Mark Holcomb, Director of Technical Services here at Apogee Search, traveled to Galveston, TX over the weekend to volunteer with the Salvation Army. While the experience was humbling, Holcomb is glad to have been able to help and plans on returning to Galveston as soon as he can.

Holcomb has tried to volunteer in Austin but was turned away because Austin has too many volunteers. So, he decided to head to the coast to contribute.

Holcomb and many other volunteers prepared meals and distributed them to victims of Hurricane Ike. While there was much devastation, Holcomb noted that the people of Galveston are committed to rebuilding.

“They are rebuilding, and they should, but it isn’t a happy place. People are past shock, now they want to get the island back up and running,” said Holcomb.

Many organizations, including the Red Cross and Salvation Army, are providing assistance to those who need it the most. These organizations are well organized and committed to helping the people in Galveston.

“Thankfully, there are many groups making their presence known in Galveston,” said Holcomb.

The physical damage is still extensive. The island has large piles of sand pushed up on roadways and piles of debris that have been removed from homes are scattered across the island. Many homes have been wiped out entirely and the island still enforces a strict curfew. Residents that violate the curfew are subject to a $2,000 fine. Many residents are still living in shelters and tents around the island.

“One damaged building is easy to comprehend, but miles of destroyed homes, offices, restaurants and playgrounds can really get to you,” Holcomb explained.

Despite the devastation, there are positive signs on the island. The beaches are open and residents are enjoying them once more. Most of the island has power and a few gas stations are even open.

Yet, our neighbors on the coast are still in need.

“It is a shame that the economy and the election are over-shadowing the amount of devastation in Galveston,” noted Holcomb.

Many people have forgotten about the rebuilding that these victims still have ahead of them. The easiest way to help is to donate to the Red Cross.

Holcomb is currently taking Red Cross training classes so that he can do even more to help in the future.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 at 12:59 pm by Brittany Paxman and is filed under Apogee in the Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.