GALVESTON — Welcome back, returning Islanders. We missed you.
Maybe you’ve noticed. This is not the same Galveston Island you left two weeks ago. It’s battered, mostly dark and piled to the gunnels with debris of every variety you can imagine, plus a few that you never could.
Our homes are damaged, many destroyed.
The mosquitoes are terrible.
There are reports of snakes in downtown.
There’s still no electricity in most places. No street lights. Few traffic lights.
Things such as hepatitis A and B and tetanus might be lurking around. Some places still have no running water. Those with city water can’t drink it.
So here’s a welcome list of advice about living in the new environment complied by The Daily News team who stayed for the storm and has been here for the 12 days since.
• Cover yourself, head to toe, with insect repellant. Eau de Deet is the fragrance du jour. If you really want to ward off the bloodsuckers, spray your yard with heavy-duty pesticide. Christopher Silliman, 15, who weathered the storm with his parents in their home at 53rd Street and Avenue R, recommended Cutter brand backyard mosquito fogger. We spent 10 minutes interviewing him and didn’t get a single mosquito bite.
• Bring lots of bottled water. It’s hot and humid. You will dehydrate quickly. If you have a limited supply, conserve. Editor Heber Taylor, recalling his U.S. Navy days, has figured out a way to bathe with just a bottle and a half. He uses the extra to shave and brush his teeth. Go figure. You might also want to bring some extra water in case you are one of the unlucky ones without running water in your home. Melted cooler water works well to flush a toilet.
• Barbecue and grill at your own risk. While city officials discourage open-flame cooking, the best meals we’ve seen (and sampled) were cooked outdoors over a propane grill or a barbecue pit. Beware: If you don’t know how to use a grill safely, please stick to the pre-packed meals distributed around town.
• Don’t turn your nose up at free food. Shredded chicken over rice may not sound that appetizing, but trust us, it’s mighty good after a day of hard work. Plus, there’s chocolate pudding in those prepackaged meals the National Guard is handing out.
• Hire local contractors to repair your home. After Hurricane Alicia, many local contractors worked for three years. Initially, they repaired the damage. They spent the next two years repairing shoddy work performed by less reputable firms from out of the area.
• Take a break in the shade. The calendar says it’s autumn, but we islanders know better. When you get some free time from pulling up carpet and ripping out sheetrock in your super hot home, find a spot under a shady tree and let the Gulf breeze cool you off.
• Cry. When you see the island for the first time, you’ll be heartbroken. We were, and we cried. And it helped.
• Wear a hat or a bandana. Your hair will get disgusting, quick. Plus, head coverings are the new fashion style among islanders. It’s hurricane chic.
• If you don’t have water, flush only when necessary. Really.
• Bring a cooler and fill it with ice. Nothing beats a frosty drink after a day in a moldy home.
• Don’t open your refrigerator if you think you left meat there. Unless you want the stench of spoiled food to haunt you for the rest of your life, tape your refrigerator door shut with duct tape and toss it to the curb. If you must know what rotten meat smells like, ask reporter Sara Foley.
• Don’t be ashamed to wash your clothes in a bucket. Reporter Leigh Jones filled a bucket she found in the newsroom with water and a dollop of shower gel, tossed her clothes in and invented her own sort of spin cycle. She hung them to dry over the railing on our loading dock. A clothesline works just as well. Woolite is a good detergent.
• Be ready to get a flat tire. Buy an emergency tire plugging kit and a compressor that can be charged in a car’s DC outlet or by battery.
• Rely on batteries. Reporter Chris Paschenko bought a nifty cell phone charger that is powered by batteries. He was the only one of us who never worried about losing a charge. He suggested buying a Turbo Charger, which uses a single AA battery and comes with a number of interchangeable adapters to fit and recharge most cell phones.
• Splurge on a power inverter if Ike didn’t destroy your car. Power inverters convert the DC outlet in your car into a recharging station for any appliance. Paschenko recommends the Targus mobile power inverter for $40. It’s equipped with technology that stops charging devices if your car’s battery gets too low.
• Score a generator, if you can afford it. Paschenko recommends buying a 2,000-watt generator that averages about $1,100. It can power laptops, batteries, fans and a refrigerator and weighs less than 50 pounds.
• Watch out for poisonous snakes on the island. David Kirby, our press foreman, smashed a water moccasin at the newspaper a week ago with a piece of lumber.
• Buy a first aid kit and plenty of over-the-counter medicines and hand sanitizer.
• Skip the flip-flops and opt for sturdy boots. Brett Baker, the newspaper’s building superintendent, stepped on a roofing nail that punched straight through his tennis shoe. Luckily, he recently had a tetanus shot. Which reminds us, get a tetanus shot.
• Drive slowly and stop at every corner. If you can’t remember how to navigate a 4-way intersection, research it on the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Web site.
• Don’t count on finding supplies at the few open stores on the island. There is short supply of fans, generator plugs and certain kinds of supplies. An editor, who will not be named, is having the hardest time finding American Spirit cigarettes. Come prepared.
• The mud — or the slimy grime we can only classify as mud — is more resilient than you are. If you find a way to clean it up, let us know.
• Wear a mask in your house. The mold could cause you to get sick, plus it smells terrible. When reporter Rhiannon Meyers entered her home without a mask, she had a sneezing fit until she popped an allergy pill. Take it from her, mold will make you sick.
• Skip the hellos. Give a hug instead.
• When you see a Daily News crew or carrier, wave. We’re here to stay. We hope you are, too.
