GALVESTON —For the next two weeks, Galveston is switching gears from hurricane recovery to party mode. Mardi Gras started Friday and runs through Fat Tuesday, Feb. 24. 

The free two week long street party is as much about fun as it is helping the strand rebuild. "We love it. We've been doing this for years, bit it's sad because some of the shops we know and love aren't open," said visitor Jaimee Howarth. Other businesses have reopened or have "returning soon" signs posted on their front doors.  

"From what I can tell there's been quite a bit of progress made in clean up, and I know the folks in Galveston want to see a lot of people come out, said John Smith III, who is attending Mardi Gras for the first time. 

With the possibility of 200,000 people dropping by the island, preparation goes beyond having enough food and drinks. Galveston EMS is staffing extra ambulances. Post Ike, UTMB is no longer a Level One Trauma Center. "Now we'll be going ground transport to hospitals in the region anywhere from 13 to 25 miles away," said Michael Carr, Galveston EMS. 

As in years past, PHI Air Medical offered up a helicopter to be on standby throughout the celebration, but this Mardi Gras the chopper may be more important than ever. 

"With the UTMB emergency room still closed, all the critical care patients are having to be flown off the island. Should EMS have an actual emergency it cuts out 15 minutes or so of the patients waiting on us to fly down," said Don Wade, flight paramedic.

The helicopter usually gets used more during events like Mardi Gras, but everyone in Galveston hopes the only news created on the island for the next couple of weeks is the kind that makes business owners and tourists smile. For the next two weeks, Galveston is switching gears from hurricane recovery to party mode. Mardi Gras started Friday and runs through Fat Tuesday, February 24th.