Galveston Daily News reporter Leigh Jones tweets from yesterday:
Based on the descriptions of rescues, many of the people who didn’t leave were elderly.
about 22 hours ago from web
Lots of rescues still going on. The wind is still very strong. about 22 hours ago from web
Five more rescue boats on the way. FEMA helicopters circling the island doing damage assessments. about 22 hours ago from web
Rescues ongoing in the 1100 block of Ave. K, the 1000 block of 30th Street and the 5000 block of Ave. K. about 24 hours ago from web
Minor injury cases clogging up the UTMB emergency room. about 24 hours ago from web
Officials are turning back volunteers who want to come across the causeway to help hurricane surrvivors. about 24 hours ago from web
Rescue crews have made it as far west as Jamaica Beach. No damage reports yet. about 24 hours ago from web
State officials finally making it onto the island. North lanes of the Causeway cleared enough to let vehicles pass. about 24 hours ago from web
Officials reporting west end got it much worse than the rest of the island. 10:08 AM September 13, 2008 from web
Elderly man with a heart condition rescued by boat west of Heards Lane. 09:33 AM September 13, 2008 from web
Roofs gone on several houses in 1800 block of 20th Street. 09:31 AM September 13, 2008 from web
Responders still can’t check on the fire in Hollywood Heights. Too much water to get off 61st Street or Stewart Road. 09:30 AM September 13, 2008 from web
Parts of Alamo Elementery flooded. 09:24 AM September 13, 2008 from web
Ball High School had water in the first floor. Evacuees had to move to the second floor overnight. 09:18 AM September 13, 2008 from web
Merchandise from destroyed seawall businesses washing up on seawall. 09:16 AM September 13, 2008 from web
Verizon is the only cell service that works on the island. 09:15 AM September 13, 2008 from web
75th Street fire out. Several houses burned to the ground. 09:12 AM September 13, 2008 from web
Partial roof collapse at Parkland. Large tree blocking Broadway at 12th Street. 08:59 AM September 13, 2008 from web
Crews still searching for people who requested help over night. But many already accounted for. 08:56 AM September 13, 2008 from web
Shelter of last resort closed. Nothing yet open for people who find they have no home to return to. 08:53 AM September 13, 2008 from web
Ike Alert: Be wary of snakes, fireants
Chester Moore, Jr., The Orange Leader
Citizens remaining in Southeast Texas should be very cautious of snakes, fireants and other potentially dangerous wildlife in the wake of Hurricane Ike.
Cottonmouth water moccasins and copperheads are the two most prevalent poisonous snake species in the region and they along with numerous nonvenomous species are likely to enter homes and other dwellings in flood conditions.
Fireants are another problem and their presence around dwellings will be more pronounced than snakes in the region. Southeast Texas fire ant numbers have increased dramatically in recent years and many homes and properties are likely to have ant infestations now.
LSU AgCenter entomologist Dr. Dale Pollet said ants and their colonies can present a potentially serious medical threat to people and animals during and after times of flooding.
"Floodwaters will not drown fire ants. Instead, their colonies will actually emerge from the soil, form a loose ball, float and flow with the water until they reach a dry area or object that they can crawl up on," Pollet said.
Ants will often "raft", gathering in tight bunches and during these conditions they are under high stress can deliver bites with twice the poison as during normal conditions.
LSU officials said recommendations for treating for fire ants after a storm differ from the usual ones that call for the use of baits that are carried back to the colony and eventually kill it.
"At the time of flooding or right after flooding, general preventive treatments for controlling the fire ants are out of the question," Pollet wrote in a statement on dealing with fireants after Hurricane Rita.
"Ant colonies or ants encountered now need to be dealt with quickly."
Pollet noted the experts say aerosol spray products containing pyrethrins or pyrethrum derivatives (tetramethrin or allethrin) or Bengalʼs Deltramethrin dust labeled for use on "ants" or "crawling insects" can yield a quick knockdown of the insects and will break down quickly.
"Spray or dust as many of the ants as possible," Pollet advised.
"Just spray or dust surfaces, cracks of infested objects and debris. Then return after the treatment has had time to work."