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.
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Discussion Updated every 6 hours
Buoy data: Western Gulf of Mexico
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Additional Resources:
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| 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)
We had an ice storm once in E TX and the worst part was the pine trees breaking and pulling down all the power lines. It was a mess.
susie
yeah but Rita was 48 hours out, ike is just abot 30, big difference.
It’s just really giant, that’s what hit me this afternoon. It nearly fills the whole gulf! (and I heard a news woman on Fox yesterday call it the GOLF of Mexico!)
susie
Lufkin/Nacogdoches area. About 110 miles north of Houston.
I feel so bad for all the people out on the road. We saw lots of traffic on Hwy 69N earlier.
Well Houston...here’s your opportunity. Not to abuse the good governor’s hospitality but the LA governor did offer to send buses in to get people out.
I'm praying for a miracle...that it somehow breaks up or lessens in strength.
This doesn't look good at all. I won't relax until I've heard from every one of my loved ones back home after this thing is over.
I posted it to show how Ike’s track shift trend is pretty similar to Rita’s. Yesterday, they were almost identical as well from an almost identical point in the Gulf. If that trend holds, Ike would make landfall east of Galveston Bay, which is waaaay better than it making landfall just to the west of Galveston Bay - it would mean a LOT less surge pushing into Texas City and Houston.
NEW YORK - Gasoline prices jumped to unprecedented levels in the wholesale markets Thursday as Hurricane Ike tore across the Gulf of Mexico, threatening to strike Texas and its refineries.
Crude oil on the futures market, however, sank below $101 a barrel to its lowest settlement price since late March - a sign that investors are still worried about waning global demand.
The wholesale price of gasoline ranged from $4 to nearly $5 a gallon in the U.S. Gulf Coast throughout the day on Thursday, said Tom Kloza, publisher and chief oil analyst of the Oil Price Information Service in Wall, N.J.
It’s sad when people just expect help because they’ve been victims all their lives and someone always comes to their aid. It would actually be good for them to have to fend for themselves just once.
susie
You going to be OK? Are you all set for it?
I didn’t even recognize him when I saw him on camera! Has he put on weight?
susie
We used to live in Henderson! Hey former neighbor! (I love that part of the world—I took my teaching classes in Nac!)
susie
Latest tracking has this monster landing at San Luis Pass.
You can relax for now . . . tomorrow you can stress! We will definitely keep you posted on how things are going.
He kept saying "1.5 people could get killed if they don't follow the evacuation orders." He said it three times before he corrected it to "1.5 million people."
In any event, I hope and pray that everyone is safe and the damage is minimal. I realize it doesn't look good, though.
After looking at the steering layers maps last night, I called my brother in Houston and told him they were going to get nailed. Ike looks particularly bad because of its right hook after making landfall. The "dirty side" of the hurricane will be over Harris County much longer than usual.
Please do...the news is making it look really scary and talking about the possibility of 100 mph winds in the west part of town.
I'm going to FReepmail you my mobile number (US VOIP number) and then I'm going to get some sleep.
Please be safe, y'all.
Actually I think a lot of them would become productive citizens if the “do gooders” would leave them alone.
Oh yea, we got ready when gus was threatening.Plenty food, plenty gas for generator, water tubs filled and BBQ pit ready, we’ll be fine.
Heh, that's just sad. Reminds me of the episode of Married: With Children where Kelly Bundy gets a "weather-babe" job at a local TV station. Then the station management found out her reading skills were below-par. "There's a strom front moving through later this week..."
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