Massive Ike Menaces Texas Coast

Those Who Remained Try To Ride Out The Storm; Hurricane Near Category 3 Status

(CBS/AP)  A colossal Hurricane Ike menaced the darkened Texas coast early Saturday, ensuring a sleepless night for thousands who huddled and waited to find out if a gamble to face the storm head-on could cost them their lives.

Before the eye even crossed land, the first bands were punishing. Wind-whipped waves surged over a 17-foot seawall in Galveston and filled streets with waist-high water. Homes were flooding, hundreds of thousands were without power and there was fear hurricane-force winds could shatter the sparkling skyscrapers that define the skyline of America's fourth-largest city.

Rescue crews worried daybreak would bring a nightmare scenario: Thousands who defied evacuation orders and became trapped in submerged communities.

"We don't know what we are going to find. We hope we will find the people who are left here alive and well," Galveston Mayor Lynda Ann Thomas said. "We are keeping our fingers crossed all the people who stayed on Galveston Island managed to survive this."

The storm began battering the coast Friday afternoon, and the eye was likely to cross early Saturday morning. As of 1 a.m. EDT, Ike was centered about 35 miles southeast of Galveston, moving at 12 mph. It was close to a Category 3 storm with winds of 110 mph. Forecasters predicted it would come ashore somewhere near Galveston and pass almost directly over Houston.

Though 1 million people fled coastal communities near where the storm was projected to make landfall, authorities in three counties alone said roughly 90,000 stayed behind. As the front of the storm moved into Galveston, fire crews rescued nearly 300 people who changed their minds and fled at the last minute, wading through floodwaters carrying clothes and other posessions.

"The unfortunate truth is we're going to have to go in tomorrow and put our people in the tough situation to save people who did not choose wisely. We'll probably do the largest search and rescue operation that's ever been conducted in the state of Texas," said Andrew Barlow, spokesman for Gov. Rick Perry.

In Houston, some low-lying communities that were ordered evacuated flooded, but because the storm struck overnight, officials had no idea how bad the damage was. Storm surge was pushing into a neighborhood near Johnson Space Center where Houston Mayor Bill White had made rounds earlier with a bullhorn trying to compel people to leave. Thousands of homes could be damaged, a spokesman for the mayor said, but it was too dangerous to go out and canvass the neighborhood at the height of the storm.

In a move designed to avoid highway gridlock, most of Houston's 2 million residents heeded orders to hunker down at home. The metro area surrounding Houston includes five million people that would have taken at least 96 hours to evacuate, reports CBS News correspondent Hari Sreenivasan. Ike turned directly toward Houston only 48 hours ago.

On the far east side of Houston, Claudia Macias was awake with her newborn and was trying unsuccessfully not to think about the trees swaying outside her doors, or the wind vibrating through her windows. She had been through other storms, but this time was different because she was a new mother.

"I don't know who's going to sleep here tonight, maybe the baby," said Macias, 34.

At 600 miles across, the storm was nearly as big as Texas itself, and threatened to give the state its worst pounding in a generation. Because of the hurricane's size, the state's shallow coastal waters and its largely unprotected coastline, forecasters said the biggest threat would be flooding and storm surge, with Ike expected to hurl a wall of water two stories high - 20 to 25 feet - at the coast.

Fire fighters left three buildings to burn Galveston because water was too high for fire trucks to reach them. But there was some good news: a stranded freighter with 22 men aboard made it through the brunt of the storm safely, and a tugboat was on the way to save them.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said more than 5.5 million prepackaged meals were being sent to the region, along with more than 230 generators and 5.6 million liters of water. At least 3,500 FEMA officials were stationed in Texas and Louisiana.

If Ike is as bad as feared, the storm could travel up Galveston Bay and send a surge up the Houston Ship Channel and into the port of Houston. The port is the nation's second-busiest, and is an economically vital complex of docks, pipelines, depots and warehouses that receives automobiles, consumer products, industrial equipment and other cargo from around the world and ships out vast amounts of petrochemicals and agricultural products.

The storm also could force water up the seven bayous that thread through Houston, swamping neighborhoods so flood-prone that they get inundated during ordinary rainstorms.

Energy Department Press Secretary Healy Baumgardner said that offshore oil and natural gas production in the Gulf region has been significantly affected by Ike, reports CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller.

The hurricane was headed straight for the nation's biggest complex of refineries and petrochemical plants. Wholesale gasoline prices jumped to around $4.85 a gallon for fear of shortages.

Ike would be the first major hurricane to hit a U.S. metropolitan area since Katrina devastated New Orleans three years ago. For Houston, it would be the first major hurricane since Alicia in August 1983 came ashore on Galveston Island, killing 21 people and causing $2 billion in damage. Houston has since then seen a population explosion, so many of the residents now in the storm's path have never experienced the full wrath of a hurricane.

Though Ike's center was heading for Texas, it spawned thunderstorms, shut down schools and knocked out power throughout southern Louisiana on Friday. An estimated 1,200 people were in state shelters in Monroe and Shreveport, and another 220 in medical needs shelters.

In southeastern Louisiana near Houma, Ike breached levees, and flooded more than 1,800 homes. More than 160 people had to be rescued from sites of severe flooding, and Gov. Bobby Jindal said he expected those numbers to grow. In some extreme instances, residents of low-lying communities where waters continued to rise continued to refuse National Guard assistance to flee their homes, authorities said.

No deaths had been officially reported, but crews expected to resume searching at daybreak near Corpus Christi for a man believed swept out to sea as Ike closed in.

[txgrouch2006]

I''ll take a widespread category 3 storm over a cat 5 any day.

This is just like Alicia, which passed directly over Houston in 1983.

[txgrouch2006]

it''''s simply pure hatred
Posted by tapsettle at 08:10 AM : Sep 12, 2008

Yah, that''s how it sounded to me.

[pensacola98]

The terrain of Texas coastal areas from the Louisiana border all the way Brownsville and around Houston is very flat with only a one foot rise on elevation for every mile that one goes inland. You couldn''t be any flatter if you planned it. The mainland in Galveston county around La Marque and Texas City have a protective levy complete with a floodgate that closes for rising waters. All other communities are just simply unprotected. The South Texas Nuclear Generator near Bay City is probably throttling down on precaution that cooling waters may be unsafe for pumping until it is free of debris. I applaud those who evacuated and the communities who raised bonds and taxes to finance and construct their protection levies. Flood control has been a monumental challenge that strains the tax-strapped residents of Harris County and Houston, Texas. The 4th largest city in the country has a system to evacuate and protect itself far ahead of many smaller and larger cities in this nation.

[tapsettle]

Yah, that''s how it sounded to me.
-----
Posted by txgrouch2006

Nah, just jossin wiv ya. It''s mostly party political but I''ll settle for a national disaster at a push ... provided my taxes dont go up too much.

[txgrouch2006]

I''''ll settle for a national disaster
Posted by tapsettle at 08:30 AM : Sep 12, 2008

So, then you ARE a hater. Thanks for clearing that up.

[slim1h2o]

America''s fourth-largest city made a bold decision: Instead of fleeing, most residents here would stare down the storm.

I''m not too sure if that''s the proper course of action.

Better to get out now, then wait and find out you should have left ahead of time.

[slim1h2o]

This is just like Alicia, which passed directly over Houston in 1983.


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Posted by txgrouch2006 at 07:07 AM : Sep 12, 2008

But wasn''t Alicia a cat 2 hurricane?

I was there for that one myself. It wasn''t too bad, the damage, but I wouldn''t want to see it much worse then that though.

[gop_will_win]

America''''s fourth-largest city made a bold decision: Instead of fleeing, most residents here would stare down the storm.

I''''m not too sure if that''''s the proper course of action.

Better to get out now, then wait and find out you should have left ahead of time.


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Posted by slim1h2o
========================
If they pray hard enough, they shall avert disaster. Everyone knows prayer deflects hurricanes.

[gop_will_win]

America''''s fourth-largest city made a bold decision: Instead of fleeing, most residents here would stare down the storm.

I''''m not too sure if that''''s the proper course of action.

Better to get out now, then wait and find out you should have left ahead of time.


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Posted by slim1h2o
========================
If they pray hard enough, they shall avert disaster. Everyone knows prayer deflects hurricanes.

[gop_will_win]

America''''s fourth-largest city made a bold decision: Instead of fleeing, most residents here would stare down the storm.

I''''m not too sure if that''''s the proper course of action.

Better to get out now, then wait and find out you should have left ahead of time.


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Posted by slim1h2o
========================
If they pray hard enough, they shall avert disaster. Everyone knows prayer deflects hurricanes.

[txgrouch2006]

But wasn''''t Alicia a cat 2 hurricane?
Posted by slim1h2o at 09:05 AM : Sep 12, 2008

Do an internet search. It was cat 3 when it hit Galveston.

But by the time it crossed over Sharpstown on the Southwest Freeway, it was just a big thunderstorm with some heavy winds. It did only minor damage.

Which is why most Houstonians are staying put. Only the coastal regions are being evacuated.

[gop_will_win]

Do you think you''''re fooling ANYONE???

We can all tell you''''re just a TROLL pretending to be a Christian - or whatever.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by txgrouch2006
==============================
Whatever....you dont see hurricanes threatening Altoona Pennsylvania do you? Thats right because my prayer is keeping them away.

[tapsettle]

"Houston Told To Hunker Down For Big Ike"

Sounds like another headline on a GOP ''mens room'' scandal.

[upto007]

More tax payer money gone on some fool that wont leave. Let them stay and DIE. If they are to dumb to leave I saue would not help them.

[upto007]

The English Language is a great thing; it is beautiful when use right. To bad you don%u2019t know how to speak are write it. I really don%u2019t think the words you used are in the American College Dictionary. You are offensive. Do you know what Offensive means? Do you even know what a Dictionary is? If you have one you need to use it. To bad no one here knows how to use it.

[slim1h2o]

But by the time it crossed over Sharpstown on the Southwest Freeway, it was just a big thunderstorm with some heavy winds. It did only minor damage.

Which is why most Houstonians are staying put. Only the coastal regions are being evacuated.



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Posted by txgrouch2006 at 09:20 AM : Sep 12, 2008


Sorry to disagree. When Alicia went thru Houston, it still had a very well defined "eye". And packed some pretty good winds, as in 80 plus MPH winds.

I was living not far from Sharpstown, I was at Westpark and the Southwest Frwy, also known as U.S 59, And the eye went right over us. I can still remember it very well, as that was my 1st Hurricane that I went thru. Also, the radio station that I was listening to warned people that the eye was going thru and not venture too far away from home, because the eye would move on, and we''d be getting more of the storms. Inside that eye was pretty blue skies, and no wind. It''s something that you don''t forget very easily.

Not sure where you got the idea that it was a "thunderstorm" that thru there. In fact a office building that was at the Westpark and SW Frwy, was heavily damaged, by rain and high winds.

[fedupinaz]

Many of the comments here just prove that you can lead a moron to a keyboard, but you can''t make them think.

Surely there are more applicable places to post comments about God and Bush? Or at least find a story that is even remotely related to your lunatic fringe comments!

[sly_64]

Lunatic Fringe is a great song.

[apndrgn]

On the long plain,
See the rider in the night
See the chieftain,
See the braves in cool moonlight
Who will love them
When they take another life
Who will hold them,
When they tremble for the knife
---niel young, i''m the ocean

[sly_64]

gop_will_win is gopforever, a person to ignore. They don''t believe what they are saying to begin with.

[lloydbest1]

The "face certain death" phrase in the headline leading the article is a direct quote from hurricane warnings posted by the National Weather Service, Houston/Galveston office. These folks are not known for histrionics or a sense of drama, so if they make statements like that, it''s time to perk up and listen....

As of 0700 CDT, 12 Sept...Ike''s center is about 230 or so miles S.E. of Galveston and pegged to run right over the top of the island by 11:00 PM Friday night to 1 or 2 AM Saturday morning. Pressure is holding at about 28.23 inches, fairly high for a storm of this intensity. Maximum sustained winds are around 105 mph and he is expected to get stronger over the next 12 or so hours. Since there is still over 200 miles of very warm water between him and the coast, it''s not unreasonable to expect him to spin up to a possible Cat 3 by the time he hits. Galveston is already seeing steady N.E. winds in the 20 to 25 mph range and Ike is still a good 16 hours off.
Tide levels are already 4 - 5 feet above norms on the coast and the gulf facing coastline can expect tides approaching 15 to 20 feet on Galveston Island; and maybe 20 or more feet on the bay facing side. Ol'' Lloyd is not just making wild guesses here; these incredible numbers come from the Houston/Galveston NWS.
So, combine those tides with 10 to 15 hours straight of hurricane force winds and up to 10 inches of rainfall and you have a recipe for a deadly weekend.
Stay safe and, if you can, spend it somewhere else...

[sly_64]

I love hurricanes. It''s nice to stir things up once in a while.

[gop_will_win]

I love hurricanes. It''''s nice to stir things up once in a while.


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Posted by sly_64
====================
Spoken like a true troll.

[tootall10142]

A FREIGHTER HAULING PETROLEUM COKE? WHAT THE H---ELL IS PETROLEUM COKE? AND WHY CANT WE USE IT IN OUR AOUTOMOBILES?

[usclimey]

Posted by LloydBest1

Lloyd

Don''t know if you saw it but at 8.00 CNN''s Rob Marciano was reporting from the beach road in Galveston. He said waves were already breaking over the 12 ft sea wall. I would think this is not good news. I''d sure be outta there.

[docpeter1953]

A FREIGHTER HAULING PETROLEUM COKE? WHAT THE H---ELL IS PETROLEUM COKE? AND WHY CANT WE USE IT IN OUR AOUTOMOBILES?

Posted by tootall10142 at 10:11 AM : Sep 12, 2008
_________________

It is a coal-like substance. It is a solid. As a child, I use to pick it up along the train tracksnear my home.

[gop_will_win]

why do you give Bush so much power in your life?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by jamesm12341
=====================
Bush is God.

[docpeter1953]

I love hurricanes. It''''s nice to stir things up once in a while.

Posted by sly_64 at 09:59 AM : Sep 12, 2008
_________________

I do also, but not to stir things up. I grew up on the Texas gulf coast. I am fascinated by their sheer power. And it is all natural.

[docpeter1953]

Bush is God.

Posted by gop_will_win at 10:39 AM : Sep 12, 2008
__________________

BLASPHEMY!

[rematenaj]

The English Language is a great thing; it is beautiful when use right. To bad you don%u2019t know how to speak are write it. I really don%u2019t think the words you used are in the American College Dictionary. You are offensive. Do you know what Offensive means? Do you even know what a Dictionary is? If you have one you need to use it. To bad no one here knows how to use it.


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Posted by Upto007 at 09:35 AM : Sep 12, 2008
Upto007, your intentions are good, however, while denegrating others for not using a dictionary, you have completely forgotten that proper grammer goes along with the dictionary. I''ve made corrections for you in capitals below... You need to get your then/than, two/to/too, are/or words straight before bashing others!

The English Language is a great thing; it is beautiful when USED right. To bad you don''t know how to speak OR write it. I really don''t think the words you used are in the American College Dictionary. You are offensive. Do you know what Offensive means? Do you even know what a Dictionary is? If you have one you need to use it. TOO bad no one here knows how to use it.

[hotpaulie]

airmanc5 - your an idiot. Democrats have hardly given up on Obama. All McCain gained with Palin is *** appeal...if these two win than America deserves what it gets.

[antoniof123]

This looks bad!!!! :(

[txgrouch2006]

Did the entire populace of the Gulf Coast just arrive there only to discover that the area is hurricane prone?
Posted by anon00 at 09:52 AM : Sep 12, 2008

No, most of them stopped in New Orleans first. But they decided it wasn''t safe to live BELOW SEA LEVEL in a city ON THE COAST.

So the coast of Texas seemed safe in comparison.

[txgrouch2006]

This looks bad!!!! :(
Posted by antoniof123 at 10:59 AM : Sep 12, 2008

Update - latest forecast is for Ike to be CATEGORY 2 when it makes landfall. WEAKER than expected.

Also, the predicted track is shifting west now. The center of Houston will get drenched, but they could be spared from the highest winds.

Yes, it looks bad if you live two miles from the coast and you haven''t already left home. But for the rest of us - bring in the patio furniture when the wind picks up. This is gonna be a BIG thunderstorm.

I''m pretty sure it will wake up the kids.

[docpeter1953]

Yes, it looks bad if you live two miles from the coast and you haven''''t already left home. But for the rest of us - bring in the patio furniture when the wind picks up. This is gonna be a BIG thunderstorm.

I''''m pretty sure it will wake up the kids.

Posted by txgrouch2006 at 11:05 AM : Sep 12, 2008

____________________

Like your attitude on this one. I would sleep like a baby in thisun. But then again I slept through most of Alicia in 1983, at least until I had to get up and go to work. Didn''t miss a minute of work. Also went out and picked up nurses that were neede to relieve the graveyard shift at the hospital.

[txgrouch2006]

I was at Westpark and the Southwest Frwy, also known as U.S 59, And the eye went right over us.
Posted by slim1h2o at 09:36 AM : Sep 12, 2008

Cool! I was just a few miles from you, at 59 and West Bellfort in the apartments there.

Yes, there was some damage. But NOTHING to compare to Katrina at NO.

I rode out Alicia in my apartment. When I saw how it looked, I went outside with my cheap camera and took some pictures when it wasn''t raining too hard. It was windy, but nothing life threatening.

Now this storm is a cat 2, WEAKER than Alicia. It is forecast to remain at cat 2 when it makes landfall.

[nolalou]

Democrats now distancing themselves from Obama as polling shows all races tighting. Democrats afraid that the failing campaign of Obama might give control of Congress back to the republicians. Reference www.drudgereport.com several newspapers article there about it
Posted by airmanc5

Why is this posted on a thread about Hurricane Ike? Take you opinions where they belong, troll!!

[yeswecan09]

I just saw a picture of Ike on CNN and the hurricane is half the size of Texas!

As the house said to the people in Amityville -- "GET OUT!"

Ike is saying the same thing.

Let me add: run don''t walk and come home safe.

[lloydbest1]

Posted by usclimey at 10:28 AM : Sep 12, 2008

No, I didn''t - Thanks for the update. I did check some recent on line photos of flooded neighborhoods on the island. Bolivar appears to be already cut off from the rest of the Texas mainland. Someone who lives there and is still around can check me.
The waves breaking over the wall are swells generated by the storm. This is NOT the surge; tides are still "only" about 6 - 8 feet above norms. They could climb another 10 feet!
The fact that Ike is already causing this much mischief when still over 200 miles away is a forceful indication of how large this storm is. The hurricane force wind field covers an area the size of New York state and wind speeds of tropical storm force or greater, a circle 500 miles in diameter.
It''s not so much the intensity of Ike but his sheer size that makes him the schoolyard bully. With his sphere of influence, he is capable of pushing fantastic amounts of water over Texas'' coastal plain and if you think three or four hours of hurricane force winds are a royal pain; try 10 to 14! Even moving at a 12 mph pace, that''s about how long you can expect to deal with that kind of wind if you are directly in his path.

[slim1h2o]

I rode out Alicia in my apartment. When I saw how it looked, I went outside with my cheap camera and took some pictures when it wasn''''t raining too hard. It was windy, but nothing life threatening.

Now this storm is a cat 2, WEAKER than Alicia. It is forecast to remain at cat 2 when it makes landfall.



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Posted by txgrouch2006 at 11:10 AM : Sep 12, 2008


LOL I was in my apartment as well. 1st floor.

I don''t know if you remember the Sigma Chapman building that was at the interchange of Westpark and SW Frwy, about 5 or 6 stories, but that was the building that I was refering to.

I did see on the Weather Channel that they have reduced the storm to a Cat 2. But they have some really serious storm surge going on down in Galveston, ALREADY, amd it''s still about 200 miles away.

I still think it''s time to get the hell out now, I know I would.

But that''s just me though. LOL

[godzfan]

Democrats now distancing themselves from Obama as polling shows all races tighting. Democrats afraid that the failing campaign of Obama might give control of Congress back to the republicians. Reference www.drudgereport.com several newspapers article there about it
Posted by airmanc5

Why is this posted on a thread about Hurricane Ike? Take you opinions where they belong, troll!!


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Posted by nolalou at 11:20 AM : Sep 12, 2008
------------------------------------

Well now i will be sure to turn repugnican tomorrow,seein how you have been enlightened by the drudge report and God knows everything in there is the truth.
Your are a bigger fool than most repugnicans just for reading such a trash tabloid. you are just as well off reading the World News at the checkout stand.

[kashmirbaby]

I don''t know about you guys, but I''m more worried about everyone facing Ike in Texas than I am about McCain or Palin. That storm is huge! I''ve told all of my clients in Texas to please be safe, and you have my prayers!

[txgrouch2006]

Who''''s the pig?
Posted by smart4peace at 11:30 AM : Sep 12, 2008

YOU ARE for clogging up this discussion board with your partisan troll spew.

GET OUT and stay out. Take it to a political board, PIG.

[godzfan]

No matter what the outcome of this storm, even if one person dies it will be the fault of the Bush admin. and the repugnican party. It is Gods way of telling them he is tired of their C**P.
Sorry folks had a Sarah Palin moment.

[txgrouch2006]

But that''''s just me though. LOL
Posted by slim1h2o at 11:37 AM : Sep 12, 2008

For reference, the center of Houston is at 50 feet above sea level. It would take a BIG storm surge to reach downtown. Flooding from heavy rain is more likely - and you don''t need a hurricane to flood Houston. I''m sure you remember THAT :-)

[txgrouch2006]

Sorry folks had a Sarah Palin moment.
Posted by GodzFan at 11:52 AM : Sep 12, 2008

And YOU can take YOUR partisan road show over to a political discussion board, too.

GET OUT AND STAY OUT.

[whatithink1]

Maybe this will keep Rowdy off the boards for a week. One can hope.

[whatithink1]

txgrouch2006,

Who died and made you the posting controller? Don''t you have some windows to board up somewhere?

[jenyfurg]

WOW - and I winder why our children are so disrespectful and don''t know how to behave ... some wonderful examples of adults on here. As a Christian who DOES believe in prayer, I apologize for the ignorant and political comments of GodzFan, it is people like that who are NOT living out what we believe and using their faith to be judgmental and negative, that gives Christianity a bad name... point blank this is a bad and scary storm, and if there is ANY loss of life, it is a tragedy. So instead of bashing each other, why not work together to help put resources towards these people who are about to lose a LOT! And if you don''t want to help - fine ... but quit quarter-backing from the couch with no intent to make a difference!

[spherography]

Aware of Ike''s ferocity and the descruction that is imminent ahead... How are these refineries going to be rebuilt and paid for by whom? The federal government? Depending on the amount needed and allocation although if exceeded, if this were so, it wouldn''t matter who our next President would be because they may very well be impeached.