Posted on 09/12/2008 11:29:13 PM PDT by NautiNurse
The eyewall of Hurricane Ike crossed Galveston Island in the early hours of Saturday morning. Reports indicate as many as 20,000 residents of Galveston Island chose not to evacuate as storm surge engulfed the island. The Freeport Chief of Police reported as many as 2000 residents did not evacuate as flood waters swamped coastal communities. There are widespread reports of power outages and coastal flooding throughout the Texas/Louisiana region. The U.S. Coast Guard received hundreds of calls Friday afternoon to rescue people stranded by flood waters along the barrier islands and Galveston Bay communities.
Multiple fires broke out in the Greater Houston area fueled by strong winds. Fire fighting efforts were hampered by flood waters. Brennan's Restaurant, a landmark in Houston, burned to the ground. A 584-foot freighter crippled in the Gulf of Mexico and its crew of 22 survived the storm after The U.S. Coast Guard was forced to abort rescue efforts Friday afternoon due to foul weather
Gulf Coast wholesale gasoline prices jumped to nearly $5 a gallon over fears that water and wind damage could keep the facilities closed for days or longer. Oil companies had shut down 97.5 percent of production in the Gulf of Mexico by Friday morning and were battening down refineries and petrochemical plants in an area that accounts for one-fifth of U.S. refining capacity.
Exxon Mobil reported evacuating workers from its Gulf Coast offshore platforms and onshore facilities in the anticipated path of Ike, shutting down daily production of about 36,000 barrels of oil and 270 million cubic feet of gas..
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
KHOU Houston
ABC 13 News Houston
FOX News Houston
KPLC Lake Charles
KFDM 6 Beaumont/Port Arthur
KKBMT 12 Beaumont
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 |
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Previous Threads:
Hurricane Ike Live Thread III
Hurricane Ike Live Thread II
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)
Clear Point energy representative now saying it will take them 2-4 weeks to get electric back up for everyone. They are responsible for virtually all the power distribution lines in that whole area.
It’s not uncommon in my area of NC either. However, the contrast between the Texans’ attitudes and that of the NO folks is stark.
I’ve heard that Dayton was hit pretty hard.
2.26 million lost power
2 million still out.
Dog Gone LUCKY!
Even people in apartments have them... to the point where every year, some idiot decides to light the BBQ a little close to the building and sets the building on fire.
Seriously though, just about everybody has one. There’s a nice big charcoal-fired one in my apartment courtyard with a waterproof and airtight container of charcoal next to it, along with all the other supplies one might want to get it started.
Boiling water is not a problem for most Texas, even if electric and gas service are out.
That’s a new one to me. I learned it as “F**K.... Oh God....”
Harris county is Houston. Thanks for the info!
It all does seem odd.
However, knowing the media, particularly Geraldo and others like him- by now he and others would be dropping dark hints. can’t you just hear him.....I can report, while we have no numbers, there are an undetermined number of missing... etc.
Normally too, there’s enough local gossip that makes it’s way into interviews with snooping press and then into articles..
I guess we’ll know soon enough.
That looks like it would do everything...LOL! 17,000 watts! I am into the survival stuff these days myself. Even have a wind up radio....so I can listen to Rush if the lights go off and I don’t have batteries!
LOL....can’t survive without his dose of sanity everyday.
I surely hope you can reach your friends very soon. You are probably right that they went inland, rather than head toward the path of the storm. Please let us know when you track them down. Will keep them in my prayers.
A lot of us have natural gas stoves too. ;)
yup... it’s been rainy here, too... off and on about 1/4”
I don’t need any more. Thanks for the offer,though.
This hotel was build on a WWII bunker...from what I understand they hunkered down because of the safety of this bunker. I remember this bunker when I was a kid and went to Galveston. We use to play in it. It has depth and the cement walls were so thick. This hotel utilized it for safety in case of a hurricane.
These guys are doing a great job. The callers are really grateful for their neighbors and for the way Texas has handled this storm. One lady called in and she is a Katrina survivor who moved to Texas. She said there is a remarkable difference in the way this has been handled and is grateful to all of the guys working to get power restored and to rescue others. She said those folks are real heroes.
For those that are looking for some decent map here is a couple.
Surfside Beach TX is west of Freeport TX (which is near the far west end of Galveston Island)
Crystal Beach TX is near Bolivar Beach (which is on the east side mouth of the bay)
http://www.ranchocarribe.com/index_files/gccommun/gccomimages/maps_plats/map_web_mapquest.gif
http://www.mermaidanddolphin.com/images/Galveston%20Overview%20Map.jpg
Of course, yours is the real meaning. I was going for something more descriptive of the situation.
I got that exact impression of a dark hint from Jim Cantore. The sheer number of SAR personnel and aircraft is ominous.
KTRH is a reputable Houston radio news station.
That feature really looked to me as a reaction from a northward push back. So, I guess the air from Ike really may be up in SD then. Quite a storm.
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