Hurricane Ike Live Thread IV

NOAA/NHC ^ | 14 September 2008 | NOAA/NHC

[onemiddleamerican]

The KHOU reporting, with their chopper, has not gone over the west end of Galveston Island. There are very many people who live on the west end and who evacuated, who are posting on KHOU's forums; and they are questioning why no aerial coverage of the west end. The answers that I am seeing (on those forums) are that the choppers are not allowed to fly lower than 2k feet - lower altitude is for S & R.

So apparently, there is a great need for search and rescue on the west end of the island - if that end still exists. No photos or reports from there that I can find.

May be bad.

My prayers continue...

[metmom]

I was thinking last night about what I’d do in that situation; what I would take that I considered irreplaceable and leave. Things are not worth risking my life over.

I would take family mementos. There’s lots of stuff I’d like to take that I use all the time, but it’s not irreplaceable, they’re just favorite things.

Every time I see something like this, I vow NOT to complain about the snow this winter. I suspect we’re looking at a bad winter as far as snow and likely cold, and snow can cause roof collapses if you don’t shovel them off. Ice storms can bring down lots of trees and do damage enough and put us without power for days to a week or so, but nothing compared to the devastation that a hurricane or tornado causes.

NYS does have its up side. Our weather is more along the nuisance level. Hurricanes and tornadoes, (and earthquakes) are more than that.

[AFPhys]

I have my suspicions, too... and they aren't happy thoughts.

Happier thought, a bit more interesting anyway, (since we've no pictures at all on this page, I'm going to put a 150kB pic): Look at this picture that jeffers put me on to hours ago, and glock rocks has been so good as to capture - it shows Ike well inland and still a very pretty, symmetric tropical storm. It is dominating weather in an area much larger than the whole of the United States right now. This is a water vapor channel picture, and was taken about two hours ago.

jeffers said earlier about this:

Ike is pulling moisture from a thousand miles out in the Pacific, and a thousand miles out in the Atlantic.

The core is already as wet as it gets, with more on the way, and the backside is puling down polar air from Canada.

Give this a day to organize, and the cold front could put down a LOT of tornadoes. Everyone south of the center of circulation and out front of the developing cold front is potentially at risk from severe weather.

Midwest and Mississippi Valley Sunday, east coast Monday.

[Spktyr]

KHOU: Dozen-plus large boats blown/surged onto I-45, blocking southbound access onto Galveston.

One 45 footer was actually still running while on the freeway. No persons on board, key missing. I’m not liking the implications of that....

[Amelia]

Maybe that was it. I think it was Crystal Beach, but couldn’t remember the name because it wasn’t a place I’d heard of before. Definitely one of those places which was flooded early.

The story here (if I weren’t so lazy I’d find it & link it) was that there was a large group of people on one building, and maybe 3 on a building across the street from them.

It seems to me that it started flooding sooner than a lot of people expected. I know that I turned on the TV briefly at lunchtime yesterday & saw Seaside Beach already with water in the streets. Is it possible that some people planned to leave at the last minute but waited too long?

[penelopesire]

(Attacking the govt and agencies is always acceptable)

Good...LOL..I will go on another rip of that Dhimwhitt mayor of Galveston. I watched her for a bit in another news conference and she seemed very ‘concerned’ about the western end of the Island... saying: “That’s 47% of our TAX BASE”....(eye roll). Only a big government dem could say something like that, at a time like this!

She has really gotten on my last nerve....LOL!

[metmom]

It sure doesn’t sound good. They’re doing search and rescue for a reason.

My guess is that they’d rather not have people see their dead relatives on live TV first. It’d be an awfully tough way to find out someone you love didn’t make it.

Sure would be nice to know I’m wrong.

[DrewsMum]

“I haven’t yet gotten over the fear of major casualties.”

I am wondering...could this be a case of the government, um in denial?? I am not trying to be a conspiracy theorist, but I heard something one time about how the death numbers from hurricane Andrew were “low-balled”....

[Spktyr]

I’m guessing that she’s not going to get re-elected... chances are that she’s reached her Ann Richards moment - and Texans in general (Sheila Jackson Lee not withstanding) are not tolerant of stupid politicians.

[txhurl]

Oddly, the Midwest over the last two years has had more reason to fear hurricanes than we Coastal people.

[valkyry1]

How about if I just toss up a jib sail instead and go where the wind does!

[meanie monster]

I am concerned about my friend in Beaumont Texas.

[metmom]

Another interesting map...

You can see how the front is going to guide it along up through NY, where it's supposed to hit Mon, still at TD strength.

[AFPhys]

Those last four lines should be accredited to jeffers, by the way.

[WorkerbeeCitizen]

Then I too shall sail.

[Spktyr]

Doubt it. This is Texas after all.

What is more likely is that they’re not catering to the media and will release casualty figures and rolls when they are confirmed and as complete as can be.

Judging by some of the descriptions on KHOU, they may be going house to house via air. The water is receding at varying rates, though.

[DrewsMum]

“and the media”

Good Sakes Alive..I can’t believe I forgot that..I KNOW I am tired if I forgot that little diddy...laughing at HERaldo and fuming about Grandma Nagin in Galveston is what has saved my sanity. (the sanity part could be debated at this point)

[Amelia]

Running without the key in it?

The boats I know have a strap from the key to the driver so that if the driver goes overboard, the boat stops instead of running away from or over the driver...

I know a lot of people who don’t use it, but I thought if the key came out the boat would turn off.

[1066AD]

Lower left of page has link to USCG video made approx 2:30pm today, might help if you know the island a bit !

[metmom]

I wonder if that what was what mad_as_he$$ was referring to in this post....

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2081430/posts?page=639#639

I just got an emergency call from the facilities superintendent for one of my clients; a very large chemical company that operates several giant facilities from Houston up to NOLA. They are requesting some of our products that can only mean that three of their facilities have been seriously damaged.