A month after Ike... and now the recession

So a month has gone by since Ike, and life in Houston for the most part, is back to normal. There have been areas that have been completely ruined, and it has been stated that these areas (like Kemah Board Walk) will need to rebuild from ground up. Residents are having to deal with insurance companies in getting their property repaired. Unfortunately, I sometimes can't tell which is worse.... being in the path of a hurricane, or dealing with the insurance company. It is also sad that during this time, people find the nerve to hurt one another. I heard stories about home repair contractors going door-to-door asking residents if they needed their roofs repaired or checked-out. So residents would pay these contractors and the contractors would begin working on the roofs. A couple days later, the roof still wouldn't be fixed, and the contractors would have taken-off with their money. It's quite sad and unfortunate.

I was lucky that I didn't have any damage occur. I just had an uprooted tree which I needed to chop up. I also lost power for only a day. However, neighboring areas (5 minutes away) were without power for 2-3 days longer. Unfortunately, many were without power for a week. Businesses were also closed for rest of the week. Grocery stores and gas stations were the only places open, however, many times, you wouldn't be able to find much.

I'm pretty sure that many of you are aware of how volatile the current market is. Up 400 points one day, and down 700 points the next. Up 900 points, and then a drop of 400 points. You also see the same images of brokers with their face in their hands as the market keeps falling. Stock values have dropped considerably. Google stocks was once valued at $700/stock, and it is now about $372/stock. Not that I'm saying this is cheap, but it goes to show that for the most part, nothing has been able to hide from the recession-like environment that we're in. Businesses are closing, and families are finding it difficult to make ends meet. It seems like we have a long rough road ahead of us. I don't mean to be pessimistic, but it is obvious that the worst is not behind us.... contrary to what many analysts say. It's going to be interesting how the holiday season will unfold with many people tightening their budget. Looks like Santa's going to be frugal this year...