(CNN) — Warren and Pam Adams lost a house to Hurricane Rita in 2005, so it seems they’d be relieved to learn their new home withstood Hurricane Ike. But not when their house is the only one still standing in their section of Gilchrist, Texas.

Ike’s storm surge last week devastated the Bolivar Peninsula town, flattening most of the roughly 200 homes there. The couple’s yellow house at the beach — supported 14 feet off the ground by wooden columns — was the only house on Gilchrist’s Gulf Coast side not to be flattened.

“As we got there, the tears started flowing,” Warren Adams, 63, said Thursday after his first visit to the home since evacuating. “There’s a yellow house sitting there, but that’s all. It was devastating.” Although the house is there, it might not continue to stand. Huge storm surges walloped the interior, making it uninhabitable and destroying many belongings.

Appliances, furniture, and a grandfather clock were some of the many things rendered useless. Warren and Pam, two of the beach town’s several hundred permanent residents before Ike, spent part of Thursday salvaging what they could and lamenting the destruction of their friends’ homes. The survival of the couple’ house, where they started living in April of last year, caused a stir on the Internet. Helicopter pilot Ray Asgar shot some photos of the house from the air and submitted them to CNN’s iReport.com. Some who wrote comments about the photos questioned whether they were authentic.

Yes, this picture does look Photoshopped, but if not, the builder may have to change his phone number.




  1. Klauser says:

    This people missed an opportunity to make money.. put up a big ad on this joint..

  2. chciagotohouston says:

    Listen here – It is not in the country’s best interest to refuse to help. There are for more repercussions for letting people sink. Would you rather see a 700 BILLION DOLLAR bail out for idiots that drove the country into the ground? or a few billion to help out people in need? When the Tsunami hit Sri Lanka we came and helped. I’ll be damned if we help another coutnry and don’t help our own. Tornados Earthquakes, Hurricanes, Floods…all unpredictable. So, by the thinking of the complainers…we shoudl abandon the entire west coast, east coast, and midwest. Where the heck do you want people to live? Natural disasters are going to occur ANYWHERE. Should people move out of Iowa because it flooded? I used to live in Chicago. The entire state of IL is on a major fault line. Should we abandon the 3rd largest city in the country because there might be an earthquake? Should we abandon it because we get tornados? If we do, where are we going to go? You can’t avoid it. Be realistic here. Ike was so huge that it FLOODED CHICAGO. Parts of the highway system were shut down for 2 weeks. Oh no! Everyone flee Chicago! We’re in hurricane alley now! Let’s live in a bubble, because we can! You cannot avoid any sort of natural disaster no mattere WHERE you live. Idiots…

  3. Fountain38 says:

    This picture was not photoshopped. I personally saw this house this weekend. I turned around in the driveway.

    The area is devastated. It is everyones right to leave by the water if they choose too. The area once was beautiful and will be a nice area again in time. Good luck and God Bless to everyone who went through this terrible event.

  4. johnjasonw says:

    Wow you Liberals posting here are a bunch of jerks. My parents house was there and they lost everything they owned and the insurance companies are not being helpful stating that they have to prove how the house was destroyed, big suprise. Their house was built in 71 and has survived several hurricanes. You people who say they should have their head examined are sad, sad people! We can not control mother nature. Earthquakes, flood, mud slides, forest fires, and yes hurricanes. Should the whole country have their head examined or should we all live in your safe house, jerks!

  5. bobbo says:

    #35–john==ok, no head examination, just high insurance and no bail out.

    Happy now?

  6. augustus1967 says:

    This is where I grew up.
    My Grand Parents Lived Here.
    My Aunt and Uncle and Cousins LIVED Here.
    My Dad LIVES HERE!!!

    The homes of my family were not Second Homes or Vacation Homes.

    My Family has lived here for nearly one hundred years.

    I am going home tomorrow.

    Anyone with some Attitude come on down and meet me there and I will show you around.

    Love and Sorrow is what I feel for Gilchrist and her families.

    Pity is what I feel for Jerks that have no understanding of loss and hardship.

    Regards,

    -BA

  7. renee fagg says:

    you know i have been coming to gilchrist for 32 years it WOULD have been 33 this year. my parent have been coming for 57 years. i have my three children have been here from 6 months up and now are 7,3,14 months and it tears my heart out that it is all gone. my parents had lived in their brand new house that they had been building for 1 year. they lived in it for 14 days before the hurricane blew everything away. they brought every thing that they owned from irving texas into this house and now have NOTHING. i can believe that nothing can be done for them. you know what though my dad said “i still have property, a couple of them and there still mine they just don’t have a house on them but i will go and park a trailer and live there.” i hope that everyone that has seen the pictures as taken a moment to pray for the people that lost EVERYTHING.

  8. LOUISE says:

    RENEE, I HAD A CAMP IN GILCHRIST ON HAMM ROAD AND MY DAD BUILT IT IN 1959. IT WAS WELL BUILT, BUT IT WENT. IT SAW A LOT OF STORMS AND STAYED. I’M LIKE YOUR DAD, A TRAILER SEEMS JUST FINE TO ME. WHEN I WAS SMALL I SLEPT ON THE BEACH WHILE MY DAD AND A LOT OF THE MEN THAT WORKED AT THE GULF WOULD SAIN AND BUILD A BIG FIRE AND COOK THE CRABS AND FISH. WE REALLY HAD FUN.. THE GOV. WORRIES TO MUCH ABOUT HOW THEY CAN TAKE YOUR STUFF. PEOPLE IN TEXAS ARE TUFF AND SURVIVE. I HAD NO INSURANCE, BUT THE CAMP WAS NICE AND FUN FOR ME AND KIDS AND THERE FRIENDS AND MY FRIENDS.SO COME ON DOWN AND ENJOY, A TRAILER IS FINE.

  9. msbridget says:

    I am originally down from the galveston area, about 30 miles inland, i have family about 60 miles inland, everyone i know no matter how close to the ocean they were or how far north of houston they are, they all felt the affects of Ike. I live in La and im 70 miles inland and I felt Ike. Rather its a hurricane near the coasts, or wildfires in Ca, Tornadoes in OK or Ks and many more states, or a snowstorm up north, we cant run from mother nature. Some times people have to go where life takes them for example their jobs. I cant beleive some of the postings i have read, people do pay their ins. and they deserve the help, we do pay taxes and far as i am concerned everyone deserves the help no matter where your at or what hit you. As much as we all get screwed by the gov, let them help us when needed, i think you people are missing the point here and lord forbid you ever be stiked with a natural disaster, i bet you dont bitch then.

  10. carl casey says:

    From 1976-1985 [ called Gilchrist home. would like to hear from anyone from that era


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