Hurricane Cover-up. Reporters not allowed on west side of Galveston
Mark Graffis
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/09/the_short_but_eventful_life_of.html
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MEDIA BLACKOUT ON WEST SIDE OF GALVESTON
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread391182/pg2
http://www.burntorangereport.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=6798
Mon Sep 15, 2008
Houston journalists are irate and concerned as a total media blackout occurred
in the wake of Hurricane Ike.
"...reporter Wayne Dolcefino revealed that media have been blocked from
covering Hurricane Ike's devastation. In a press conference, Dolcefino pressed
Gov. Rick Perry on why media aren't even allowed to fly over parts of
Galveston Island, noting that media access was far better in Mississippi and
Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina."
"I continue to get reports from all corners that there is a high body count.
Not to be macabre or disrespectful, but there are leaks coming from Austin,
Galveston and Houston that there are bodies floating around Galveston's West
End and Bolivar. "
________________
IS THIS WHY THE COVER-UP OF THE WEST SIDE?
(CNN) -- Workers at a Galveston, Texas, laboratory said to contain dangerous
biological agents secured the pathogens Friday ahead of Hurricane Ike,
officials said.
A patient at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston is helped
from the building Thursday.
The pathogens, which include the deadly ebola virus, were purposely destroyed
before the staff left the facility in advance of the hurricane, said Gov. Rick
Perry's spokesman, Andrew Barlow
...
A Department of Homeland Security official concurred that all the samples had
been destroyed, and the building was locked down, quarantined and "rendered
safe."
But a former student who worked at the Level-III laboratory while the Level-IV
facility was being constructed and who knows the manager, said she would be
surprised if all of the pathogens had been destroyed, since some of them are
rare and extremely valuable.
The lab is one of the country's five biosafety labs that are Level-IV, the
highest level. Such laboratories typically handle pathogens like smallpox,
tularemia and anthrax to develop vaccines and antidotes. [Is that why they
won't allow anyone in that area:]
FLYOVER COVERAGE OF GALVESTON
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nYOt5XYeMQ&feature=related
Posted to a forum: It doesn't take a lot of speculation to figure out what's
"up". As someone said a few posts back...there are, or may be, many bodies
floating among the debris, and there is no reason whatsoever to show these
images to the public. How would you like to learn you've lost a friend or
relative by seeing their body floating in the flood waters after a hurricane?
I think it's very clear that the western end of Galveston is a total loss. I
can't fathom any possible reason to try to hide this fact from the public, it
would be impossible. They are simply censoring terrible images of death.
Originally posted by Valhall On the damage forums they are stating that
Galveston authorities are making statements that the west end of the island is
permanently gone. The whole tip of the island itself.
Channel 13. The fireworks are firing!
A reporter is grilling the City Manager. It's getting very heated. The
reporter is confirming that they are being kept out of BOTH Boliver and the
West End. He's calling the restrictions unprecedented. He specifically said
this had never been done to media choppers before. He demanded a
justification....none was given. The desk anchor said they "were fighting for
our right to know."
___________________
"Gilchrist (sp?) and Crystal Beach have been wiped off the map via TX Parks
and Fisheries survey. "
_________________________
There was supposed to be more info on the body count at this website, but
apparently someone hacked into it. Apparently thousands have died, and only a
small percentage have been reported.
http://www.khou.com/forums/viewopic.php?t=27523&postdays=0&postorder=asc&star
t=30
___________________________
http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20080915/NEWS01/809150284 File photosMark
Collette and Rhiannon Meyers
The following is a first-hand account of the destruction of Galveston Island
by Hurricane Ike by Mark Collette, former Tyler Paper reporter, who lives
there with his wife, Rhiannon Meyers, also a former Tyler Paper reporter and
now a reporter for the Galveston County Daily News.
Collette sent an e-mail, from which this information was included, to let
friends and family know they are doing fine.
"The island, as a whole, looks like a war zone. The structures that werent
destroyed have been ruined by water. Fire destroyed at least 17 buildings. One
entire apartment building collapsed."
"Every structure built over the water in front of the Seawall was destroyed
and left little trace, except for the Flagship Hotel, which was severely
damaged and separated from the island."
"Some people are believed to still be inside but cannot be reached immediately
because the pilings on the building were damaged, so a helicopter cant land
on top."
"Much if not most of the property on the Bolivar Peninsula is now debris.
Homes on the West End of Galveston Island that used to be behind the dunes are
now over open water. The Seawall was covered in chunks of concrete that weigh
hundreds of pounds."
"Authorities are still in search-and-rescue mode. About 24,000 people didnt
heed evacuation orders. Rescuers are leaving the dead in houses and moving on
to look for the living.
"Unlike in New Orleans after Katrina, they are not spray painting a giant "X"
on a building when they find bodies. Instead, they are putting discrete
stickers on the buildings. On the one hand, government officials seem to be
trying to keep the media from portraying the true extent of the disaster, but
on the other hand officers are tipping off reporters about deaths and
rescues."
Rhiannon said the amount of buildings reduced to rubble suggests that more
bodies will be found and the magnitude of the disaster will become clearer in
the coming days. A couple thousand have probably been rescued, a couple
thousand have left the island on buses since the storm. Thankfully, for those
who remain, the government has arrived with food, water and ice, and the
weather has cooled so that people can stay comfortable just with open windows.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
The walls in our apartment that are parallel to the Seawall had watermarks as
high as three feet, suggesting that waves rolled through the building somehow,
even though the windows didnt break. Rhiannon said the smell is awful. But we
have renters insurance, and I took all the photos and most of the other
keepsakes with me when I evacuated.