coastercrazy216 Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Well ya, but maybe they won't want to rebuild, but okay. James "I am PRAYING for a new BB" Whitcomb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astroworldfan1 Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 ^ They even said they would rebuild the BB. They also said they would try to have the resturants up and running within a few days. -Tatum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinBrookeTX Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Kemah is a very popular and known place in the Houston area. I would be surprise if it didn't get rebuilt it. How soon? Can't guess. I believe it might be a while. Probably restaurants first...then the rides. That's just my guess. This place brings in tons of money and guess from the greater houston area and galveston. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuruGuys Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Kemah will be rebuilt, and quickly too. They have insurance that covers things like this and I was told they are OVER insured. The Bullet was going down for long term work regardless (this time they hope to fix the problem which is causing all the other problems and making it ride so differently from the way it was designed). They will have the restaurants up and running in no time at all. Someone said the chaos was new, it was new to the park but was a used ride. It was a portable ride, as is many of their other rides, which were mounted in a more permanent manner. The portable rides, if they decide to get replacements and not repair the existing ones0, would be able to come in and get installed pretty quick as well. There is NO question at all wether Kemah will be rebuilt. Once it is it will be better than ever. -GG P.S. My Scion XB, on the other hand, is totalled when we got 3 feet of water flooding yesterday, and will not be rebuilt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterdude5 Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 It's good to hear that they will be back. This place does seem to be very prominent in the area and along the gulf coast (my friends in New Orleans know about it!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterfreak101 Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Just curious, but wouldn't a new Boardwalk Bullet that utilizes the Gravity Group hybrid structure fare a little better in hurricanes (not storm surges, but hurricanes and flooding) than the current, all-wood structure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellow Jacket Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Here is a link to an interview with somone from Landry's at the Boardwalk. Lots of damage--no decent shots of the coaster. http://www.khou.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=282748 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastercrazy216 Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Thank God its getting rebuilt. I would die without a decent park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinBrookeTX Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Thanks for the info GurGuy! How are you? I am still in corpus with my sister's family waiting for power to come back on at my apartment. Friend is going to let me know. Just glad everyone is ok. Sorry to hear about your car. Luckly I think my apartment didn't flood or anything. Just bad roof damage. I am on the second floor so hopefully I don't have to worry about that since there is a floor above me. Don't know about windows yet. Take care! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRapidsNerd Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 1. Glad people are ok so far. That one's important. 2. Bummer on all the damage. Poor Kemah got the beat-down. 3. "Yeah, I think we'll be needing another ferris wheel..." gave me a laugh. 4. Tatum has inadvertently doubled his historical park info contributions this week. If Dixie Landings gets it for whatever reason, he'll have a hat trick. I wish Kemah the best on the rebuild. Ouch, but keeping good thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verticalzero Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 A closer look at the damage of the Boardwalk, but no close up pictures of the "Bullet": http://www.click2houston.com/slideshow/news/17474487/detail.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texcoaster Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 You know, for all its urban sprawl, concrete jungle, lack of trees, strip-mall takeover, no-zoning-eclectic areas, I really DO love my city. In spite of all the aforementioned stuff, this city has great people and fascinating architecture. Both of those things got hit hard this weekend. It's going to be a long, long recovery. I don't doubt that the KB will be back, as will the Bullet. KB was Texas' 6th most visited tourist site last year, thanks in great part to the Bullet. There's no way they won't rebuild, and now that they see how rides bring families down for a day of playing and eating, perhaps they'll focus even more on the rides when they decide what to put back down there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrancew_hod Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 ^They also should learn that when you're in an hurricane zone, you have to construct your buildings with wind damage and water damage in mind. So many of those buildings and houses aren't and got blown away or sustained major damage. Another disaster area in the making is the midwest, should that New Madras fault slip. If it goes with a medium to major earthquake and you're inside, get out of there fast because that building is going down! Very few, if any, buildings are built to withstand a earthquake. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texcoaster Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 ^ The fact that those restaurant buildings are still standing at all shows that they were built with wind and water in mind. The Bullet is still standing, and was built to withstand winds of 130mph. Texas has building codes in place that require such things. What you can't really totally prepare for, however, is when an older structure that was built before those codes, or isn't in the best repair, breaks apart and comes slamming into your structure. In talking with one of the GG guys via email, that was the big concern... that pieces of some building would come crashing into the Bullet on some huge wave and just bulldoze it. I used to run a B&B on Crystal Beach. I had glass that was rated to withstand a 2X4 hitting it at 125mph without breaking. On top of that, I had steel shutters that covered every window as well as both doors. As far as I can tell from the arial footage I've seen, that house is GONE. I'm assuming that the older house on the beach blew apart, took out country singer Tracy Byrd's house (which was right in front of mine), and both of those pummeled "Out by the Sea" into matchsticks. Most of those houses in that neighborhood were build around the same time, so they were built to the same codes... and they're all gone now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrancew_hod Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 ^They're standing... but not well. And that's what I'm saying. The older building aren't. But my comments were more for the general in area. When hurricane Andrew blew through here, whole neighborhoods were destroyed much like in the harder hit areas. As a result the houses and businesses that were rebuilt has to meet certain codes. Even when you put up hurricane shutters, you have to get a permit that meet codes as well. They may even want to see if it's possible when purchasing or rebuilding rides, to ask vendors if they were build to withstand certain wind speeds, or for high risk rides like what happened to the ferris wheel if they can be dismantled and stored away easily so you don't have to totally replace. May not be feasible, but could be something to consider in a disaster recovery plan. I know the little park down here, Boomers , with our coaster was made to withstand high winds and the few rides they had were secured; so when we had the succession of hurricanes a few years back, they sustained minimum damage. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halltd Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 I'm sure the area will see a HUGE re-write of the building codes much like South Florida saw after Andrew. Like was just said, most of the buildings in Andrew's path were leveled even though they were built to the current hurricane codes. The fact was the codes weren't strong enough. They've since been changed. I'm sure the same thing will happen to the area around Kemah and Galveston. It looks like most of the houses were wood framed and built on stilts. That's great for rising water, but not high velocity winds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjaco Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Kemah will be rebuilt, and quickly too. They have insurance that covers things like this and I was told they are OVER insured. The Bullet was going down for long term work regardless (this time they hope to fix the problem which is causing all the other problems and making it ride so differently from the way it was designed). They will have the restaurants up and running in no time at all. Insurance claims take time, so let's not jump the gun. I'm sure it'll be rebuilt, but I think there's a lot of other things that needs to be done first. Getting a small park open, isn't one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Thank God its getting rebuilt. I would die without a decent park. Well at least your priorities are in order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike robinson Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Everything in that area has very strict building codes but it is almost impossible to protect from Storm Surge. They were clearing boats off of the causeway with bulldozers. I have heard that it is easier to be born in Galveston than build there. And FEMA Sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrancew_hod Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Insurance claims take time, so let's not jump the gun. I'm sure it'll be rebuilt, but I think there's a lot of other things that needs to be done first. Getting a small park open, isn't one of them. Amen. One of my friend's parents house got destroyed in New Orleans and they're still fighting with the insurance company. A trailer is on their lot where their house stood and it's three years later! Of course some houses and businesses won't be rebuilt, not only from people not wanting to live there anymore, but some people my not have the right coverage on their insurance policies. If the way Ike ran through the Midwest last weekend was anything, I'm figuring people need to look at their policies and make sure that wind and flood insurance is included. Those tropical depressions are making it further inland these days! If you got to go hungry for a check, I'd pay extra on those policies before hurricane season starts and make sure that coverage is right. You don't want to be depending on FEMA for anything. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillerman1 Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Anyone heard anything about that lil' hole in the wall shack of a bbq place, Burn's? That was some AWESOME eating! When I visited Houston last summer, it didn't look built to survive Ike, so I wonder if it's gone now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verticalzero Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Video shows the Big Wheel and a couple of the shops on the Boardwalk. No shots of the "Bullet"... Yet GG built the "Bullet" to withstand 130mph winds, it just passed http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=4226712&cl=9739717&src=news Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinacaniac Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 The place looks like it took a real beating. Sure they will probably rebuild, but like others have said, insurance claims take FOREVER!!!!! I wouldn't be surprised if some homes here in Greenville are still no yet repaired from the flooding of Hurricane Floyd, and that was back in 1999. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjaco Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 ^ Just because they're not rebuilt doesn't mean the claim isn't settled. The owners could have gotten their settlement, and decided to move on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinacaniac Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 ^Very true, hadn't thought about that. Although I wonder if anyone may have just moved on because they were not able reach a settlement with their claims. Either way, the good news is that we have not had such a bad case of flooding since then. Even Tropical Storm Hannah from a week ago or so did little in the ways of flooding. It was more blown down leaves and broken branches than anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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