How Long Will It Take to Rebuild the Sandy-Impacted Areas? Who will Remain?

Following Hurricane Ike, many towns in Southeastern Texas were destroyed or significantly damaged, in ways similar to Sandy-impacted areas in Somerset County. Inhabitants that had been in these beach communities for generations no longer could afford to rebuild under the economic burdens of new federal and state guidelines. The homes that were rebuilt cost hundreds of thousands of dollars more than the homes that were there before.

Five years later, towns are beginning to re-emerge in Southeastern Texas, but with different demographics and new cultures. The attached story and video hint at what is emerging in Southeastern Texas, but say nothing about who was displaced, where they are, and how they are doing today.

This story raises questions about how long it will take for the Sandy-impacted areas along the Somerset County coastline to recover. Who will remain and who will move into the recovered communities? If it takes five to ten years for the Sandy-impacted communities to reach a new normal state with structures able to withstand future storms, what must be done in the interim to maintain the health and human security of the Somerset County coastal community inhabitants during this difficult and long transition? What are the provisions to improve health, human security, resilience, and sustainability for those that must relocate? Where will they go? Will they lose entirely the benefits of community in their transition into a new location?

How are the federal, state, and local authorities helping the impacted individuals and families? If the various authorities were given a scorecard for their work to date on their response, relief, and recovery efforts, how would the people and communities most impacted rate their assistance?

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12newsnow.com - by Vanessa Holmes - May 14, 2013

September 13, 2008 is an unpleasant memory for homeowners along the Gulf Coast. In the overnight hours, Hurricane Ike, knocked on Bolivar Peninsula's door at 110 miles per hour.

This potent, un welcomed guest knocked multi-story beach cabins down to ground zero.

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