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)
For what it is worth, I’m guessing that they are going to find this to be worse than Alicia.
The west end is a risky place to build.
Great place for weekends, but a crappy place to call home.
I bet most folks secured their stuff and went home to ride it out
How did you anf the Missus fare?
I've never had a Missus...
Any new HAT news?
How did you fare?
Sure hope so...cuz it looks pretty bleak.
Ooops! That was meant for eastforker! L0L
Keyboard issues! L0L
I’m sorry Pax L0L
How did you fare?
No additional news from HAT.
I fared very well. We're in Baton Rouge where we have electricity and food, and where we're not a burden on the already overwhelmed supply of resources.
I remember Alicia.
It could be way worse.
Hardly anyone actually lives on the island
CNN live on High Island right now
Keyboard issues! L0L
I’m sorry Pax L0L
No problem!
I thought it was funny!
Sounds like you came through Ike just fine, except for the crepe myrtle blooms.
;-)
Funny isnt it? fleeing to louisiana?.
is the homestead alright?
There's no doubt.
Much worse.
by “worse” I’m meaning as far as damage and recovery time for electric, only
Are you saying that hardly anyone lives on the west end of Galveston Island?
It was nothing here.
lotta wind and rain but pretty tame.
I cant believe I posted that to you! Damned internets!
I loaded a few items into my Escape and escaped to BR, thinking that all of my most precious possessions would be lost along with her home, but you just can't worry about things like that!
My fiancee and I will be closing on our future homestead any time now.... that is, if it is okay after Ike! I haven't been able to find out anything from friends in the area.
Yes, as a primary residence.
people understand the risks. Most folks use the area as a weekend resort
The only blessing this time is that the eye wobbled north at the last minute.
Truly, I'm glad that we didn't have a storm surge over twenty feet in the ship channel.
It is a bit ironic fleeing to louisiana L0L
Yer engaged? Gosh... my heart just sank! L0L
Best wishes PAX.
Glad all is well
Don't worry about it
I thought it was funny!
(But I'll never let you forget it! ;)
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