By this time tomorrow Hurricane Ike will be unleashing it’s full force on the Texas Gulf Coast, and residents there are being warned:
(CNN) — The fringes of massive Hurricane Ike began lapping at the Texas shore Friday morning even though the storm’s center was hundreds of miles from land.
Early signs of the approaching storm came as the National Weather Service warned that some Texans face “certain death” unless they leave parts of the state’s Gulf Coast before the storm hits.
“Persons not heeding evacuation orders in single-family, one or two-story homes will face certain death,” said the National Weather Service office in Houston, Texas. Its warning targeted residents of the shoreline of Galveston Bay, Texas.
Minor flooding was reported along the barrier islands south of Galveston overnight, CNN affiliate KPRC reported.
The National Hurricane Center said Ike, a Category 2 storm, is expected to strengthen before the eye reaches the shore somewhere near Galveston late Friday.
“All neighborhoods … and possibly entire coastal communities … will be inundated during the period of peak storm tide,” the advisory said. “Persons not heeding evacuation orders in single-family one- or two-story homes will face certain death.”
The maximum water level forecasts in nearby areas, including the shoreline of Matagorda Bay and the Gulf-facing coastline from Sargent to High Island, ranged from 5 to 8 feet. But authorities warned that tide levels could begin rising Friday morning along the upper Texas coast and along the shorelines of the bays.
The advisory summoned memories of the language used to describe 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, which devastated parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast.
“Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks … if not longer,” an advisory issued at the time said. “The vast majority of native trees will be snapped or uprooted. Only the heartiest will remain standing.”
The Ike advisory comes on the heels of similarly urgent messages earlier Thursday from federal authorities, who warned of a “massive storm” that could affect roughly 40 percent of the U.S. Gulf Coast.
More to come, I’m sure.
September 16th, 2008 at 8:42 am
No Power from Texas to Ohio - 3 Quick Tips…
Wow, Ike as only a category 2 hurricane really made an impact from Texas to Ohio. 2 Million+ people are without power (including me in NE Ohio!). In Ohio we have been told that we will not get power until probably Friday, so what should you do?
Use…