Posted on 09/10/2008 2:18:37 PM PDT by NautiNurse
Texas began issuing mandatory and voluntary evacuations as Hurricane Ike continued to strengthen and slowly moved toward an uncertain landfall destination in the western Gulf of Mexico. Texas Governor Rick Perry issued a disaster declaration in advance of the storm. Louisiana Governor Jindal released several hundred buses to Texas for evacuation assistance.
Reports from Cuba indicate widespread damage from Hurricane Ike, which raked the length of the island nation. The U.S. State Department again offered Cuba humanitarian assistance after a previous offer was declined by the Cuban government.
The stock market Wednesday rose as investors bought oil stocks and and oill futures fell.
Public Advisory Updated every 3 hours
Discussion Updated every 6 hours
Buoy data: Western Gulf of Mexico
Houston/Galveston Long Range Radar
Corpus Christi Long Range Radar
Brownsville Long Range Radar Lake Charles Long Range Radar
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Additional Resources:
Navy Tropical Cyclone
Storm Pulse Very cool site
ABC 13 News Houston
FOX News Houston
KRIS-TV Corpus Christi
KZTV Corpus Christi
Brazoria County Emergency Management
Galveston County Emergency Management
Chambers Country Emergency Management
Liberty County Emergency Management
| Category | Wind Speed | Barometric Pressure | Storm Surge | Damage Potential |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Depression |
< 39 mph < 34 kts |
Minimal | ||
| Tropical Storm |
39 - 73 mph 34 - 63 kts |
Minimal | ||
| Hurricane 1 (Weak) |
74 - 95 mph 64 - 82 kts |
28.94" or more 980.02 mb or more |
4.0' - 5.0' 1.2 m - 1.5 m |
Minimal damage to vegetation |
| Hurricane 2 (Moderate) |
96 - 110 mph 83 - 95 kts |
28.50" - 28.93" 965.12 mb - 979.68 mb |
6.0' - 8.0' 1.8 m - 2.4 m |
Moderate damage to houses |
| Hurricane 3 (Strong) |
111 - 130 mph 96 - 112 kts |
27.91" - 28.49" 945.14 mb - 964.78 mb |
9.0' - 12.0' 2.7 m - 3.7 m |
Extensive damage to small buildings |
| Hurricane 4 (Very strong) |
131 - 155 mph 113 - 135 kts |
27.17" - 27.90" 920.08 mb - 944.80 mb |
13.0' - 18.0' 3.9 m - 5.5 m |
Extreme structural damage |
| Hurricane 5 (Devastating) |
Greater than 155 mph Greater than 135 kts |
Less than 27.17" Less than 920.08 mb |
Greater than 18.0' Greater than 5.5m |
Catastrophic building failures possible |
Previous Threads:
Hurricane Ike Live Thread I
TS Hanna, Hurricane Ike & TS Josephine [Other than that, the tropics are calm]
Tropical Storms Hanna, Ike and Josephine, TD Gustav (Other than that, the tropics are calm)
When was the last time you had to worry about a tornado from a front? That what we have to deal with on the GC and a hurricane..
Not too bad, no, but they are worse than a typical thunderstorm since they last for much longer.
But, I certainly wouldn’t be too concerned about tropical storm winds despite that. Still, it might be wise to prepare.
Myself, if I lived on the shore like you, and folks were talking about a possible 35 foot storm surge, I would be out of there. Life is too short, no need to shorten it.
I sure hope and pray you’re wrong, too.
With what’s trending, and the odd behavior
of BHO, it’s obvious the Dims are scared
witless and at 6’s and 7’s, as to what’s
happening and how to get their mojo back ..
completely flummoxed.
I think it’ll take an awful lot of skull-
duggery, sabotage, bribes, deals, crises,
threats and dearly departed voters ...
which are all implicitly in play. And
with the nation split down the middle,
no doubt it will be a chaotic roller
coaster ride.
And, gag me, but I won’t be surprised at
a repeat of hanging chads, voting machine
errors, stashed completed ballots, legal
challenges and agonizing lawsuits to
determine the ultimate outcome .. God
help us.
I take it you’re not a fan of “the architect?”
Are y’all leaving or staying put? Takin’ all them dawgs would be quite the hassle.
Nah. The RATS know not to mess with Texas as we’re not victims.
Local government Galveston/Houston is acting like Ike doesn’t exist. Galveston is not even evacuating yet. The evacuation for Rita was such a nighmare that no one will ever leave again.
And then, it just hit me...My one-and-only nephew, stationed at Ft. Hood, is gonna get SOMETHING as well!
He’s a crew chief on a CH-47, so you KNOW once Ike has passed, he’s gonna be part of the relief effort.
Seeing what happened with Andrew south of Miami, if I lived within 5-10 miles of the coast, then there’s no question: I’m outta there. Within a mile or so, the storm surge NE of the center will be incredible; beyond that, the winds will have little or nothing to get in their way... particularly if the wind field catches up to the pressure readings we’re now getting.
Eaker said they laid in two tons of dog food last night. I guess they ain’t leavin!
The forces of the wind vary to the square of the velocity, so while many structures might not appear to get hit that hard by a Cat I storm, they are still hurricane force winds or near it, and many structures will fail.
Additionally, 100 miles downstream on the Gulf Coast in Texas, might imply a larger accumulation of flood water runoff hitting your area from larger hydrology watersheds up river over a larger area, for several weeks after landfall.
While winds might die down, many structures built above a 100 yr flood plain, might not have been designed for that 105 year flood. When flooding begins to erode soil around foundations or saturates soil, the structural environment changes and hurricane force winds might become the prevailing force (i.e it all falls down).
Somebody can drive 70mph in a school zone, never hit a kid, and not think it’s that big of a crime. Meanwhile the cop watching the 70 mph speeder miss a kid on a bike by 2 ft, might not be as amused when he goes to enforce the law.
Likewise with hurricanes. Many will ‘ride them out’, not realizing how close the laws of physics may have come to total catastrophe. When failures hit, there is little response time or ability to respond safely during a hurricane.
Despite a few Weather Channel specials I am not sure the whole truth about his experience during Katrina will ever come out.
When he is concerned, so am I.
Rita’s lowest pressure was 897 mb; Wilma was 882 mb. Katrina was 902.
~~~
Thanks.
I was just over a year old when Carla hit . . . I think I lived through it. ;-)
When Beulah was about to hit, my mother had the bright idea to stay in a motel in our hometown (as opposed to our house that was about 50 years old). During the first part of the storm the roof of our hotel room started coming apart. It took two grown men to get each child & our mother to the safety of the hotel lobby/restaurant area. The air pressure burst the windows out of our car ~ which we examined during the eye.
What I remember most about that hurricane is . . . we were allowed to eat all the boiled shrimp we could handle and our old house only had one window shattered.
"If any thing on this graphic causes confusion, then ignore the entire product..."
Dude! There are lines going everywhere! Confusion is rampant... There is still a track headin' to the Panhandle! Yikes.
The size of this storm is just amazing & mind boggling.
Woohoo! I’m almost sorry I gotta be in P-ville for costuming work Friday night ... riding out Ike here might be fun!
Two tons of dog food should maybe - if they’re careful - last them through the weekend.
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