Galveston

Mom had to go back to work yesterday. It was hard to see the island in such distress but a relief that so many structures were still standing. As we drove from our house to Galveston the devastation became progressively worse. First we noticed billboard signs were blown down, then metal was bent in half, chunks of buildings were missing, boats were piled up on the sides of the highway, then we saw pile after pile of unidentifiable rubble. The entire experience was very surreal.

Our facility was 4-6 foot under water following Ike and now, just 16 days later, mold is growing at a rapid rate. We had to go in and take inventory of any surviving items as work crews were already ripping out walls, pulling up carpet, and cleaning the mud and sewage that remained on the floor. Still no power or water is available. It was a bit creepy to be in a building, that is typically so full of activity, in complete darkness with only a flashlight and a dust mask.


Mold in the TR Offices & The Training Kitchen









The Gym & My Office

However, it was nice to reconnect with co-workers, hear the tales of how they and/or their property survived the storm, and see so many come together again. It is funny how only a few weeks ago the job may have been getting old, coworkers may have been getting on each others nerves, and it seemed no one could wait until 5:00 PM each day.....now we are hugging each other, thankful for our jobs, and many said they could not wait to get back to work. Hummm....slight change in perspective.

Seeta, Sybil, & Lori

TLC will rebuild and will be a stronger place. However this (like brain injury) is a marathon and not a sprint. We are currently estimating 6-8 weeks before our long term care facility (TideWay) is up and running again and possibly 6 months before TLC is in full swing again. It is hard to believe... but we are living the history.