(no subject)

[shadowkat]

Is anyone else tracking Hurricane Ike? Have you seen what I have? A Category 4 Hurricane barreling directly towards Galveston and Houston, Texas. That is a monster. They've issued mandatory evacuation notices, informing people if they stay it is certain death.

Anyone on my flist from Houston? I pray you are safe and far far far away at the moment.

Comments

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

arethusa2 lives in Houston. I'm sure she and her family left when told to.

[ann1962]

She generally stays but I hope she has left this time.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

I was under the impression that she had moved to Austin, TX for some reason? Was I wrong?

[ann1962]

I don't know. I hope so now. She did update her political blog yesterday.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

That doesn't mean anything unfortunately. Heard that Houston had been told not to evacuate. Just Galvaston and the low-lying areas.

My gut tells me this is going to be a horrible storm. It's huge and bring lots of water with it, even though it's category 2. They are predicting it will hit as Category 3. But hopefully it will weaken before it makes landfall.

[wenchsenior.livejournal.com]

Well technically it's a Cat 2 at this point.

My husband has two grad students that are currently hunkered down at the Welder Wildlife Refuge (along with the residents and employees) in Sinton, about 35 miles NE (inland) of Corpus Christi. We should get some incredible reports from them next week. Not neccesarily good. God, all those beautiful huge live oaks! All those animals!

But Houston/Galveston and northward will likely take the brunt, and Galveston's sea wall is only about 20 feet high - likely too small for the projected storm surges/waves. If this hurricane intensifies, waves could reach 50 feet tall in some places. If the hurricane tracks up the harbor/waterway into Houston, the damage could be incredible.

Still, it might stay Cat 2...

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

It may not matter what category it is. It is 700-800 miles across and about the size of Texas. The storm surge is expected to be 50-250 feet. The winds 150 miles per hour.

Galvaston, by the way, is underwater now and the storm surge hasn't even happened yet, it hasn't even hit yet.

According to the national weather center, it is hitting Dallas as Category 1 and Houston as 2, but it so large and bringing so much water with it and high winds...

I may be wrong, and I hope I am, but my gut tells me that this may be the worste natural disaster to hit the US in some time. And it will change things. Remember - there are oil refineries out there on the Texas Coast and chemlabs. This may well be worse than Katrina.
Again, with any luck, I'm wrong. And it is going up through the midwest. If we are lucky this is all hype like Hannah.