Damage assessment top priority for Galveston County
Galveston County officials plan to fan out into the county at daybreak to assess damage from Hurricane Ike, but so far no injuries have been reported, county officials said.
“Obviously we’ve had widespread power outages throughout Galveston County, flooding in a variety of areas, tree damage, of course, damage to some structures and a couple of fires” said John Simsen, the county’s emergency management coordinator.
About a foot of water was reported at the Galveston County Courthouse at 722 Moody Ave., Simsen said, noting that workers moved computers and much of the furniture to higher floors.
Emergency officials were moving from the shelter in place mode to the recovery mode as daybreak approached Saturday, and were preparing for search and rescue operations countywide once the high winds subsided.
The county’s Emergency Operations Center on FM 646 in League City lost power after midnight and switched to generators. The center housed county officials, the National Weather Service and the media during the storm.
Gene Hafele, meteorologist in charge of the Houston-Galveston National Weather Service office, said Hurricane Ike made landfall at 2 a.m. in Galveston, and was moving north-northwest at 12 to 14 mph.
Hafele said the storm hit further east than predicted, resulting in a less severe storm surge. The eye of hurricane entered Galveston Bay, he said, causing an 8- to 10-foot storm surge long the western shore. It also brought 80- to 90-mph winds.
Flood levels were higher along Galveston’s Seawall a0nd Bolivar Peninsula. By 7 a.m. Saturday, the hurricane was located in eastern Montgomery County, about 15 miles east-northeast of Conroe
As the hurricane approached the island, the winds were not as dramatic as earlier predicted, Hafele said. Once the eye of the storm moved further inland, the winds became more intense, Hafele said.
The county sustained winds in excess of hurricane force, and gusts between 80 and 90 mph, he said. Conditions should begin to improve from the coastline inward about 9 a.m. Saturday. Tropical force winds should be out of the area by noon, he added.
Simsen said special teams would be sent out early Saturday to assess damage in the county. Their input would help officials decide when to suggest residents to return home.
“Obviously we have a lot of work to do in terms of damage assessment,” Simsen said. “There are bound to be downed power lines and trees that have fallen and blocked roadways. The last thing we want to do is put our citizens back into situations where they may be at harm’s way,” he said.
Simsen asked that residents allow authorities to have time to the situation and to pick up debris before returning to their homes.
That assessment, Simsen said, could include the loss of life.
“It was a significant storm at landfall,” he said. “I’m not going to sugarcoat any possibilities. We did have a major surge on Bolivar Peninsula, a lot of water over Galveston Island and a lot of water pushed up into the bays.”
CNN has a reporter in Galveston on—says part of the wall of a motel beside the big one was blown off—but there isn’t any footage of standing water. He was staying in that big hotel where all the emergency people were, and the news teams. Looks like that building is OK. Nothing on how much lower-lying areas were flooded.
Galvestone Storm Stories-Man & daughter wade thru neck deep water to safety
Video titled “Father, daughter wade through neck-deep water” records a call with a man who waded through flooded streets with his daughter to the safety of the Galveston Convention Center.
http://www.khou.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=282425