HITCHCOCK, Texas -- Hanging around the campfire and visiting friends sounds nostalgic, unless you actually need the fire to cook and keep warm.

JR Molock is a blue tarp worker. He and his pals from Tennessee were expecting 90 degree temperatures in Texas. 

After Ike , they packed up their tents and headed south.  They set up at the Galveston County fairgrounds.   But even though the group claims they are tough country boys, every camper knows what to hate most about cold nights.

“You know the worst part about it is when you have to pee,” said Molock.

Why not rent something with indoor plumbing?  Some workers actually did go to a hotel to fend off the cold, but most of the few dozen people camping out at the fairgrounds have yet to be paid.

They had been working as roofers with FEMA.  But now those familiar blue tarps used for hurricane victims are now doubling as insulation for hurricane workers.

In some cases, temporary housing lived up to its name.

Russell Sullenberger's tent blew down, so his camping neighbor fashioned an insulating wind wall out of FEMA blue tarp.

“That wind break they built today because they were worried about the cold, too,” said Sullenberger.  

Most of the people living at the fairgrounds are from out of state. Many are veteran storm chasers looking for work. They're a hardy lot, not to be deterred by a drop in the temperatures.