PICTURES of the devastating results of Hurricane Ike

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/09/the_short_but_eventful_life_of.html

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MEDIA BLACKOUT ON WEST SIDE OF GALVESTON

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread391182/pg2

http://www.burntorangereport.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=6798

Mon Sep 15, 2008

Houston journalists are irate and concerned as a total media blackout occurred in the wake of Hurricane Ike.

"...reporter Wayne Dolcefino revealed that media have been blocked from covering Hurricane Ike's devastation. In a press conference, Dolcefino pressed Gov. Rick Perry on why media aren't even allowed to fly over parts of Galveston Island, noting that media access was far better in Mississippi and Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina."

"I continue to get reports from all corners that there is a high body count. Not to be macabre or disrespectful, but there are leaks coming from Austin, Galveston and Houston that there are bodies floating around Galveston's West End and Bolivar. "

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IS THIS WHY THE COVER-UP OF THE WEST SIDE?

(CNN) -- Workers at a Galveston, Texas, laboratory said to contain dangerous biological agents secured the pathogens Friday ahead of Hurricane Ike, officials said.

A patient at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston is helped from the building Thursday.

The pathogens, which include the deadly ebola virus, were purposely destroyed before the staff left the facility in advance of the hurricane, said Gov. Rick Perry's spokesman, Andrew Barlow

...

A Department of Homeland Security official concurred that all the samples had been destroyed, and the building was locked down, quarantined and "rendered safe."

But a former student who worked at the Level-III laboratory while the Level-IV facility was being constructed and who knows the manager, said she would be surprised if all of the pathogens had been destroyed, since some of them are rare and extremely valuable.

The lab is one of the country's five biosafety labs that are Level-IV, the highest level. Such laboratories typically handle pathogens like smallpox, tularemia and anthrax to develop vaccines and antidotes. [Is that why they won't allow anyone in that area:]

FLYOVER COVERAGE OF GALVESTON http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nYOt5XYeMQ&feature=related

Posted to a forum: It doesn't take a lot of speculation to figure out what's "up". As someone said a few posts back...there are, or may be, many bodies floating among the debris, and there is no reason whatsoever to show these images to the public. How would you like to learn you've lost a friend or relative by seeing their body floating in the flood waters after a hurricane?

I think it's very clear that the western end of Galveston is a total loss. I can't fathom any possible reason to try to hide this fact from the public, it would be impossible. They are simply censoring terrible images of death.

Originally posted by Valhall On the damage forums they are stating that Galveston authorities are making statements that the west end of the island is permanently gone. The whole tip of the island itself.

Channel 13. The fireworks are firing!

A reporter is grilling the City Manager. It's getting very heated. The reporter is confirming that they are being kept out of BOTH Boliver and the West End. He's calling the restrictions unprecedented. He specifically said this had never been done to media choppers before. He demanded a justification....none was given. The desk anchor said they "were fighting for our right to know."

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"Gilchrist (sp?) and Crystal Beach have been wiped off the map via TX Parks and Fisheries survey. "

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There was supposed to be more info on the body count at this website, but apparently someone hacked into it. Apparently thousands have died, and only a small percentage have been reported. http://www.khou.com/forums/viewopic.php?t=27523&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30

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http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20080915/NEWS01/809150284 File photosMark Collette and Rhiannon Meyers

The following is a first-hand account of the destruction of Galveston Island by Hurricane Ike by Mark Collette, former Tyler Paper reporter, who lives there with his wife, Rhiannon Meyers, also a former Tyler Paper reporter and now a reporter for the Galveston County Daily News.

Collette sent an e-mail, from which this information was included, to let friends and family know they are doing fine.

"The island, as a whole, looks like a war zone. The structures that weren’t destroyed have been ruined by water. Fire destroyed at least 17 buildings. One entire apartment building collapsed."

"Every structure built over the water in front of the Seawall was destroyed and left little trace, except for the Flagship Hotel, which was severely damaged and separated from the island."

"Some people are believed to still be inside but cannot be reached immediately because the pilings on the building were damaged, so a helicopter can’t land on top."

"Much if not most of the property on the Bolivar Peninsula is now debris. Homes on the West End of Galveston Island that used to be behind the dunes are now over open water. The Seawall was covered in chunks of concrete that weigh hundreds of pounds."

"Authorities are still in search-and-rescue mode. About 24,000 people didn’t heed evacuation orders. Rescuers are leaving the dead in houses and moving on to look for the living.

"Unlike in New Orleans after Katrina, they are not spray painting a giant "X" on a building when they find bodies. Instead, they are putting discrete stickers on the buildings. On the one hand, government officials seem to be trying to keep the media from portraying the true extent of the disaster, but on the other hand officers are tipping off reporters about deaths and rescues."

Rhiannon said the amount of buildings reduced to rubble suggests that more bodies will be found and the magnitude of the disaster will become clearer in the coming days. A couple thousand have probably been rescued, a couple thousand have left the island on buses since the storm. Thankfully, for those who remain, the government has arrived with food, water and ice, and the weather has cooled so that people can stay comfortable just with open windows.

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The walls in our apartment that are parallel to the Seawall had watermarks as high as three feet, suggesting that waves rolled through the building somehow, even though the windows didn’t break. Rhiannon said the smell is awful. But we have renter’s insurance, and I took all the photos and most of the other keepsakes with me when I evacuated.

From:  mgraffis@gmail.com