GALVESTON — Former Presidents Bush and Clinton want to make sure the rest of America does not forget what Hurricane Ike did to Galveston.
After taking a brief tour of the island Tuesday, Bush and Clinton stood at the edge of the Gulf of Mexico in front of the badly damaged Bermuda Beach subdivision and promised to help the city recover.
“I don’t think the American people know how much you still need here,” Clinton said, his arm wrapped tightly around Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas’ shoulders.
The two former presidents visited the island to formally launch the Bush-Clinton Coastal Recovery Fund, an effort to raise private donations to help with recovery efforts for victims of hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
Bush and Clinton teamed up on similar efforts for victims of the 2004 South Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.
Ike made landfall Sept. 13 as a Category 2 hurricane. But the storm surge, estimated by the National Weather Service at 14 feet from the Gulf and 13 feet from Galveston Bay, was equivalent to the surge from a Category 4 storm.
Officials estimate 75 percent of houses on the island were damaged by the widespread flooding.
The coastal recovery fund will provide money to local governments to help rebuild damaged infrastructure.
Former Secretary of State James Baker, the fund’s chairman, estimated Gustav and Ike did $47 billion in infrastructure damage along the Gulf Coast. The Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund raised about $130 million.
The Gulf Coast fund already has raised $1.5 million, but the ability to raise more money could be limited because the focus of the country is away from Galveston, Baker said.
Clinton was more optimistic about the fund’s ability to solicit donations.
Look at all the millions of dollars people have given to the two political campaigns in the past few weeks, he said.
Rebuilding Beaches
Bush and Clinton started their tour at the Island Community Center with a briefing from Galveston County Judge Jim Yarbrough, Thomas and Galveston City Manager Steve LeBlanc. The media was not allowed to attend.
LeBlanc used a long map taped to the wall to show all the sites where the city’s infrastructure was destroyed or damaged. Pictures around the room revealed details of some of the hardest hit areas.
Clinton was especially interested in hearing about beach reconstruction efforts, LeBlanc said. As well as rebuilding what was lost, Clinton stressed the need to use new technology to preserve the beaches in the future.
City leaders have talked for years about options for offshore structures, like breakwaters, that would help prevent the daily erosion that eats away at the coastline.
The presidents promised to pull out all the stops to eliminate the restrictions and hurdles the city faces in getting those structures approved by the state, LeBlanc said.
Clinton encouraged Galveston residents to use the attention they were getting from their state and federal legislators to push for money to rebuild beaches as part of an overall economic stimulus package for the area.
The best thing the nation’s leaders can do for the troubled economy is to rebuild the places devastated by Ike, Clinton said.
In The Spotlight
Although Baker estimated Ike’s damage at something less than $47 billion, Thomas is still asking the federal government for $2.2 billion in recovery aid. At least $1.1 billion is earmarked for the University of Texas Medical Branch and the Port of Galveston.
With help from state and federal lawmakers, Thomas said she hoped the city would get all the money she asked for. And the funds likely will start coming in sooner than locals think because the needs are so great, Thomas said. Getting so much attention from Bush and Clinton will help, she said.
“Galveston is in the spotlight in Washington as well as at the state level,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to receive funding to rebuild this city. It’s an opportunity we’ve never had before.”
Thomas said she stressed the importance of the medical branch and the port to the regional economy during her meeting with the presidents.
She reminded them that the island’s oil rig repair facilities were the biggest in the region.
Filling Gaps
Standing at the end of Pabst Road, which now crumbles into the waves, Baker said he did not have a time frame for beginning to award grants. The nonprofit organization also did not have a fundraising target, he said.
But the goal is to fill the gaps left by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Clinton said.
Without extra help, people might fall through the cracks, he said.
And every one of these homeowners needs help, Bush said after looking at a long debris pile that used to be the first row of homes in the Bermuda Beach subdivision.
The fund will not award grants to individuals. But money given to community and church organizations will ultimately help everyone, Clinton said.
Katrina Comparison
Before landing at Galveston’s Scholes International Airport, Bush and Clinton flew over the Bolivar Peninsula.
When asked how the damage compared to what he saw after Hurricane Katrina, Clinton stood silent for several seconds.
The damage after Katrina covered a wider geographical area, he said. “But this is as bad as anything we’ve seen,” he said.
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How to help
To donate to the Bush Clinton Gulf Coast Recovery Fund, visit www.bushclintoncoastalfund.org
