We took a trip over to the Heights today at lunch to see how the historic neighborhood was faring five days after Hurricane Ike. The Heights, like many other older neighbohoods in Houston, was badly battered by the high winds and tornados that Ike produced. The incredible wealth of beautiful old live oak and pecan trees in the neighborhood only gave Ike additional fodder during its destructive rampage. Driving down I-10 towards the Heights, the......

Media reports we've heard indicate that Ike's strongest winds were felt on the Northwest side of town. This seems to be confirmed by our tour of Oak Forest, which is situated just outside the loop between Ella & TC Jester and 34th & 43rd. The Oak Forest neighborhood dates back to the post-war development boom of the 1950s. Although some of the homes have been transformed into McMansions, most of the area still dominated......