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 |
|
|
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)
Why not photograph the dead along with the damage? Macabre? Yes, but it would be something to show the fools who would dare to even think about riding a future storm out.
sw
Local Texas TV reporter in San Luis Hotel reports hotel taking in water, showed water bubbling up from bottom of floor....Galveston fire chief reported in driving around this am, he observed water to rooftops of cars and in many cases cars completely submerged in water.
I see a flame burning way behind the TWC guy who is reporting from Clute TX.
But since it is flaring from a pipe in an extremely dangerous area, it should not be flaring in a hurricane if the pipe bends/breaks.
The whole point of shutting down a refinery is to make it safe during the storm. I cannot see that flaring very safe since it is possible that pipes might rupture in the storm.
You would have to flare before the storm and get as much into storage tanks as possible -- to avoid possible explosions...
The weather guy at Fox saying it looks like the oil refineries may have got hit with the brunt of the storm.
This ain't good.
Thank you Nancy and the Democrats.
Is Cantore on TWC? I keep watching but never catch his reports. I’m surfing and I guess I’m just missing him.
yes
It is not just Nancy and the dims. It is all of the NIMBY idiots. Why is so much concentrated in this (relatively) small area? If it can be covered by one hurricane, it is too concentrated.
It’s still going to be tropical depression strength by the time it gets up to NY. Interesting.
NY ping.
How sad. My daughter sustained 2nd & 3rd degree burns (40%) and it is something I would wish on no person, especially a 4 yo. How utterly horrible for this father and his daughter.
morning. short sleep & catching up on thread.
The storm has NOT moved that much in the hours I have been sleeping
wow Hobby recorded top gust of 92 MPH as storm passed
accuweather blog update- Ike still very dangerous
ping to post 368
Biloxi (Gulfport) MS has sustained major flood and damage. (They just really rebuilt all the Casinos and put the people back to work..now this.).
sw
Oh he wouldn’t say that.
He would say he was just doing his job.
OTOH, I asked him how things were and he said “bad”. He has been through many storms including the infamous Camille...so he at least has a clue about things.
sw
Thanks. I’ll stay on TWC. They seem to be staying with Houston Local right now.
Hurricane Ike Notes, Stats, Facts
weather.com
7:44 a.m. ET 9/13/2008
Editor’s Note: This is a running collection of notes, reports, and statistics about Hurricane Ike.
—
7:45 am ET
That disabled freighter that rode out the storm in the Gulf of Mexico is waiting for a two to land. Its crew of 22 reportedly is safe.
—
7:27 am ET
Louisiana’s Port of Lake Charles is reported to be 11 feet above normal.
Also in Louisiana, two evacuees from Lake Charles died in a car crash on Interstate 10, according to the Louisiana State Police.
—
7:20 am ET
Ike’s winds are still very strong. Houston’s Hobby airport reported sustained winds at 74 mph and gusting winds at 92 mph at about 6 am CT.
—
7:15 am ET
The National Hurricane Center’s 8 am CT advisory says Hurricane Ike’s eye is now moving away from the Houston metro area. The storm is expected to take a turn north later today, then northeast tonight — and move faster. Ike is expected to remain a hurricane through the afternoon.
—
7:10 am ET
Widespread electricity outages are reported — up to 2 million customers are without power. That amounts to about 5 million people. They could be without power for a week.
—
7:05 am ET
Orange County, Texas, emergency management authorities report numerous people are stranded on their roofs or in attics due to high storm surge there. Orange County borders Sabine Lake.
—
4:20 am ET
The northwestern eyewall, the same part that slammed Mike Bettes, is about to rotate northward into downtown Houston. Expect wind gusts to range between 75 and 95 mph, perhaps even higher.
—
3:45 am ET
The Houston Chronicle reports that 1000 rescue teams are prepared to set out on what could be one of the largest rescue efforts in Texas history once weather conditions become safe.
—
3:30 am ET
CenterPoint Energy is reporting 1.3 million customers are without power in Houston proper.
—
3:25 am ET
There is 6 feet of water in the downtown Galveston County courthouse.
Wind gusts in metro Houston are ranging from 70 to 85 mph.
Some of the strongest winds are being found along the west end of Galveston Bay in locations such as Clear Lake, Kemah, Seabrook, Shoreacres, and La Porte where winds are in the 85 to 105 mph range.
—
3:10 am ET
The very large center of Hurricane Ike has made landfall over the city of Galveston and Port Bolivar.
—
2:21 am ET
The National Weather Service at Lake Charles is producing a blog of their own. The surge at Sabine Pass, Texas, has now reached a record level for that location of 12.54 feet; higher than the surge created by either Audrey or Rita.
—
2:14 am ET
The Weather Channel’s own Mike Bettes recorded wind gusts of 98 and 101 mph around 2 am ET on his portable anemomenter. He is located near the Johnson Space Center in far southeastern Houston.
—
2:00 am ET
A wind gust of 83 mph was recently measured at Freeport, Texas.
—
1:30 am ET
The Southeast Texas Regional Airport northwest of Port Arthur has recently clocked a gust of 84 mph.
Meanwhile, the surge keeps on rising. Cameron, Louisiana, has measured a water level rise of 11.51 feet while Sabine Pass, Texas, has recently measured a water level rise of 11.96 feet.
Speaking of Sabine Pass, winds are sustained at 67 mph and gusting to 95 mph.
—
1:25 am ET
At least 3,500 FEMA officials are stationed in Texas and Louisiana. FEMA says more than 5.5 million prepackaged meals were being sent to the hurricane region, along with more than 230 generators and 5.6 million liters of water.
—
1:20 am ET
A Hurricane Ike evacuee gave birth in a Texas shelter on Friday. A woman from Calhoun County went into labor at a middle school in New Braunfels. A doctor specializing in geriatric psychiatry who had stopped by the shelter ended up delivering the baby girl — his first delivery in 20 years.
—
1:15 am ET
We’re hearing of a couple fatalities attributed to Hurricane Ike.
The Coast Guard has suspended a search for a 19-year-old man who was lost in 6- to 8-foot waves off North Padre Island, about 10 miles east of Corpus Christi, the AP reports.
A 10-year-old Montgomery County boy died early Friday after a tree limb fell on him. His father was cutting down the tree anticipating Ike’s wrath, according to the Houston Chronicle.
—
12:47 am ET
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston is reporting that its first floor is flooded. The estimated storm surge is at 11 feet.
Meanwhile, near Port Arthur, Texas, winds are sustained at 60 mph with gusts to near 70 mph.
—
12:30 am ET (Saturday)
Houston (Hobby Airport) has recently recorded sustained winds of 40 mph and gust to 60 mph. Galveston is reporting sustained winds of 52 mph with gusts to 68 mph.
You can view the latest sustained winds and wind gusts here.
—
11:45 pm ET
Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas tells The Weather Channel that downtown and much of the west end of the island is flooded. Three fires have broken out — one on a yacht in the harbor and two in homes — but high water kept firefighters from responding.
She says no injuries or deaths have been reported and emergency responders will survey the city at first light in the morning.
—
11:40 pm ET
The Houston Chronicle reports Power outages are spreading in Texas. CenterPoint Energy is reporting at least 315,000 customers were without electricity about 9 p.m. CT tonight. Entergy Texas, which services communities to the east of Houston, had about 29,300 customers without power at 9 p.m.
—
11:10 pm ET
The Weather Channel’s Julie Martin reports the U.S. Coast Guard made 65 rescues on Texas’ Bolivar peninsula today. But no more rescue attempts will be made until conditions are calmer.
—
11:05 pm ET
The National Hurricane Center’s 10 pm CT advisory says hurricane-force winds are now reported on Galveston island.
—
11 pm ET
About 1,000 homes and businesses in Lousiana’s coastal Cameron Parish are reported flooded after Hurricane Ike’s storm surge breached levees. Authorities in neighboring Terrebone Parish are trying to plug at least four breaches there.
—
10:15 pm ET
Galveston is reporting sustained winds of 54 mph and gusts to 72 mph. Cameron, Louisiana, recently recorded a wind gust to 73 mph.
—
9:55 pm ET
Extensive flooding is reported in the city of Kemah, on the western side of Galveston Bay. Emergency responders suspended their operations due to high winds. Power is out there, too.
Meanwhile, storm surge of over 10 feet is being reported in Cameron, La.
—
9:50 pm ET
Power outages are being reported in Galveston and some places north of there. Entergy Texas says 164,000 customers are without electricity.
The company is still trying to restore power throughout southeastern Louisiana, which Hurricane Gustav hammered more than a week ago.
TWC just showed Port Arthur getting a 10 ft surge. Had they recovered from Katrina/Rita?
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