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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KHOU Houston
ABC 13 News Houston
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KPLC Lake Charles
KFDM 6 Beaumont/Port Arthur
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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)
That actually doesn’t look too bad considering. Maybe things will not be as dire as we feared! Fingers crossed. Thanks for the update!
LOL...I haven’t been in The Poop Deck in over 20 years, glad to see it made it! Kind of a locals place, anyone who played Glen Campbell’s “Galveston” on the juke box was asked to leave...that’s why it was on the juke box...cull out the tourists!
Wunderground has damage reports on its Galveston and Housto sited; official reported surge heights of from measured 5 ft. the estimated 11 ft.
I think they are updating it as reports are sorted and posted.
County courthouse first floor flooded in Galveston, some windows in high-rise buildings shattered and fell and one reported nursery home roof lost, so far.
Still waiting on Jeff Masters blog for this AM.
I live in Katy, south of I-10 and the weather has improved much here. It is still raining some and we get wind gusts but not too bad.
There is alot of debris, large limbs down but on my cul-de-sac there is not one tree down.
I was so fortunate to have lost my power for only 1 hour. My brother lives about 4 miles from but he does does not have electricity. Luckily, he has a generator.
ALTHOUGH IKE IS SPINNING DOWN AS A HURRICANE IN TERMS OF MAXIMUM WINDS...UNFORTUNATELY...ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS WILL GRADUALLY BECOME MORE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES TO DEVELOP ACROSS MUCH OF EASTERN TEXAS...WESTERN LOUISIANA...AND ARKANSAS THROUGH TONIGHT. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE A THREAT...AS WILL CONTINUED HIGHER THAN NORMAL TIDE LEVELS ALONG MUCH OF THE WESTERN LOUISIANA AND UPPER TEXAS COASTAL AREAS THROUGH AT LEAST THIS AFTERNOON.
Well....
As I looked at Google Earth just as few minutes ago, the exact center of Ike passed about 1 mile to the west of my mother-and-father-in-law’s place near Cleveland, TX. No doubt, they got damage, but I won’t know how much for a while. Thankfully, they bugged out day before yesterday and are ensconced at my BIL’s place in Lubbock.
Last April, on a day trip we took to the coast, we went through Galveston, driving down Seawall Blvd, and passing all those places we’ve been hearing about all yesterday. I remember a McDonald’s, the parking lot of which was right on the shore. I imagine the place is gone.
Another place I’m wondering about was the large indoor aquarium in a restaurant on the Kemah boardwalk. Lot’s of tropical fish in a huge cylindrical plexiglas tank. If things got as bad as I think they did, I am wondering if it got breached.
Another question: The Battleship Texas on the Ship Channel...anyone have any idea how it fared?
I didn’t realize you are in Florida. I talked to my daughter last night and thought she understood how serious this is, but right before we hung up she mentioned she planned a shopping expedition this afternoon. I said “HELLO!?!?!”, LOL. She doesn’t understand hurricanes so I switched the danger to tornadoes and she got the message.
Update from the Golden Triangle Area....
http://www.kfdm.com/news/assessment_27801___article.html/damage_.html
Overall Damage Assessment
Comments 0 | Recommend 0
September 13, 2008 - 9:54AM
Scott Lawrence
SOUTHEAST TEXAS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
From: Holmes/Apple/Penisson Date: 09-13-08 Time: 8:40 a.m.
Emergency Management Officials are sending out local assessment teams to assess the damage to our Southeast Texas area.
Initial reports from Groves indicate that there is no storm surge damage. However, they do have downed trees, downed power lines and no electricity. FD Chief Dale Jackson advised that they have not found any levy or surge problems. Mayor Brad Bailey asked that citizens shelter in place until given the all clear. They have low hanging lines, downed lines and no medical assistance at this time.
Reports from Nederland FD Chief Gary Collins state that the bay doors at the FD itself were blown in and they will have to cut some of the emergency equipment out of the station. There are many downed power lines and trees. There is no electricity in the area. Water and Sewer is down. No medical assistance at this time.
Reports from Port Neches FD Chief Steve Curran indicates that they have observed downed trees, power lines, fences, carports, etc. There is no electricity. Water and Sewer is down. Pt. Neches also responded to a house fire at 8:00 p.m. last night in the 2100 block of Tenth Street. The firefighters were able to rescue 6 people from the home and shelter them during the storm. The cause of the fire was misuse of a generator.
The seawall in Port Arthur held back the storm surge. There appears to be no extensive flooding except for Sabine Pass which has extensive flooding. The south end of Pleasure Island has some flooding. On the north end of the Pleasure Island water seems to be receding. Police personnel are unable to access Pleasure Island due to high winds. Tropical Storm winds are still high in the City and all of the City is without power.
Mayor Prince has issued an order banning the sale of alcohol in the City until further notice. If you are in the City stay in your homes and do not ride around. Police and Fire personnel are trying to assess the damage. Do not return to the City if you have evacuated. Re-entry into the City of Port Arthur is prohibited at this time. We will be posting updates as soon as they become available.
The City of Beaumont has experienced storm surge in some area’s. Assessment teams are moving into low lying area’s to check on citizens. There are unconfirmed reports of several tornadoes that struck Beaumont. There are downed tree’s, downed and low hanging power lines, some structural damage to homes and businesses, Citizens are asked to remain in their homes and not to venture onto city streets. Emergency response and medical assistance is limited at this time. If you are out of town, Do Not Return until given the all clear.
Orange County has experienced significant storm surge damage with some people reported to be trapped in their homes. Downtown Orange is experiencing storm surge flooding. Bridge City in particular has reports of high water in some homes with citizens needing assistance. They have downed trees, power lines, some structural damage to businesses and homes, etc.
We have no updates at this time for rural area’s of Jefferson County.
Citizens are urged to comply with the following safety rules:
**Stay inside until advised that it is all clear.
**Emergency Response is limited, take safety precautions.
**Heed Generator Safety. Do not use a Generator inside a home or on a porch. The CO fumes from the generator can seep into the eaves and filter down into the home.
**Do Not venture into standing water.
**If you have an emergency, call 911. For updated information, log onto www.setinfo.org. You can also access your local city and county websites.
In all fairness, I don’t think a single storm has a chance to live up to its billing anymore.
Our focus should be on individual reporting and not amateur forecasting, no matter how much fun that is.
I think everything in the eastern half of the state has been canceled. I understand there isn’t a hotel room to be found in the area.
I’ve got problems with the report that Beaumont Texas is under 9 feet of water. I’m showing it 15 to 25 feet above reported surge levels.
Bay geometry can add, as can waves, but if Beaumont’s that deep, then Port Aurther had to go first, and early reports aren’t backing that up.
Not questioning you, just the report you mention. Possible, but unlikely, IMO, the way things stand now.
I’m putting Cameron, Hackberry, and Holly Beach, LA, along with Port Arther, Sabine Pass, Galveston, texas City, and Freeport Texas, on the “Endangered’ list for now, with Lake Charles, Beaumont, and Houston a notch down in total damage.
This is an ESTIMATE. Lake Charles and Port Arther are still in it, with wind pushing yet more water ashore.
Until we get widespread, comprehensive aerial assessments, we only have anecdotal reports to work with, and reporters always go for the glory and drama.
wow those are great however does not show that Galveston is 2-4 feet under water like reports say
Just talked to some friends east of The Woodlands. No electricity and they cut the water off. Lots of large trees down in the area.
Just saw him (Cantore) on TWC...he's back out reporting.
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