Comments on: Houston Told To "Hunker Down" For Big Ike

Facing Massive Category 3 Hurricane, City Officials Seek To Avoid Mass Evacuation Crush

[legacyabq]

Here''s the number:
Houston%u2013Sugar Land%u2013Baytown is the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the United States with a population of 5.6 million as of the 2007 U.S. Census estimate.
That''s alot of people to deal with!
Hope everyone stays safe and sane!

[legacyabq]

This article says the population of Houston is 2 million??
It''s way more than that. Like over 6,000,000 I beleive in Harris County alone..

[barbaraf4]

Why does everyone always wait until the last possible minute to stock up on gasoline, food & water?

[mrjake7]

I got the brisket on the grill with 5 cases of beer at the same house that I had since 1961! Carla was rock''n and a rolling, but this is a party storm! Media hype! Party , party, party!

[usmcvn1]

Gas up 30 cents a Gal. in two days here in Chicago area.

[displeased]

A High hihg is a little faster than a high (if I remember right, but I haven''''t fished the tides in a long time).
Posted by docpeter1953

At least we''re not in a new moon phase. That would just add to the mix.

[usclimey]

I''''m surprised gas prices haven''''t gone up already over the FEAR of something happening.

Posted by louk7

You just haven''t looked louk - they''re up 23c/gal this week here in Cincinnati.

[docpeter1953]

A 20 foot surge could easily overtop the wall if it is "only" 17 feet high. But let''''s say the surge turns out to be 15 feet or even less, as some of the modelers believe; that unforutnately does not take into account wind waves thrown up by this storm.

Posted by usclimey at 02:28 PM : Sep 11, 2008

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You also have to consider the tides at the time the storm comes ashore. There are high tides and then there are high high tides (same for low tides) A high high tide can raise the water level (sea level in the area) about two feet, whereas a high tide maybe 1.25 ft. There is a high high at 4:35 AM and a lo at 9:40 AM. There is a lo lo at 9:47 PM. Also, the tides move at different speeds. A High hihg is a little faster than a high (if I remember right, but I haven''t fished the tides in a long time).

It may not strengthen much but Cat 2 is still Cat 2 and can cause a lot of inconvenience to those in Ike''''s path for all the reasons I mentioned in my previous post.

Posted by LloydBest1 at 04:03 PM : Sep 11, 2008
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Living in Austin my biggest inconvenience will be my drive during rush hour. Most coastal evacuees are arriving in town as we speak.

[lloydbest1]

"Lloyd: Isn''t the Galveston wall high enough to withstand a twenty-foot surge?" Posted by BajaJohn1 at 01:24 PM : Sep 11, 2008

I don''t live in Galveston so I can not say for sure but I believe the sea wall is 17 feet high and as many wide at the base. It was built shortly after the monster hurricane of 1900, later referred to as "Isaac''s Storm".
A 20 foot surge could easily overtop the wall if it is "only" 17 feet high. But let''s say the surge turns out to be 15 feet or even less, as some of the modelers believe; that unforutnately does not take into account wind waves thrown up by this storm. It would be reasonable to expect a 6 to 8 foot surf ON TOP of the surge. This means the chances the Gulf will either overtop the wall or throw waves over it look pretty good right now. Galveston can count on getting very wet and things will get very tense for those who choose to remain in town.

Posted by usclimey at 02:28 PM : Sep 11, 2008

Thank you for the acknowledgement...Latest from the NHC still pegs Ike as a mid Cat 2 storm. In fact, the central pressure has risen all the way to 28.1. It may not strengthen much but Cat 2 is still Cat 2 and can cause a lot of inconvenience to those in Ike''s path for all the reasons I mentioned in my previous post.