1983- Hurricane Alicia-
Downtown Houston devastated with windows blown out of skyscrapers. Flood damage and lots of tornado damage. Lived in an apartment then. water ruined the carpet. Replace the following week. People we lived around banded together and shared food, water, ice, etc. A few problems, mainly price-gougers and a few fights over ice supplies, but we got through it fine. Some without power over 2 weeks.
2008-Hurricane Ike-
Lost part of a fence and a turbo vent. Got luckier than Alicia though. Same situation. Neighbors helped out. Friends from Galveston stayed with us for 2 weeks. My son and his freinds went around the neighborhood with drills and plywood and saws and held neighbors board up windows before hand and came back with chainsaws to cut up fallen leaves afterwords. They helped me out some, too.
The difference was in 1983, no FEMA.
In 2008, people were COMPLAINING 2 DAYS LATER, because FEMA hadn't arrived with MRE’s, water, and ice.
Everyone who lives here knows the basics, stock up on food, ice, water, batteries, etc., but for some reason that I can not fathom, several residents WAITED for FEMA to come give them EVERYTHING, and CRIED when they didn't do it FAST ENOUGH!