs from the city and county.

“Valero loaned a very large generator to the county for the jail,” he said. But there were still hardships.

“That’s the nature of a hurricane. Things are just not going to work as well,” he said.

Planners for the future are looking into the acquisition of more and bigger generators.

“There is a bill before the Legislature for the state to get generators to help pump gasoline,” he said.

Many items on the committee’s list are still items of concern. The electric grid is “in the sky” and vulnerable to high winds. “And we plant trees in our yards that knock down power lines,” he said.

“We need more people to help the elderly.

“We need more places to house people who come to town to help us recover.

“We need to bring in portable cell towers, because so many of the cell phones went out.

“We should try to protect the people from fly-by-night operators who come in,” he said.

“Texas City is pretty special. Our neighbors took care of each other. We’ve got more experience,” he said.

The community is better prepared for the next time — that nobody wants to come.

Cathy Gillentine is a columnist for The Daily News. She may be reached at cgillentine1(at)sbcglobal.net.