When you drive into Galveston, you can't help but notice the progress the city has made over the last nine months. The Tremont House is reopening today after going through a total renovation because of major flooding from Hurricane Ike.
The rebuilding efforts in Galveston are being called a 'rebirth' of the island. However, mixed in with that progress, you can also get a glimpse of what has not changed. A number of homes are not being rebuilt or repaired.
Debris is still a problem in some neighborhoods. City officials say as they look at both the good and the bad that has happened following Hurricane Ike, they have learned a number of things and have made significant changes in how they plan to deal with future storms.
"I think you are going to see probably an earlier evacuation call for some of those low lying areas and, of course, encouraging people to do the same things that we encourage them to do every year," said John Simsen with the Galveston Office of Emergency. "And that is to make sure to stock up on water, and supplies. Also, to try to have 3 to 7 days of supplies on hand."
During Hurricane Ike, 40 percent of the residents stayed on the island and city officials say that was just simply too risky. In addition to having an earlier evacuation plan, they also plan to use their emergency alerts system on a daily basis.
They also plan to provide more education about storms and the differences between the types of storms. They plan on having a town hall meeting on Wednesday at the Convention Center.
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