Two weekends ago I went down to Pleasure Island, an island south of Port Arthur, Texas on Sabine Lake. It doesn’t really have much of beach but it has a marina, or at least it did. I went there to look at boats. A friend and I went to look at sailboats. I have been thinking of buying one here and I figured that given the current economy, now is the time to by. My friend also had the same idea (actually it was his idea first). What we saw at the marina was a disaster.
Destruction of Pleasure Island Marina
The first picture of the marina is a bit innocuous. Some boats survived the storm with minimal damage, and other people have returned to the marina since then.
Destruction of Pleasure Island Marina
This is a bit worse. The area was scattered with broken down boats all of which had been looted and left. Almost no cleanup has been begun, now several months after the event.
Destruction of Pleasure Island Marina
… more destruction…
Destruction of Pleasure Island Marina
… more destruction…
Alligators in Pleasure Island Marina
Since so many boats were lost, the marina isn’t used that often anymore and alligators have now moved in. Apparently people have also been using the marina as a toilet since the bathrooms were destroyed and the tank cleaning equipment was destroyed.
Destoryed restaurant on Pleasure Island
This apparently used to be a nice and popular restaurant. It hasn’t been touched since before the hurricane.
Mansions on Pleasure Island
In sharp contrast, literally right next to the Marina is a series of mansions, all of which are in perfect condition. Why were all these homes in good condition? “because they have money” said one of the live-aboards (expression meaning someone who lives on their boat) living in the marina.
Mansions in Pleasure Island Marina
Not all the mansions survived the hurricane. This guy ended up with his sail boat in his backyard. The truth of the matter is that the houses were designed to use the first floor as storage space in case there was flooding. A lot of the residents had turned the large first floor storage spaces into living spaces and were not able to collect insurance money for their damaged possessions.
Oil platform from Pleasure Island, Port Arthur, Texas
Of course, within sight of the marina is an oil platform.
In addition to the visual damage to the marina, there was no electricity or running water, and the water in the area is disgusting. So I have (almost) abandonned the idea.
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April 10th, 2009 - 3:57 pm
The destruction after both Rita and Ike in this area was amazing, much like the more publicized Katrina. If you visit some of the more rural areas, you will see roofs still draped in tarps, debris in yards, downed trees scattered about. It is as if certain areas were cleared by necessity, and the others were forgotten. (By the way, you can google pictures of the I-45 bridge after Ike, which was completely blocked by boats. It’s an amazing sight.)