It’s been a long day of bouncing from Katrina to Gustav to Ike and then Wall Street and back – and a story with a happy ending is a welcome addition to the news of the day. For those of you who haven’t read about Sop’s roof surfing adventure and Katrina survival, I recommend reading that story as well.
Now from Crystal Beach, Texas – or what was Crystal Beach before Ike – we have A retired U.S. Coast Guard diver told a Chambers County official that Hurricane Ike swept him from his home into the raging Gulf of Mexico, where he survived for more than 17 hours.
Mark Davidson found a kayak, a child’s life preserver and a bottle of Gatorade during his ordeal, said Chambers County Clerk Heather Hawthorne. He was released from Bayside Memorial Hospital in Anahuac. His wife said he was fine except for a few scratches and bruises.
Davidson recounted his story to Hawthorne, who is compiling a historical account of the hurricane. He declined to speak to the Chronicle except to say the story he told Hawthorne was accurate.
According to Hawthorne, Davidson, 48, opted to remain in his home on Crystal Beach while his wife evacuated. As the house began to collapse, Hawthorne said, water was coming in through the floor and he knew he wouldn’t last there much longer…
“He told me he knew what he had to do,” Davidson said of her husband. “He had the skills to do it. He’s alive. That’s all that matters, even though we lost everything we owned.” Continue reading “Hope here at the end of the day – Ike survivor floats 17 hours in the Gulf”