Hurricane Ike blew threw Galveston, Texas five years ago this September 13. Ike's strong winds and flooding destroyed 80 percent of the homes on Galveston Island, and the area is still picking up the pieces today. Before the storm, the city had about 57,000 residents. Now, the population is 48,000.
In all, the storm caused 112 fatalities and cost $29.2 billion in damages. The oil and gas industry was particularly hard hit. Ike severely damaged oil platforms, storage tanks, and pipelines, leading to a severe gasoline shortage throughout the southeast US.
