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:
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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 |
|
|
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)
This was just reported on Shep ... he also spoke with a survivor who hacked his way out of his water-filled home.
~~~~
City officials to allow ‘look and leave’ today
By Dolph Tillotson and Rhiannon Meyers
The Daily News
Published September 16, 2008
GALVESTON — City officials said Tuesday morning that they will permit what’s called a “look and leave” visit today by island residents.
Citizens with valid Galveston identification will be permitted onto the island from noon to 6 p.m. today. At 6 p.m., the mandatory evacuation order and curfew will go back into full effect. City police will be enforcing the curfew.
Residents will be allowed to see their houses and assess the damage, but they must leave, city manager Steve LeBlanc was overheard telling police officers this morning.
Police officers will mark cars with white shoe polish as they come over the Causeway with the letters “LL” meaning “look and leave.” Officers will patrol the streets to ensure those cars are gone by curfew.
“This is being done just for folks who are concerned about their property,” an official said. “The island still is unlivable, and people should not be coming back to stay. This just being done to help alleviate the anxiety of some of our folks who really want to know what’s going on.”
To get on the island, you must have identification that shows you live in Galveston. Returning residents should expect long lines and heavy traffic as officers check every car before they allow it on the island.
Residents should also be aware there is no electricity or gas or water. Traffic signals don’t work. Stop signs and street signs are gone. Few stores, if any, are open. You can only get food or water at National Guard distribution points or Salvation Army kitchens, and many island residents who stayed on the island are relying on that.
Mosquitoes are rampant and streets are covered in filth. There are downed power lines, dead animals and debris in many places still. Debris-covered streets are causing flat tires, and there is no place to seek repairs.
When residents and business owners arrive, they should immediately shut off their breakers if they haven’t already done so. Firefighters fretted that power surges, when electricity is finally switched on, will spark fires. Residents and business owners should also shut off gas and water.
There still is no official word when the evacuation will be lifted, and the island still is without power, running water, food, medical care and the other essentials of life.
http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=9b3d94448242c55c
Those reporters are still reporting.
I agree. There is some abuse but it’s better now. It’s just a one time thing and they need it.
That is so funny. I hope he got shot in the butt!
I am so irritated with our local news channels. Especially channel 13. Maya Shays (sp?) might as well write Obama on her forhead! Her aversion to republicans is so obvious.
And the mess at the POD at Memorial Stadium in Pasadena?? They are already trying to blame bush that the FOOD AND WATER was late. Of course, they had ice there to distribute, but that was not good enough. And I guarantee you 80% in that line was ILLEGALS, ILLEGALS, ILLEGALS. I told my hubby I wish I had a big magnet sign to put on my car that said “IMMIGRATION” and that’s all and I would drive right by that line and that would eliminate most of them. They would be driving out of there so fast. Illegals go wherever they can get a hand out or anything for FREE. Aaaaarrrrggghhhh,....makes me so mad.
Anyways, hope all is well at your place.
I need to try to catch up on the thread here before hubby puts me back to work.
I wonder whether we will ever find out if the tiger belongs to the same guy with the African lion. What is with these folks and their exotic animals who aren’t responsible for them in an emergency?
Do you know where in La Porte Katlyn lives?
There is a large quantity of some lighter than water substance floating in a slick immediately west of High island.
Near as I can tell, the substance originalls flowed seaward, as if a rupture took place during passage of the backside of the storm, coated the upstream side of any obstacles protruding from the water and is now forming slicks as it washes of the obstacles.
No idea what it is or where it came from, but it looks like oil or gasoline to me.
Per her description, she is less than one mile from the bay.
If we don’t count the day the storm came in, what’s today? Day 3? These people were told it would be at least 3 days before help arrived. They were supposed to have stocked up.
Large Caravan of emergency vehicles moving to or away from Galveston - does anyone know anything about this? (it was just on FOX)
LA Woman3 wrote:
Tiger roaming hurricane-ravaged streets in Texas
*****************
Yah, yah, yah, and Karl Rove blew up the Galveston Seawall while thousands in the Astrodome were practicing cannibalism.
Don’t you know this is how rumors get started?
;-)
Texans---gotta love 'em. I don't believe the scoundrel will ever try that again.
RE: Large caravan of Ambulances on FOX earlier
Shep says they are making their way to the coast from the Houston area.
Chopper following the caravan has to go back and refuel.
Jeffers look at her link. Officals say it escaped from an exotic pet center.
Hmmmmm, that area is definately cut off. I know they don’t have power right now and our cell phone service is sketchy at best...If she went on home she might just be out of touch. We’ll just keep her in our prayers and hope she checks in the next day or so...
Huh? Large convoy of ambulances?
Maybe for the elderly left on Galveston who didn’t evacuate?
Someone just learned that he is NOT a “special little snowflake”. The hard way.
What a moron. :P
They’re going to be very hard pressed to find a jury that will convict on this one... Sounds like “he needed killin’” will probably work as a defense.
Probably thinks he'll find his long-lost golf balls.
.
Oooh .. hadn’t heard that.
God be with those who are lost, their
families and those emergency workers who
are living the most gruesome experiences
of their lives and carrying on through
these awful hours and days.
I think anyone there now is at a substantial
risk for serious illness. Simply horrific
scene. Mercy, Dear Lord.
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