New GRH Advocate tells of Hurricane Ike Experience
To whom it may concern,
My name is Matt Parr, and I’m writing this e-mail to let you know about something that happened during Hurricane Ike. I live in El Lago (Clearlake), and I was forced to evacuate before the storm. Well, as fate would be, my girlfriend was staying with her aunt and uncle in a Gil Ramirez Home on E. Jennifer Way, that’s located in the Las Alamedas sub-division. She got permission to allow me to stay with them in their home. Now before I continue, let me recap. Hurricane Ike was estimated to have 110-125 mph winds, horizontal blown rain, massive street flooding and was considered by many to be life threatening.
At about 4:40 p.m. on September 12th, 2008, I entered their home on E. Jennifer Way. We began watching the “24 hour Storm Watch” on television and prepared the house the best we knew how. Candles ready for power outages, bathtub full of water, and all the windows closed and locked. Outside we looked for any objects that may become wind blown and removed them, as well as securing the trash receptacle. So we felt pretty good about everything we could control. Everything except the one thing we couldn’t control…….. the quality of the house we all took refuge in.
The winds picked up to gale force around 9:00 p.m. and by midnight, we all knew the worst was coming and there was nothing more we could do. We were now at the mercy of the design, construction and quality of the home we chose to stay in, and there was no way to leave. We were going to ride it out all night long. Well let me tell you what it was like in a Gil Ramirez Home during a Hurricane that we found out later had claimed dozens, if not hundreds, of lives. I listened all night to the splatter of rain against the windows, and feeling the flex of the window with my hand on it, I could tell there was a lot of force in the wind driving that rain. But the windows stood strong!!! Not a drop of rain came past those windows. Looking outside at the other Gil Ramirez Home across the street, I could see the sheets of wind and rain glancing off the roof, and pounding into the structure. I remember thinking to myself, could this house look as safe to the neighbor across the street as that house looked to me right then? I could hear the wind ripping at the roof, trying to separate the shingles from the planking or the planking from the rafters or the rafters from the studs or the studs from the foundation, but the house stood strong. The sounds of creaking and cracking were comforting to me in a way because I knew this house was fighting back. Fighting to do what was expected from it. Fighting to maintain the integrity and security it was designed to do, and fighting to save the lives of the people inside.
After several hours of trying to stay awake and expect the worst, my fears were replaced with fatigue and I knew I had to put my confidence, my trust and my life into the house built by Gil Ramirez Homes. I need to say right here, I don’t know Gil Ramirez Sr. or Gil Ramirez Jr. or anyone affiliated with Gil Ramirez Homes, but if I could meet them and shake their hands they would know by the grip in my palm and the look in my eye, I approve of their company and their complete organization.
The next morning I was awakened by the sound of silence. No fans, no television, no a/c, no traffic, not even a Southwest Airliner overhead. And as I got moving around and looking outside at the house, you know I didn’t see the first problem whatsoever………….not a broken piece of glass, not a screen ripped off, not a shingle out of place, and not an inch of water in the house!!!!!
When I buy a home, and I am planning on it next year, I will listen very carefully to the Gil Ramirez sales representative, but more than that, I will remember the night of September 12th 2008, and the house that for one night became the home I was glad to be in. Thank you, thank you, from the deepest part of my thoughts for not cutting corners when you could have to make a buck, or not using inferior materials if it could save money. I appreciate you and what you have done with this company and I wish you continued success in the years to come.
Matt Parr
Adventure Marine |
