I just went to Galveston for a pre-wedding meet and greet.

As we were discussing random things and interesting fact came up. Apparently there are Galveston die-hards that pride themselves on the fact that they are BOI (Born On Island). And apparently there is a crowd that has NEVER left the island in their LIFE. Never crossed the causeway. DID NOT evacuate for Rita.

Insanity. Anyone know some of these loony tunes?

Being BOI doesn't make someone a loony tune. I'm going to proud to one day have children who are BOI.

When I taught in Galveston I had several students (6th- 12th graders) who had never left the island. But it wasn't by choice; their families didn't have cars or a purpose to leave. We took them on a field trip across the ferry to Boliver and it was a really big deal to several of them.

I know I hate leaving the island and only leave when I have to.

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Being BOI doesn't make someone a loony tune.

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but not crossing the causeway does.

i'm BOI... can't imagine never leaving the island.

oh, and i wouldn't have evacuated for rita if my boss at the time wasn't the mayor who made it mandatory. i don't think it's a big deal to stay in town for a hurricane.

I'm a BOI, but I have left the island.

Oh, and it's pretty dumb not to leave if a big hurricane is coming IMO.

[This message has been edited by Fuzzbutt (edited 6/30/2008 11:58p).]

I'm BOI. We stayed for Alicia in '83, but I would never do that again. Pretty darn scary. I didn't have much of a choice back then. The decision to stay was made by may parents.

Don't know of any BOIs that have not left the island, but I can tell you that the older they get, the less they will cross the causeway.

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I can tell you that the older they get, the less they will cross the causeway.

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So true! It is amazing how difficult it is to get some of my friends/family to cross the causeway. My grandma wouldn't even drive to Dickinson last year for Thanksgiving. She even declined an offer for someone to come pick her up. I love the island, but I can't stay for long.

BTW, I'm BOI. I don't brag about it. It's just something to be proud of. You'll find the same thing wherever people are proud of their home. My buddies in Nawlin's are like this.

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I'm going to proud to one day have children who are BOI.

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Will be a lot less "real" BOI's since UTMB only delivers babies on an emergency basis--they now refer all routine births to the mainland.

Interesting

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Gramercy Riffs
posted 2:45p, 05/27/08

oh, and i wouldn't have evacuated for rita if my boss at the time wasn't the mayor who made it mandatory. i don't think it's a big deal to stay in town for a hurricane.

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Not evacuating when there's a chance that a strong hurricane may hit the island is just stupid.

I am one of those "looney toons"...I call myself a BOI, but I that doesn't imply that I have never left the island...

I'm a BOI and I have left the island. In fact, I live in College Station now. Stayed for Alicia (among other storms), not that it was my choice either, but I was never scared nor worried. In fact, I thought it was pretty cool to go through. If I lived there and another was to come through; it would depend on the strength and tide of the thing. An upper cat 3 with 10-12+ foot tides, then I am gone.

[This message has been edited by Ag_B_10 (edited 7/10/2008 5:42p).]

Both of my parents were BOI, but left the island. They're in Hitchcock now & dad wouldn't leave with mom when Rita was supposed to hit. We didn't leave TC for Alicia or when Gilbert was supposed to come in. Actually for Gilbert, we went to the island & hate lunch at La Estacion (La Rumba then) & watched the surfers. My rule was always if it's going to be a Cat 3 or above, get the hell out. The hubby was living in Jamaica Beach when Francis came in & got flooded out with no electricity for days though. I'd say it depends on where on the island you live as to when you should leave.

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Not evacuating when there's a chance that a strong hurricane may hit the island is just stupid.

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oh yeah? we'll you're stupid! i can play that 5th grade game too.

I was living in Texas City at the time (damn near Dickinson, actually), and something about the 19-hour drive to Austin didn't seem like too much fun. I just think that if I want to stay (and risk death(?) or whatever else people are so scared of), it should be my option.

I remember running around outside during Hurricane Alicia in '83, and I've rebuilt my uncle's house in Bayou Vista three times after hurricanes. But unlike my uncle, my house wasn't on stilts, so I didn't worry about that sort of thing.

Call me stupid all you want, but I didn't feel like leaving. And until I moved last year and made this all a moot point, I didn't plan on evacuating for a hurricane ever again. But hey, I got a nice story out of it... how many people can say that they watched the sun go down and then come up again on what should have been a three-hour trip to Austin?

[This message has been edited by Gramercy Riffs (edited 7/11/2008 12:42p).]

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oh yeah? we'll you're stupid!

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That sentence doesn't really make sense, but okay.

We evacuated for Rita at 7am and hit no traffic at all heading to Austin. Sorry if everyone else decided to leave at the same time.

I do think it was a little ridiculous that all of Houston evacuated, causing people in Galveston County to have to turn around and ride out the storm at home. Thank God we didn't get a direct hit.

Yeah my mom didn't listen to me. She didn't leave until the people in Houston had started to leave. She thought she'd outsmart them all & take highway 6 & go through Rosenberg & all that. She got stuck out there with almost no gas & it was 12 hours later. She finally made it up to our house in Cedar Park the next day (she stopped at a hotel). I'm glad that Rita didn't come in (even though it means that I have to listen to my dad say that he knew it wasn't), but I really hope that next time she'll listen to me & leave earlier.