I am a Galveston native, “BOI” as we are called, or “born on the island”.  I have been going down to the island lately to help my sister in this time of transition for her as her house incurred devastating damage from IKE.  My brother’s former weekend bay house on Teichman Road was flattened...literally nothing left.  The city’s historic downtown, The Strand, was devastated and the University of Texas School of Medicine (UTMB) won’t be open for some time because of severe damage - $710 million worth to be precise. Insurance only covers $100 million so there will be massive job layoffs--nearly 4000 to be exact.  This is not good news not only because UTMB has been much of the life blood of Galveston Island for as long as many can remember, but most especially for those nearly 4000 families who will loose their livelihood. It is where both my husband and son received their medical education.  Most of the island was covered with several feet of water and in the case of downtown, about 7 feet of water filled all buildings.  The water line in my sisters home was about 5 feet and much of her roof is gone.  Along with images from different parts of the city, I have included images of a large piece of sculpture done my (now deceased) uncle, David Moore.  Our family has been on the island for generations and Uncle David, my dad’s younger brother, was a prominent artist and sculptor.   This piece, which sits on “The Bouvelard” overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, is in memory of those 6000+ people who died in the infamous storm of 1900 that devastated Galveston.  I thought it appropriate to include it here.