Mike Birdsell, co-owner of Brazos Helicopters LLC, took a break from his job assessing storm damage Monday morning to share his bird’s-eye view.
“On the ground, the storm surge has virtually wiped out everything that was first story … gone … evaporated,” Birdsell said from his chopper, parked at Scholes International Airport at Galveston. “If they were in a single-story building, there’s no way they could have survived here. It’s not a pretty thing. If they say leave ... leave.”
These observations reinforce forecasters’ “certain death” warning, issued to those who refused to evacuate while Ike was still in the Gulf.
Regarding areas that are still flooded, Birdsell said he saw furniture, soda machines and steel fuel tanks still bobbing in the floodwater. During the storm, these heavy objects act like torpedoes, and tear homes apart, he said.
Birdsell said he has seen buildings - including an airplane hangar - where the whole first floor was “blown out.” Cars also floated up to 100 yards away from where they were parked.
On Saturday, Birdsell led a five-man expedition that consists of two Eurocopter Aloutte II choppers that fly up to 95 mph, but can hover over rooftops to enable rescuers to pluck survivors from rooftops.
So far, that hasn’t happened. Birdsell said the men have mostly assisted in damage assessment, working for an international company that specializes in preparation, response and recovery from major catastrophes. Like a small army, the crew brought their own fuel - pulled in trailers behind two pickup trucks - their own water, and their own food, which consists mostly of canned meat like vienna sausages. They are staying at a Brazoria County airport hangar, which has no power and no running water.
Birdsell said although property damage is massive, he hasn’t heard of any rescue crews finding bodies.
“I haven’t talked to anybody who has seen anyone who has perished,” Birdsell said. “We missed a bullet, there’s lots of damage but no death.”
Birdsell and crew left Bruceville Saturday. But government bureaucracy cost them 24 hours. Seven years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and three years after Hurricane Katrina swamped New Orleans, Birdsell says government officials still need to improve coordination during national emergencies. He said it took a whole day to receive a simple temporary transport code that even with short notice is often given over the phone.
“There’s a problem with government agencies talking to each other,” Birdsell said. “I just talked with DPS (Department of Public Safety) officers and they have the same problems.”
Another Temple company is also playing a role in the Ike recovery. Employees at the United Rentals Temple location put together a storm team last week they say increased their efficiency. Using the Interstate 35 location as a hub, trucks from other locations delivered about 50 generators, 30 light towers and electric pallet jacks to the Temple store.
“It was one of our staging areas,” said Fred Bratman, company spokesman. “Based upon early weather forecasts, we thought that it would be close enough to the storm, but not too close. We were ready, and our 15 employees were on call all weekend long.”
The equipment was shipped out to East Texas, Bratman said, after the storm shifted course.
Back in Galveston, Birdsell and crew expect to camp out at their airplane hanger home for a couple more days, maybe more. Looking at the Galveston Water Park, he said it was one of the few facilities that looked undamaged.
