Debris from Ike's wrath begins to litter the beaches some 120-miles away from Galveston. Bits of houses such as stairwells and walls are washing ashore and have even caused problems in a local search and rescue effort for a missing swimmer.
While the residents of Galveston continue to assess the damage and collect the pieces of their former beach front lives, those living in the Corpus Christi area over a hundred miles south, are finding their beaches littered with what is probably left-overs from another's life.
A
local news report describes the junk to be items like stair cases, kitchen tables, walls with electrical fixtures still in place and of course, dock decks. There have even been propane tanks, possibly damaged oil rigs, found riding the waves.
A report of an
old abandoned boat, possibly from the Galveston area, washed ashore a couple of days ago on a popular family beach area near Corpus.
For some, the debris is an eyesore and they want it removed, as it hinders beach access and poses a danger to those who visit the area coastline. According to one area resident quoted in the Corpus Christi Caller Times article:
"We had shoulder-deep debris blocking the walk ramp from Malaquite Beach Visitor Center to the shore"
Shoulder deep in doors, stairs and walls that use to be a home.
As beach goers make their way down the sandy stretch of fodder, some begin to realize that these bits of trash are really the remains of another person's life that Hurricane Ike demolished only a few weeks ago. Others, however, view the items as "treasures" and are making their way to help in the clean-up efforts, of course, for selfish reasons.
On Monday, a local family made their way to the Port Aransas beach when 34-year-old Larry James Tate decided to take a swim. He was offshore about 250-300 feet. Being called a good swimmer, Larry showed some signs of distress in the water and he then
went missing.
"I saw him come up and wave at me," Kathy Tate said. "I could tell by the look on his face that he was in distress, then he went under and I haven't seen him since."
Coast Guard members have still not been able to find him but have stated that the debris from Ike made the search efforts difficult.
Several days after watching the waves that Ike brought forth in the Corpus area,
the body of 19-year-old Michael Page Moxley washed ashore. He and several others walked out on the jetty on the day Ike pounded Galveston. Moxley was slammed into the rocks and reportedly knocked unconscious. Two others tried to jump in and save him but were both slammed into the sharp jetty rocks as well, one of which suffered injuries that landed him on a ventilator in a hospital.
Ike continues to take its toll on many residents across the country and with the death toll expected to rise within the next few days and weeks as recovery efforts reveal final body count numbers and thousands still unaccounted for, it may only get worse.
