UNITED STATES PUBLIC ADJUSTERS

Hurricane Ike Baby Boom

HOUSTON — It's taking a while for one consequence of Hurricane Ike to take effect — nine months, to be exact.

Many people were stranded at home with no electricity for days or even weeks after Ike slammed Southeast Texas on Sept. 13, and several obstetrical practices associated with The Woman's Hospital of Texas say they're expecting a mini-baby boom.

Dr. Rakhi Dimino, an obstetrician/gynecologist with Houston Women's Care Associates, spent several days after Ike at home with her husband with no electricity and is set to give birth to her first child June 10. She told the Houston Chronicle she was doing "what everybody else in Houston was doing."

"You can only do so much when there's no television, nothing open and there's nowhere to go," said Dimino, 33.

Dr. John Irwin, the chief of surgery service at Woman's Hospital who routinely delivers 15 to 20 babies a month, said he has 26 deliveries scheduled in June.

"There's about a 25 percent increase in the number of deliveries coming up in mid-June to mid-July," he said.

His colleagues at Obstetrical and Gynecological Associates, the 35-physician practice where he is president, have seen a similar increase.

Dr. Ferdinand Plavidal, chief of obstetrics at Woman's, delivered nine babies last July. He has 20 scheduled this July. Most of those women conceived in October, said Carol Mello, a nurse in Plavidal's practice.

Woman's Hospital, which had more than 9,000 births in 2008 and expects to break that record this year, is expecting to have at least 100 more births this summer.

"We are well-prepared for it," said hospital CEO Linda Russell. "We have just opened up a new wing with 92 additional beds.

But other Houston birthing centers, including The Methodist Hospital and the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston — which ranks among the top 10 hospitals in births statewide — aren't ready to predict an Ike baby boom.

Hurricane Gustav, Ike and Paloma never again

MIAMI, USA (CMC) - The names Gustav, Ike and Paloma will never be associated with future hurricanes or tropical storms on account of their deadly romp through the Caribbean last year, the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced.

The storms claimed more than 200 lives and left a trail of destruction calculated in the billions across the region from August to November 2008.

Under the normal six-year rotation, the names would have been up to be used again in 2014. However, they will be replaced by Gonzalo, Isaias and Paulette.
An NOAA spokesman said the names were retired for reasons of sensitivity.

"That's why you'll never hear the name Katrina again or Andrew, for that matter. It would be very inappropriate," Dennis Feltgen said on Friday.

Hurricane Gustav slammed into Haiti as a Category One hurricane in August, killing 77 people before tearing into Cuba as a powerful Category Four system.

More than 80 people were killed as a result of Hurricane Ike in the Caribbean. The Turks and Caicos Islands, the Southeastern Bahamas and Cuba were among the worst impacted.

The Cuban government said Paloma, which became the second strongest November hurricane on record, reaching Category 4, destroyed more than 1,400 homes and caused about US$300 million in damage on the island.

Rep. Craig Eiland files TWIA lawsuit

GALVESTON — State Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston, holds the second highest position in the Texas House of Representatives, but even he can’t get satisfaction when it comes to Hurricane Ike insurance claims, he said.

Eiland, speaker pro tem of the House who owns a Galveston law firm, last week joined the ranks of frustrated coastal business and property owners when he filed a lawsuit against Texas Windstorm Insurance Association in Judge Susan Criss’ 212th State District Court.