Homeowners in Crystal Beach Begin Clean Up

The rain didn't stop some homeowners on the Bolivar Peninsula from cleaning their property.

While the power lines go up, residents and property owners are clearing debris, and trying to find a way back to normal on the beach.

Sam Gray is cleaning up debris hurricane Ike left at his beach home.

"We feel really fortunate, our house is one of the few standing and it's pretty structurally sound. We have a lot to rebuild for," says Sam Gray.

Gray says his house in Driftwood, in Crystal Beach, has only a few minor problems.

There's a hole in the roof, one in the side of the house, but the party lights and speakers stuck around.

"Of course the downstairs is gone, the electrical, plumbing, all that needs to be replaced. You'd expect that in a storm," says Gray.

He and his wife aren't waiting to remodel.

"Right now we don't have enough closet space for clothes, so we'll have to remodel anyway just to accommodate retiring," says Gray.

Their plans are to retire here on Sandcastle in about a year. So they're moving out the trash and opening windows, trying to get things back in order, even with the rain.

"I'm hoping the salt will wash away with all the heavy rain we got and we'll start to see grass come back," says Gray.

Gray hopes the green will soon replace the sand, and that their neighbors will be back just as quickly.

"I think people love the beach, this is going to come back to the way it was. Might take some time, might take a couple of years, but you're going to see the same number of homes and the same types of homes," says Gray.

Filling in the gaps Ike left behind on Gray's street, so the couple has friends to invite to their party in less than a year.

"This will be a big party in 2009 for my 60th birthday, have to have it remodeled and ready to go by then," says Gray.

The Bolivar Peninsula Special Utility District will hold a meeting tonight to discuss the future of the water district and the supply of water on the peninsula.