• Wes Bloomquist •
• Originally published November 30, 2008 at 3:32 p.m., updated November 30, 2008 at 3:32 p.m.

Sunday marked the last day of Hurricane season. Whew! The 2008 Hurricane season was anything but fair and mild.

Two major hurricanes struck the Texas Coast north and south of us - Hurricane Dolly (July 21 near Brownsville) and Hurricane Ike (Sept. 15 at Galveston and Houston). After Dolly on Aug. 2, Tropical Storm Edouard hit the Texas/Louisiana border, as well. It's almost as if Nature was sighting its scope for Victoria.

Let's not forget Hurricane Gustav. Although it hit the Louisiana Coast, it soon moved into Texas. The aftermath left 16 Texas counties named as federal disaster areas.

While Victoria was spared, Galveston and Houston suffered terribly from Ike. In fact, according to Weather expert David Tewes' blog, Sky Watch, at http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/9599, this hurricane season was the "fourth most costly season on record."

Ike, with 110 mph winds at landfall with a 20-foot surge, also is responsible for the lost lives of 84 Texans.

Needless to say, the cost of the destruction continues to be tallied. But it's safe to say it is in the billions, and some homes, businesses and structures will never be replaced or recovered.

Associated Press writer Seth Borenstein wrote "Data on death and damage are still being calculated, but the insurance industry recorded at least $10.6 billion in losses this hurricane season. That includes $8.1 billion in insured damage from Hurricane Ike, which ranked as the seventh most expensive catastrophe in the United States history, according to Mike Barry of the Insurance Information Institute in New York."

We should count our blessings here in the Victoria area but remain prepared for the future. We can learn from our mistakes. Adjust and make preparations for the 2009 hurricane season that begins June 1.

So it is with a sigh of relief that we can be happy the 2008 hurricane season is over - a real Thanksgiving of sorts.

This editorial reflects the views of the Victoria Advocate's editorial board.

• 2009 Hurricane names:

  Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Erika, Fred, Grace, Henri, Ida, Joaquin, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor, Wanda

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