Booked it to Newport-Mesa

Spending a sunny day on a yacht in Newport Harbor watching his brother get married helped take Jeff Fox’s mind off the natural disaster that just destroyed everything he had worked for during the last 10 years.

He flew into John Wayne Airport on Thursday afternoon, uncertain of the damage Hurricane Ike caused to his home in Gilchrist, Texas, which he refers to as “the town that got wiped out.” Since then, friends have reported that nothing remains of his house, which he and his wife, Rachel, had paid off.

“The vacation has kept our mind off of it. It’s going to be a terrible thing when we have to go back and see what’s not there,” Fox said.

The couple flew back to Texas on Monday evening, and Wednesday he will make his first trip out to examine the wreckage. Because he had only wind insurance, and the hurricane brought water with it, Fox doesn’t expect to be reimbursed. He and his wife have still not wrapped their minds around the fact that they’re now homeless.

“I really can’t describe it. It’s like 10 years of your life gone in a matter of hours. Everything we worked for, our investment is gone,” Fox said.

Having such a happy occasion as a brother’s wedding in a place like Newport Beach helped the couple ease their minds. They said they loved the sunny weather and the natural scenery.

“The people are friendly, the beaches are nice and clean and pretty; we love it here. It’s a very nice place to be. Lots of traffic, though,” Fox said.

A traffic ticket on their way to their lodging from the airport was the only bitter experience. They got pulled over for not wearing seat belts in the back seat of their parents’ rental car — something that isn’t illegal where they’re from — and couldn’t manage to get out of it.

At least the officers were friendly about it, Fox said.

Even before they’re back in their own house, Fox says he will have to go back to work because he owns his own construction company, and he can’t go without the income any longer. As he was evacuating, he grabbed only a filing cabinet, a computer, a duffel bag full of clothes and his tool chest.

“We can’t wait around for the insurance companies and other government entities that are going to help,” Fox said.

If there’s one silver lining in the disaster, Fox said there will be plenty of construction to do once the authorities allow residents and businesses to start moving back in.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected].