My heart goes out to this family and all of the families that lost their homes. My sister inlaw's elderly but spunky mother lost her home earlier this year to a tornado. There were only a few homes affected by this tornado. Her home took a direct hit. On a positive note, at least 40 complete strangers came to her aid and helped her with 50+ downed trees on her property.

For all of us living in the potential path of hurricanes, can you please tell us where we can buy the plans for this house?

It is remarkable that this house is still standing when all the others have been wiped out. What special materials, if any, were used to build this house?

Lilibeth
Edmonds, Washington

I think that it is amazing that this house survived and I truly hope that it or its contents or both can be salvaged. But I wonder why the focus is on the house that survived instead of the houses and families that were lost. My best friends house on Crystal Beach was destroyed. It is completely off of its foundations and is sitting in the middle of the road. Her family wants to see if any thing is salvagable but has been restricted from their home. Why is nothing being done for these people? Has our country become so desensitized to natural disasters? I asked my friend about what she was looking for in retribution or help. She laughed and then said "Help, will we truly get help? The 'hurricane thing' has already been done before." The Katrina catastrophe was on the news for weeks. These people have already been passed over for the latest political scandal. You want to know why our country can't seem to get it's act together....because people would rather hear about a political candidate's pregnant daughter than the people of the Bolivar Peninsula. We cannot sweep this peninsula under the rug. Something needs to be done about Crystal Beach and the surrounding areas.

This picture is worth a thousand words. I feel terrible. Its just awful. They say home is where the heart is. I think it goes without saying that there are many heavy hearts from the storm. I feel terrible for the family who feels terrible for their neighbors.

That is so sad! I grew up in Houston and I can't tell you how many times I have played on that very beach which is no longer there.
I know several people who owned homes there and lived there. I was just there in May and the population had grown so there was a Crystal Beach school.
I wonder if it is there now. I sent you a pic of a lone home surrounded by the ocean with a horse standing by the home. I hope the horse was rescued. I would volunteer if I knew what to do.
Could you please inform us more about this tragedy?
I know that with the stock market and the Presidential campaign, the news show is taken up but we really want to know more about this disaster and how we can help our neighbors.
Thanks! You're the best!
XXOO

I was born in a country where we get numerous thypoons each year. When I came here in the U.S., I found it amusing that children get scared by thunders and lightnings. I never imagined that something more catastrophic events could occur here. If this happened in my native land (where there really are no other places to go but just let the storm pass through the night hoping that the banging and rattling of the roofs and windows will be over soon), imagine waking up to a unspeakable sight like this!

Day the shot with standing house alive!!! That is so amazing I see this house is still standing without damage........ Other houses were awful damage I see..... I hope that they will rebuild their homes. Thanks for the shot posted.
Megan D.
Shoreline, Wa

An amazing photo, but in reality a completely different story...

Is it worthwhile to salvage the framework, build again, or just demolish it? Not build in the area anymore but start again elsewhere? Is assistance/advice given? Interim plans?

Hope everything works out for the lady owner, & others that had their homes devastated by the storm. Our thoughts are with you.

GOD surely was looking out for this family, one is the lonelyist number.

They should seriously turn this house into a museum: "The Ike House".

We are just over half way through hurricane season

Many think the golden day concerning hurricane storms is September 10th of every year. That is the historic peak day for Atlantic hurricane activity. This may be statistically true HOWEVER that does not mean that we can just forget 2008 hurricane season and think that it is all over with. There is a 20-50% CURRENTLY of another hurricane forming. That doesn’t include another peak of hurricane activity in October. With the summer been a VERY hot one the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico will stay warmer also.

We have been reminded of the mighty force of a hurricane from what w say with Hurricane Ike just a week or so ago. Still families are with out electric in many parts of Texas and the evacuation order has not been lifted as of yet.

This all adds up to one thing and that is hurricane preparedness. Hopefully everyone has their emergency preparedness plans completed and disaster kits at the ready. Emergency preparedness is not just hurricanes - let us not forget the severe flooding that parts of this state experienced earlier this year from tropical storm hanna. Having our emergency preparedness necessities for sheltering in place as well as at least 2 weeks supply of basic disaster supplies for an evacuation for all members of the household including pet disaster kits for our companion animals will make a possible disaster situation a bit easier to cope with.

Our sisters and brothers in Texas and Louisiana can tell the pain, anguish and sorrow related to a category 2 hurricane. The saddest thing is that less than 20% of the population is adequately hurricane prepared nationally. True Floridians are some what better prepared but still we can never let our guard down.

wow,, everyone has angels watching over them and this is proof that there are angels,,, ^i^^i^^i^

What they don't show in this shot, is that in the back yard they have a dog house built with left over metrials from the house... the dog house is standing!

Derek

Durango, CO