[Unlikely Hero]

Fox news is getting word that people are not evacuating for this storm like they did Gustav! They are having trouble evacuating people. Federal officials are concerned.

Too many cries of "wolf." It's a hassle to evacuate, and while it is best when the danger is real, most people have experiences of only the hassle for no good reason. And so they won't leave, to their peril.

For the record, I'm near downtown Houston, and I'm still trying to figure out if this is all as dangerous as it sounds, or if it's the media blowing things out of proportion, or if it's the government trying to avoid another Katrina by scaring everyone out of their minds.

[SE Mom]

I guess if I were you I’d take a look at the surge maps..

[TornadoAlley3]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIUPCfIihQ4&feature=related

old Glen Campbell song keeps playing in my head

[Ingtar]

For the record, I'm near downtown Houston, and I'm still trying to figure out if this is all as dangerous as it sounds, or if it's the media blowing things out of proportion, or if it's the government trying to avoid another Katrina by scaring everyone out of their minds.

Take a look at the storm surge hours in front of the storm and evaluate from that. Some of these places are experiencing more surge this early than they saw all through other storms. They are beginning to worry that they underestimated some of the surge.

[dirtboy]

For the record, I'm near downtown Houston, and I'm still trying to figure out if this is all as dangerous as it sounds,

East or South of downtown, or North/West? Also, how close to a bayou are you, and how far above it? You really need to be at least 30 feet above sea level, and even that is borderline.

[arkady_renko]

Head on out. This isn’t just over hyped - it is a monster storm headed right at you. Unless you are EMS or emergency personnel the rescuers don’t need another able bodied stubborn person to rescue later.

[Justa]

Dude, I live in Tampa. When Ike passed us 300 miles away we had a 4' storm surge for 2 days. Water was flowing over seawalls along bayshore drive at hight tide. Our surge matched the 'experimental' surge data at the time posted on weather undergound so imo their model is good. That model is now calling for up to a 30' surge in parts of Houston.

I don't know your area but I wouldn't want to deal with it or have a 'last min' evac situation and wreck my car on road debris or an accident -or worse in the middle of the night. It's just common sense. Like someone else said, they'll be talking about this storm 100 years from now. If nothing else get us some good pics will ya?!

[NautiNurse]

Tampa Bay area had flooding from Ike, while the storm was 400 miles away.

Tampa Bay flooding is proof of Ike's destructive power