I was on vacation in an area with no internet connection - or Cable TV even!

Tropical Storm Ike, the ninth tropical storm of the season, continues its westward trek. It is located halfway between the Lesser Antilles and Africa. Top winds are near 50 mph.

Tropical Storm Ike will initially head west-northwest then west over the course of this week. It is forecast to become a hurricane later this week.

 

Tropical Storm Ike, the ninth tropical storm of the season, is strengthening as it heads west. It is located halfway between the Lesser Antilles and Africa. Top winds are now near 65 mph, a healthy tropical storm.

Tropical Storm Ike will initially head west or west-northwest over the course of this week. It is forecast to become a hurricane by tonight or early tomorrow morning.

Tropical Storm Ike, the ninth tropical storm of the season, is strengthening as it heads west. It is located roughly halfway between the Lesser Antilles and Africa. Top winds are now near 65 mph, a healthy tropical storm.

Tropical Storm Ike will initially head west or west-northwest over the course of this week. It is forecast to become a hurricane later today and continue to strengthen over the next several days.

Behind Hanna, Hurricane Ike continues to rapidly gain strength in the central Atlantic Basin. As of 11 a.m. EDT, Ike was located 525 miles northeast of the Leeward Islands. Maximum sustained winds near the center are down a bit to 140 mph, bit it remains a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.

Hurricane Ike is currently moving west-northwest, and it should continue to wobble in a general westward direction over the next several days. Ike will likely maintain a category 4 or 3 status as it moves westward.

For now it is of no threat to land, but could threaten the Bahamas by early next week. Residents of the Bahamas should monitor Ike carefully the next several days. At this moment it is too early to tell if Ike would have any impact on the United States but the entire Southeast coast should pay close attention to the progress and forecast track of Ike.

 

 Behind Hanna, Hurricane Ike rapidly gained strength on Thursday in the central Atlantic Basin, but overnight has lost some intensity. As of 5 a.m. EDT, Ike was located 660 miles east-northeast of the Grand Turk Island. Maximum sustained winds near the center are down a bit to 125 mph, but it remains a powerful Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.

Hurricane Ike is currently moving west, and is expected to make a slight turn to the west-southwest tonight or Saturday, then turn back to the West by Sunday. Ike will likely remain a major hurricane as it moves westward.

For now it is of no threat to land, but could threaten the Bahamas by Sunday and into early next week. Residents of the Bahamas should monitor Ike carefully the next several days. At this moment it is too early to tell if Ike would have any impact on the United States but the entire Southeast coast should pay close attention to the progress and forecast track of Ike.

Northerly shear and some slight dry air entrainment enabled Ike to weaken just a touch on Saturday morning. Maximum sustained winds near the center were earlier lowered to 110 mph (Cat 2), however its recent satellite appearance has improved and winds have been bumped back up to 115 mph, a major Category 3 hurricane.

As of 2 p.m. ET, Ike was located 135 miles east of the Grand Turk Island.

Hurricane Ike is currently moving west-southwest at 16 mph. It will then turn back to the west on Sunday. Ike is forecast to maintain Category 3 status as it moves across the Southeastern Bahamas and near eastern Cuba tomorrow.

Ike will move across the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos beginning late Saturday night and through Sunday morning. Residents and tourists should take Ike very seriously. Preparations should be nearing completion for the arrival of what very well could be a Category 3 hurricane as it passes through the islands.

Hurricane warnings are posted for the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos while a hurricane watch is posted for eastern Cuba and the central Bahamas. A tropical storm warning is in place for the the northern coast of the Dominican Republic.

After passing through the Bahamas, the next landmasses in front of Ike will be Cuba, the Florida Keys and south Florida.

Some of the latest model track guidance points to a potential path that would take Ike across Cuba, on a east to west track. Although this is not a good outcome for Cuba, it would be a positive outcome for south Florida and the Florida Keys. The center of Ike would stay south of Florida and the interaction with Cuba would allow Ike to weaken significantly.

S

till, there is another possibility that Ike will scrape the northern Cuba coast and move through the Florida Straits; keeping most of its strength.

Residents and tourists alike should pay close attention to the progress and forecast track of Ike. This is a very dangerous and potentially deadly hurricane and bears close watching.

After its passage near Cuba and the Florida Straits, Ike is then forecast to turn into the central or eastern Gulf of Mexico. Interests especially along the north-central and northeast Gulf coast should pay close attention to Ike's projected path.

 

Hurricane Ike made landfall around 9:45 p.m. EDT, near Punto De Sama in the Cuban province of Hoguin with winds estimated near 125 miles per hour.

As of 11 p.m. EDT, Ike was located about just west of Cabo Lucrecia about 135 miles east of Camaguey, Cuba, still as a category 3 hurricane with winds now near 120 miles per hour. Ike is moving west at 13 mph.

Hurricane warnings are posted for the central and southern Bahamas; the Turks and Caicos Islands; and eastern and central Cuba. A hurricane watch is in effect for western Cuba, Andros Island in the Bahamas, and the Florida Keys. A tropical storm warning continues for Andros Island in the Bahamas. And a tropical storm watch has been issued for the Cayman Islands and Jamaica.

Ike is expected to move to the west-northwest along the spine of Cuba Monday and early Tuesday, weakening considerably. If, however, the hurricane manages to stay over water--on either side of Cuba--longer than anticipated, less weakening would occur.

Whatever happens, extreme damage is likely in Cuba, along with deluges of rain that will produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.

After slicing through Cuba, Ike is forecast to swirl into the southeast Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday and in all probability, re-strengthen. Its course after that point remains uncertain, but residents all along the U. S. Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida should stay apprised of this dangerous storm.

 Hurricane Ike made landfall around 9:45 p.m. EDT Sunday evening, near Punto De Sama in the Cuban province of Hoguin with winds estimated near 125 miles per hour.

As of 5 a.m. EDT, Ike was located about 40 miles east-southeast of Camaguey, Cuba. Due to being over land for the last 6 hours or so, Ike as weakened to a category 2 hurricane with winds now near 105 miles per hour. Ike is moving west at 15 mph.


Hurricane warnings are posted for eastern and central Cuba. A hurricane watch is in effect for far western Cuba and the Florida Keys. A tropical storm warning is in effect for Andros Island in the Bahamas, western Cuba, and the Florida Keys. A tropical storm watch has been issued for the Cayman Islands and Jamaica.

Ike is expected to move to the west-northwest along the spine of Cuba through Tuesday, weakening considerably. If, however, the hurricane manages to stray over water--on either side of Cuba--less weakening would occur.

Whatever happens, extreme damage is likely in Cuba, along with deluges of rain that will produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.

After slicing through Cuba, Ike is forecast to swirl into the southeast Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday afternoon or evening and in all probability, re-strengthen. Its course after that point remains uncertain, but residents all along the U. S. Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida should stay apprised of this dangerous storm.

After battering Cuba for the third straight day, Hurricane Ike is swirling across western Cuba heading for the southeast Gulf of Mexico.

As of 11 a.m. EDT today, Ike (80 mph) was located about 55 miles SW of Havana, Cuba, and moving WNW at 13 mph. The hurricane may weaken a bit as it moves over land the next several hours, but will re-strengthen beginning this evening once it churns into the Gulf.

Hurricane warnings remain posted for western Cuba, and a tropical storm warning remains in effect for the Florida Keys from Ocean Reef southward to the Dry Tortugas, including Florida Bay. Key West NAS reported wind gusts to 58 mph late this morning.

Ike will continue to pour heavy rains on western Cuba with life-threatening flash floods and mudslides a distinct possibility.

After emerging into the Gulf this evening, Ike is expected to continue on a general WNW course, likely threatening the Texas coast by late Friday or early Saturday.

Hurricane Ike, after moving back into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, is now beginning to strengthen and is poised to track across the central Gulf over the next few days.

As of 5 a.m. EDT, Ike was located about 125 miles north of the western tip of Cuba, and was moving west-northwest at 8 mph. Maximum sustained winds near the center have increased to 85 mph. Additional strengthening is likely through today.

Squally weather will continue to impact western Cuba today, as well as the Florida Keys and extreme southern Florida, especially this morning. Isolated tornadoes will remain possible over far south Florida and the Florida Keys.

Hurricane warnings have been dropped for areas of Cuba, as Ike slowly moves away, but tropical storm warnings are now in effect, including the extreme Lower Florida Keys.

Ike is forecast to move in a general west-northwest direction over the next few days, while gaining strength. It appears likely that Ike will become a major hurricane while trekking across the warm Gulf waters.

The current forecast track would bring Ike to threaten the Texas coast Friday night into early Saturday; but conditions will begin deteriorating during the day on Friday. Persons along coastal Texas should pay close attention to the latest forecasts over the next few days.

Areas outside of the forecast landfall will also feel impacts from Ike, increasing through Friday. Onshore flow will bring high surf and a high danger of rip currents to the western coast of Florida and along the northern Gulf coastal areas.

Given the increasing persistent onshore flow, costal flood watches have been posted for areas of western Florida, including the panhandle, and for areas of Alabama.

As of 7 a.m. CDT, Ike was located about 575 east of Brownsville, Texas, with maximum sustained winds near the center holding at 100 mph. Movement is now toward the west-northwest at around 10 mph.

Ike's pressure remains low (a sign of strong hurricane), with the latest reading from an Air Force Hunter Aircraft of 946 mb (27.94 inches). But despite this low pressure, Ike's winds have not increased yet due to the very large size of the storm. However, additional strengthening remains likely and Ike is forecast to become a major hurricane today or Friday.

Hurricane watches remain in effect for parts of the Texas coast and tropical storm warnings are in effect for the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts, including New Orleans.

On its current track, Ike should make landfall along the central Texas coast early Saturday morning as a major hurricane; but conditions will begin deteriorating during the day on Friday.

Persons along coastal Texas should pay close attention to the latest forecasts and follow advice and requirements form local authorities. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion by tonight.

Given the very large size of Ike, areas outside of the forecast landfall will also feel impacts, increasing today into Friday. The pressure gradient between high pressure in the Northeast and Hurricane Ike will help to bring windy conditions to portions of the northern Gulf Coast.

Also, water level rises and battering waves will impact the northern Gulf coastal states. Waves will be the highest today along the Alabama and western Florida Panhandle coastline where they could peak between 15 to 20 feet. Coastal flood warnings and advisories, along with high surf advisories blanket parts of the Gulf Coast from southeastern Louisiana to the western Gulf Coast of Florida. Deadly rip currents and beach erosion will also be threats.

A 24+ foot storm surge is expected

Northern outer bands from Ike will begin to impact parts of the north central Gulf coast today, in the form of scattered showers and thunderstorms. A few squalls could impact southern Louisiana, especially toward evening and overnight, along with the threat for an isolated tornado.

Heavy rain, strong damaging winds, rising water levels, and battering waves will increase along the Texas Coast Friday, with the worse conditions expected Friday night into early Saturday. The most severe conditions will impact areas just to the north of where the center makes landfall.

After Ike makes landfall early Saturday, life threatening flooding rains and potentially damaging winds will spread inland across Texas, perhaps as far north and northern Texas into Sunday.

Original article: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/09/11/hurricane.ike.texas/index.html

Authorities urged residents in parts of the the U.S. Gulf Coast to heed evacuation warnings before Hurricane Ike makes landfall, warning of a "massive storm" that could affect roughly 40 percent of the U.S. Gulf Coast.

"Do not take this storm lightly," Michael Chertoff, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said Thursday afternoon. "This is not a storm to gamble with. It is large; it is powerful; it carries a lot of water."

Chertoff and representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency said their efforts were focused on evacuations as Ike, now a Category 2 storm, headed toward the northwestern Gulf of Mexico with top sustained winds near 100 mph.

Chertoff also urged people not to succumb to "hurricane fatigue," referring to concerns that authorities were overestimating Ike's potential impact.

"Unless you're fatigued with living, I suggest you want to take seriously a storm of this size and scale," he said Thursday. "This is not a game of chicken with Mother Nature. This is a time to heed authorities' warnings."

About 3.5 million residents are expected to evacuate throughout the U.S. Gulf states, but it was unclear exactly how many had begun evacuating, FEMA Administrator David Paulison said Thursday.

About 100,000 residents in low-lying areas surrounding Houston began evacuating Thursday afternoon as Hurricane Ike headed for the Texas coast, officials said.

But the remaining 4 million residents were told they could stay home, even as government offices and schools prepared to close Friday in Houston in anticipation of the hurricane.

"We are only evacuating areas subject to a storm surge," said Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, the county's chief executive officer. "Yes, we know you will lose electricity. But you're not in danger of losing your life, so stay put."

On Galveston Island, mandatory evacuations for more than 60,000 began Thursday morning. No shelters will be open, according to the city's Web site.

Evacuations have been ordered for parts of Chambers, Brazoria, Matagorda and Harris counties, officials said. Aransas County has ordered a mandatory evacuation of all nonessential government employees.

Elsewhere in the state, voluntary evacuations were issued in San Patricio and Victoria counties and parts of Jackson County, according to the governor's office.

The National Hurricane Center predicted storm surges of up to 20 feet above normal tides.

Forecasters said the storm stood a 41 percent change of slamming into the Texas coast late Friday or early Saturday as a Category 3 storm, with winds between 111 mph and 130 mph.

There was a 25 percent possibility Ike could be a Category 2, with wind speeds between 96 mph and 110 mph, at landfall, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said.

At 2 p.m. ET Thursday, Ike was about 440 miles east-southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, and 470 miles east-southeast of Galveston.

Ike was moving west-northwest near 10 mph; that motion should continue over the central and western Gulf of Mexico on Thursday and Friday, the hurricane center said.

Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 115 miles from the center, the hurricane center said, and tropical storm-force winds extended outward up to 275 miles. iReport.com: 'I've never seen the water up that high'

In Rockport, special-needs residents gathered at Live Oak Elementary School for the evacuation.

"All my family is up north," James Beaird, who has Type 2 diabetes, told CNN affiliate KIII-TV in Corpus Christi. "I'm glad they pick up an old cripple dude, like me, and get me somewhere."

Farther up the Gulf Coast and closer to where the National Hurricane Center predicts a direct hit, Brazoria County ordered a mandatory evacuation to begin at 8 a.m. CT (9 a.m. ET) Thursday.

"The public has to understand if they decide to stay, there will be a period of time during this storm when they will absolutely be on their own," Brazoria County Sheriff Charles Wagner said.

Some Brazoria County residents said they didn't want to leave but realized it was in their best interest to do so.

"You don't have a choice when you have kids," Deborah Davis of Freeport told CNN affiliate KPRC-TV in Houston. 

As of 8 a.m. CDT, Ike was located about 230 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas, with maximum sustained winds near the center increased to 105 mph. The forward movement is toward the west-northwest at around 13 mph.

Although it has fluctuated up and down over the past 12 hours, Ike's pressure remains low with the latest reading from an Air Force Hunter Aircraft of 956 millibars. Landfall is less than 18 hours away but additional strengthening could still occur and it still may attain Category 3 status. That being said, the impacts from a high end Category 2 and a low end Category 3 are nearly identical.

A hurricane warning remains in effect from Morgan City, Louisiana, to Baffin Bay, Texas and tropical storm warnings are in effect for the southeast Louisiana and Mississippi coasts, including the city of New Orleans.

On its current track, Ike should make landfall along the upper Texas coast late tonight or very early Saturday morning as a Category 2 or Category 3 hurricane. The landfall location will probably be in the zone from the Freeport-Lake Jackson area to Galveston, Texas.

A strike in this portion of the Texas coast will provide dangerous, perhaps life-threatening impacts.

The most severe conditions will impact areas just to the north and east of where the center makes landfall; the right front quadrant of Ike's circulation.

Water level rise will be life-threatening in some coastal Texas counties especially Matagorda, Brazoria, Galveston, and Jefferson County. Folks of Cameron County, Louisiana, should also beware of the potentially destructive water level rise along the coast. Because of Ike's very large size, the water level rise produced by Ike will be larger than an average-size Category 2 hurricane.

The NHC warns of a significant and very dangerous storm surge of up to 20 feet could occur near and to the east of where Ike's center of circulation makes landfall. A surge of 25 feet could occur at the heads of the bays.

This clip came from Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,421788,00.html

HOUSTON — A monster-sized Hurricane Ike bore down on the Texas coast late Friday, threatening to rattle the sparkling skyscrapers of America's fourth-largest city, shut down the heart of the U.S oil industry for days and obliterate waterfront towns already flooded with waist-high water.

Though nearly 1 million people evacuated coastal communities in the days leading up to the storm, tens of thousands ignored calls to leave and decided to tough it out. But as wind-whipped floodwaters began crashing into coastal homes, many changed their minds. Galveston fire crews rescued more than 300 people who were walking through flooded streets, clutching clothes and other belongings as they tried to wade to safety.


"We were going street by street seeing people who were trying to escape the flood waters," Fire Chief Michael Varela said. "I'm assuming these were people who made the mistake of staying."

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. It was on track to crash ashore early Saturday near Galveston, the same site that suffered the nation's worst natural disaster when a legendary storm struck without warning and killed 6,000 more than a century ago.

Officials were growing increasingly worried about the stalwarts, and many communities imposed curfews to discourage looters. Authorities in three counties alone said roughly 90,000 stayed behind, despite a warning from forecasters that many of those in one- or two-story homes on the coast faced "certain death."

At dark Friday, the Coast Guard suspended a search for a 19-year-old man who was lost in 6- to 8-foot waves off North Padre Island, about 10 miles east of Corpus Christi. Michael Moxly was with three other people on the southside of the Packery Channel Jetty when he was swept away.

In communities all along the coast, rescue crews were forced in the face of heavy wind and rain to retreat and leave the stubborn to fend for themselves. Three buildings were destroyed by fire in Galvaston because water was too high for fire trucks to navigate.

"I believe in the man up there, God," said William Steally, a 75-year-old retiree who planned to ride out the storm in Galveston without his wife or sister-in-law. "I believe he will take care of me."

A disabled 584-foot freighter with 22 men aboard was left tossing about in the waves because winds were too dangerous for aircraft. Late Friday, the Coast Guard reported the crew was still safe after weathering the brunt of the storm, and a tugboat was set to arrive noon Saturday.

Power was knocked out to hundreds of thousands of customers in Louisiana and along the Texas coast. That number that was expected to climb quickly throughout the night, according to Centerpoint Energy, the primary electricity provider for the region.

As of 11 p.m. EDT, Ike was centered about 55 miles southeast of Galveston, moving at 12 mph. It was close to a Category 3 storm with winds of 110 mph, and was expected to strengthen by the time the eye hit land. Forecasters predicted it would come ashore somewhere near Galveston early Saturday and pass almost directly over Houston.

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.

Bachir Annane, a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Hurricane Research Division, said Ike's surge could be catastrophic, and like nothing the Texas coast has ever seen.

"Wind doesn't tell the whole story," Annane said. "It's the size that tells the story, and this is a giant."

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.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry asked President Bush for a "wide-reaching emergency declaration" in all 88 counties being affected, a move designed to secure emergency funding to help defray storm costs.

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.

Authorities instructed most of the city's 2 million residents to just hunker down to avoid highway gridlock. Residents prepared for a sleepless night.

THE 40 NM WIDE EYE OF IKE MADE LANDFALL ON THE UPPER TEXAS COAST JUST AFTER 0700 UTC.  AIRCRAFT AND RADAR DATA INDICATE THAT THE LANDFALL INTENSITY WAS 95 KT...CATEGORY 2 ON THE SAFFIR SIMPSON SCALE.  SURFACE OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST THE LANDFALL PRESSURE WAS NEAR 952 MB.  THE STORM HAS NOT YET HAD TIME TO SIGNIFICANTLY WEAKEN...

SO 95 KT IS THE INITIAL INTENSITY FOR THIS ADVISORY.  IKE SHOULD WEAKEN AS THE CENTER MOVES FARTHER INLAND...WITH THE CYCLONE FORECAST TO DROP BELOW HURRICANE STRENGTH BY LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND BELOW TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH ON SUNDAY.  IKE IS EXPECTED TO LOSE TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS BY 48 HR AND BE ABSORBED INTO A FRONTAL ZONE THEREAFTER.

THE INITIAL MOTION IS A RATHER WOBBLY 325/11.  IKE IS ROUNDING THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF A DEEP-LAYER RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES...AND IT SHOULD RECURVE AND ACCELERATE INTO THE WESTERLIES DURING THE NEXT 24-36 HR.  ALL GUIDANCE AGREES WITH THIS SCENARIO...WITH THE GUIDANCE SHOWING A LITTLE SPREAD IN THE FORWARD SPEED AFTER RECURVATURE.  THE NEW FORECAST TRACK IS NUDGED A LITTLE TO THE EAST OF THE PREVIOUS TRACK AND LIES NEAR THE CENTER OF THE GUIDANCE ENVELOPE.

EVEN THOUGH IKE HAS MADE LANDFALL...IT REMAINS A VER Y LARGE AND DANGEROUS HURRICANE WITH EFFECTS FELT AT LONG DISTANCES FROM THE CENTER.  WATER LEVELS ALONG PORTIONS OF THE UPPER TEXAS AND SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA COASTS MAY CONTINUE TO RISE FOR SEVERAL MORE HOURS.  ADDITIONALLY...HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS MAY OCCUR WELL INLAND NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF THE CENTER OF IKE.

from http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/09/13/hurricane.ike.texas/index.html

Hurricane Ike's storm surge flooded Galveston's historic district early Saturday, sparked fires and knocked out power.

Heavy winds continued to pummel the coastal region more than four hours after the storm made landfall as a Category 2 storm.

It has since weakened to a Category 1, the National Hurricane Center said in its 9 a.m. ET update.

Galveston County's Emergency Management Coordinator John Simsen urged residents to be patient at a 7 a.m. briefing.

"We have a lot of work to do in terms of damage assessment," he said. "We don't understand yet what we're dealing with ... Watch a house that collapsed in the storm »

"The last thing we want to do is put our citizens back into a situation where they may be in harm's way."

The storm flooded the historic district with 7 feet of water, which has since subsided to 4 feet, according to a Galveston county official. A foot of water flooded the city's main courthouse, where many people rode out the storm, Margaret Bunch said.

The storm cut off power to more than 4 million people in the Houston area after it made landfall at 2:10 a.m. CT on Galveston Island.

Ike's sustained winds eased to 90 mph, making it a Category 1 storm as it moved through Houston, the hurricane center said.
 (Story Continued on the CNN website)

From http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,421788,00.html

GALVESTON, Texas — Massive Hurricane Ike weakened to a Category 1 storm Saturday morning after ravaging southeast Texas and battering the coast with driving rain and ferocious wind gusts as residents who decided too late they should have heeded calls to evacuate made futile calls for rescue.

Though it would be daybreak before the storm's toll was clear, already, the damage was extensive. Thousands of homes and government buildings had flooded, roads were washed out, 2.9 million people lost power and several fires burned unabated as crews could not reach them. But the biggest fear was that tens of thousands of people had defied orders to flee and would need to be rescued from submerged homes and neighborhoods.

"The unfortunate truth is we're going to have to go in ... 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.

Several fires were burning untended across Houston and 911 operators received about 1,250 calls in 24 hours, said Frank Michel, spokesman for Houston Mayor Bill White.

Streets around the city's theater district became rushing streams and shards of glass were falling from the sparkling skyscrapers that define the skyline of America's fourth-largest city. Winds were estimated to be 20-30 mph faster at the top of the steel and glass towers than they were at ground level.

President Bush said Saturday that Hurricane Ike was a huge storm that had caused extensive damage in Texas and parts of Louisiana.

"The storm has yet to pass and I know there are people concerned about their lives," Bush said in remarks from the South Lawn of the White House after he participated in video conference with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and David Paulison, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"Some people didn't evacuate when asked," Bush said about the tens of thousands of people who may have to be rescued. "I've been briefed on the rescue teams there in the area. They're prepared to move as soon as weather conditions permit. Obviously, people on the ground there are sensitive to helping people and are fully prepared to do so."

from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26637482/

GALVESTON, Texas - Massive Hurricane Ike ravaged southeast Texas early Saturday, battering the coast with driving rain and ferocious wind gusts as residents who decided too late they should have heeded orders to evacuate made futile calls for rescue.

It remained unclear how many people may have perished as the worst of Ike was passing over the Houston-Galveston area. But even before daylight arrived, damage was considered extensive. Thousands of homes and government buildings flooded, roads were washed out, 2.9 million people lost power and several fires burned unabated as crews could not reach them.

The biggest fear was that tens of thousands of people had defied orders to flee and would need to be rescued from submerged homes and neighborhoods.

As dawn broke, emergency officials were fielding pleas for help from residents along the coast who remained behind and were trapped in their homes. Gov. Rick Perry mobilized 7,500 National Guard troops and his homeland security chief, Steve McGraw, said rescues would start as soon as crews could safely go out.

“The unfortunate truth is we’re going to have to go in ... 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 Perry

Orders ignored
About half of the nearly 300,000 residents of coastal Brazoria County stayed behind in defiance of evacuation orders, officials told NBC affiliate KPRC of Houston, as did about half of the 110,000 people in Beaumont. Tens of thousands more in other areas also disregarded the National Weather Service’s warning that coastal residents refusing to evacuate “may face certain death.”

Even before Ike made landfall, Coast Guard helicopters had rescued 103 people in the Bolivar Peninsula near Galveston Island, some from roofs and others from cars, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Ayla Stevens.

“Some people were on roofs, some people in cars,” she said.

'I kept them here'
Steven Rushing, a commercial fishmerman, tried to ride out the storm with his wife and several family members, including his pregnant 17-year-old daughter, in their one-story brick home on Galveston Island.

Early Saturday, they watched the water rise and donned life jackets. When the water reached the TV, about 4 feet high, Rushing's plan was to kick out a window so they could tie themselves to a tree and await rescue.

But then he noticed a sudden calm, apparently the hurricane's eye passing over. He loaded his family into a 17-foot ski boat and headed for the San Luis resort, the headquarters for emergency personnel about 20 blocks away. It took 20 minutes to float 16 blocks before the boat ran aground. Then the Rushings sprinted for safety, guided by lights from police responding to a 911 call made from the boat.

"I'm drained. I'm beat up," Rushing said later Saturday morning. "My family is traumatized. I kept them here, promising them everything would be alright, but this is the real deal and I won't stay no more."

 

Ike made landfall at 2:10 a.m. CDT at Galveston, Texas, with maximum sustained winds near 110 miles per hour. Its minimum pressure was 951.6 millibars, reported by the barometer at the Galveston Pleasure Pier when the center passed overhead.

As of 10 p.m. CDT, Ike was located 100 miles WSW of Little Rock, Arkansas, with maximum sustained winds at 40 mph. It was downgraded to a tropical storm at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon. It is heading north-northeast at 24 mph with an acceleration to the north overnight into Sunday.

Ike was a hurricane for 9 days and 21 hours.

The remnants of Ike moved into Canada on Sunday night. Winds gusted to hurricane force across the Ohio Valley on Sunday, and are still gusting to tropical storm force this morning in the Northeast.

Here are some wind gusts to hurricane force from Ike's remnants on Sunday:

Paoli, Indiana: 81 mph
Little York, Indiana: 81 mph
Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania: 81 mph
Ashtabula, Ohio: 78 mph
Lebanon, Ohio: 78 mph
Wilmington, Ohio: 78 mph
Louisville, Kentucky: 75 mph
Columbus, Ohio: 75 mph

The intense rain, occurring along the path of Ike, has moved into southeastern Canada. The cold front that picked up Ike's remnants could still produce showers and thunderstorms in the Southeast and along the Mid-Atlantic coast today.
 

Texas held the largest search and rescue operation in its history for people who made a "poor choice" and stayed behind.

 

Added 2008

< Back to the 2008 Tropical Storm Page