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)
Nope.
The cussed midget shed held tighter than almost anything else!
Little bastard was disoriented and moist but otherwise functional.
I just now got power back on.. one week. Piece of cake.
I only hope that your trip is a safe one. Please take bottled water and hand cleanser. Take care.
Can you stop by the San Luis hotel and make sure the media has enough food?
LOL you dawg.
Still no power in Meyerland....bought another 50g of fuel today.....this is getting expensive.
Seconded, and the motion is carried.
bump
Thanks for another amazing survivor story.
Video from today ~ Bolivar
http://www.khou.com/video/topstories-index.html?nvid=284763
I emailed McCain’s campaign today, and urged
him to make public comments for support and
prayers for these people who are still suffering,
yet it’s like Ike is over in the national news.
I pray they find comfort and resolution soon.
SPCA needs foster homes for animals
HOUSTON – In the wake of Hurricane Ike, many animals have been lost, abandoned, and injured on Galveston Island. The Houston SPCA is asking the community to help give these storm victims a second chance at life by participating in “Operation Save a Life.”
http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou080918_mh_foster_pets_galveston.8aec6fca.html
*****
Some remaining Bolivar residents look for ways out
Some Bolivar Peninsula residents are attempting to leave the area by boat and marine patrols of the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office are assisting them, Sheriff Gean Leonard said.
Some deputies are stationed on the peninsula for extended periods of time to help recovery efforts. Those deputies are being housed at the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office, Leonard said.
Deputies are almost finished with their door-to-door search for survivors, he said.
One person drowned in San Leon, but so far no other fatalities in unincorporated Galveston County have been confirmed.
Leonard said it’s possible that some people who died trying to ride out the storm on the peninsula could be found in Chambers County, where some dead cattle were found.
“It’s not even something you want to say out loud,” he said. “Once people start asking the whereabouts of their loved ones, that’s going to be the real clue.”
Deputies have been working almost nonstop since the storm, Leonard said.
“They’ll go and go and go,” he said.
“If anything, we have to watch them carefully because some of them literally won’t go to sleep until we make them.”
http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou080919_tj_bolivar_people_leave.9345f583.html
~~~~
Thank God for these dutiful heroes.
There's no functional equivalent of Bourbon Street in Galveston. Why would Shep Smith and Anderson Cooper want to stay in a hot, humid, mosquito-covered place with no electricity and water and no functioning restaurants?
I took some pictures, but they’re the same thing you see elsewhere; yachts on the freeway, cows on the road, boats on stairs, boats capsized/sunk, sign posts bent 90 degrees. Mud and grass/mush absolutely everywhere.
Other stuff is only meaningful to locals; The Captain’s Table is destroyed, Woody’s had minor damage, the Riviera now stands over water, the Bowl House made it... again.
61st pier is gone, the other one, by the bungee chair is... well, you gotta see that thing.
Thanks for checking in with your local report from Galveston. Are they making good progress removing the debris?
“Debris”
Currently it’s all just shoved aside as you would see with snow plows. However, we’re talking 10’ piles of sand, fishing boats, lawn chairs, peoples’ decks, anything and everything in big heaps on either side of the road.
Speaking of debris fields, I noted that around houses where I went, (West End), it was all piled up on the north side of structures. So, our surge came from the bay, not the Gulf.
Also, the further north you go in residential areas, the greater the damage. One exception is houses right on the Gulf side beach, which are no longer there or now in the water. Third row and back tend to be fine.
After Katrina I offered to be a foster owner for a pet until the owner could be found and was willing to continue care if no one showed up. I even offered to pay the air fair. The shelter wasn’t interested. I think they just wanted donations. I might offer again since this is coming from the SPCA.
bump
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