Ike is heading for the Gulf of Mexico

[Astronuc]

My parents are fine. Part of a neighbors tree is in their backyard, and it fell across the power lines and utilities. They have no electrical power.

I can't reach my sister who lives about 1 km from my parents, however I believe they are fine. That area does not flood.

The people near the Bay and coastline have not done well. Many communities have flooded, and we have to wait until this afternoon to find out how bad the damage is.

AT 800 AM CDT...1300Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IKE WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 30.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 95.3 WEST OR JUST NORTHEAST OF
CONROE TEXAS. THIS POSITION IS ALSO ABOUT 20 MILES... 30 KM...
SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF HUNTSVILLE...AND ABOUT 60 MILES...95 KM...
SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF LUFKIN TEXAS.

IKE IS NOW MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 18 MPH...29 KM/HR.
A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST IS EXPECTED LATER TODAY...WITH A
TURN TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AND AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED EXPECTED
TONIGHT AND SUNDAY.

The maximum sustaind winds have decreased to 90 mph in two hours, so give it another 3 hrs to drop to tropical storm levels. It is still a dangerous storm.

 

[turbo]

On the Early Show, the hosts mentioned that there have been levee breaches in New Orleans. Not good!

 

[Astronuc]

On the Early Show, the hosts mentioned that there have been levee breaches in New Orleans. Not good!

Maybe they heard 'levee breaches' and assumed NO. There were levee breaches near Houma, La.

Hurricane Ike causing trouble in parts of Louisiana
http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=9000414

http://www.nola.com/hurricane-ike/index.ssf/2008/09/hurricane_ike_surge_breaches_o.html

 

[Evo]

I'm wondering when my family will be able to return to Clear Lake.

They left? I saw an article that said "a neighborhood near the Johnson Space Center had flooding", but they did say which neighborhood, or how much flooding.

Brennan's burned down. That was a Houston institution. I don't think there is a Houstonion that hasn't eaten there at least once.

 

[turbo]

Maybe they heard 'levee breaches' and assumed NO. There were levee breaches near Houma, La.

That makes sense. Shouldn't expect accurate reporting on a morning show that features wine-tasting, fashion, etc. Unfortunately, we don't have a broadcast news channel here, and there's no access to cable on this back-road.

 

[hypatia]

They showed some footage of boats bobbing away in Clear Lake, so I thought, cool, it doesn't look to bad. Then they said the footage was taken in a parking lot.

 

[Astronuc]

From - http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/WTUS84-KHGX.shtml

THE FOLLOWING WATERSHEDS ARE NEAR BANK FULL OR OVER BANKS ON THE LOWER END:

CLEAR LAKE - FLOODING IN PROGRESS. SURGE AT 11 FEET AT KEMAH AND 9
FEET AT CLEAR LAKE.

CLEAR CREEK - EAST OF FM528 ABOVE BANKFULL AND RISING
LOWER ARMAND - NEAR BANKFULL AND RISING
LOWER CARPENTERS BAYOU - 2/3 BANK FULL ESTIMATED
GREENS BAYOU AT I-10 AND SOUTH - NEAR BANK FULL.
LOWER HUNTING - 1/2 BANK FULL
WHITE OAK NEAR DOWNTOWN - NO PROBLEMS
BUFFALO BAYOU AT SHEPARD AND EASTWARD RISING BUT WELL WITHIN CHANNEL.
SIMS BAYOU AT TELEPHONE RD AND EAST - STARTING TO RISE BUT WELL WITHIN CHANNEL.
BRAYS BAYOU AND LAWNDALE - 2/3 FULL.
VINCE AND LITTLE VINCE BAYOUS AT BANKFULL OF SH 225.

LOW LYING AREAS ON HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL...SAN JACINTO...SAN
JACINTO TRIBUTARIES ARE FLOODING. WATER RISING.

A FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE WEST FORK OF THE SAN JACINTO
RIVER AT SHELDON WHERE MINOR FLOODING IS EXPECTED.

PLEASE CONSULT THE LATEST FLOOD AND FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS FOR AREA
RIVERS...CREEKS...AND BAYOUS.

We probably won't know until this afternoon when the winds decrease and people can get out. With power out, there will be limited news other than professional news/media.

 

[Astronuc]

Flooding is bad in some areas, but not as bad as predicted in others.
http://blogs.chron.com/sciguy/archives/2008/09/ike_slamming_in.html

INLAND FLOODING

The storm has produced flooding on a handful of the city's bayous, including:

Clear Creek: At Bay Area Blvd. the stage had reached 11.5 feet, above the flood stage of 8 feet. Still, no significant flooding is currently forecast. Clear Creek in League City also rose to 9.6 feet, above the flood stage of 5 feet, and was forecast to continue rising. Clear Creek at FM528 had reached 12.7 feet, above the flood stage of 12 feet. A continued rise is expected.

White Oak Bayou: At 6 a.m. this morning White Oak Bayou had overtopped its banks. The bayou's stage at Heights Boulevard was 37.6 feet, well above the flood stage of 32 feet. Forecasters say the bayou is expected to rise to 38 or 39 feet. That's the level at which major lowland flooding occurs.

Buffalo Bayou: At 6 a.m. the stage was 23.1 feet, below the flood stage of 28 feet. Forecasters said the bayou should rise to near 29.5 feet this morning, a level which should produce moderate lowland flooding.

Greens Bayou: The bayou's stage near U.S. 59 was at 52.1 feet on Saturday morning, below the flood stage of 55 feet. But the bayou was forecast to rise to near 56.2 feet this afternoon, which should produce some moderate lowland flooding.

http://www.chron.com/ - Probably a reasonable source of info for now.

Storm surge swallows Surfside Beach
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/5998707.html

Covered by noon
Chief Smith said as of noon the entire island was covered with rushing water that, on average, reached chest-deep.

"There's a lot of areas where the water is over our heads already," Smith said.

"I have seen it this bad before, but it was at the worst point of the storm," he said. "This storm hasn't even gotten here yet."

Councilwoman Peggy Llewellyn wondered what Ike holds for Surfside Beach.

"This is a quaint older town, we have a lot of older homes," she said. "I am worried about them not being built to the standards of today."

As officials sought to shut down the bridge over the Intra-coastal Waterway, the storm surge did it for them, making roadways from any direction impassable.

If the water was high enough to close that bridge, then the island and all the homes would have been submerged. My family used to go there a lot 35+ years ago. That was yesterday - before the storm surge reached its peak.

 

[Evo]

I'm watching Houston tv, they got lucky, the storm surge was only 11-12 feet instead of the predicted 20 feet. Flooding not as bad as predicted. The mayor of Kemah was on and said within the city, mainly just water damage. He wasn't sure how the marina has held up, I'm sure there are a lot of damaged boats.

It'll be interesting to see what the shorelines look like after the water recedes. And of course the numb nuts will rebuild right on the waters edge again.

Anyone that wants live coverage, this is a good link http://www.myfoxhoustonlive.com/

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Whewww, it could have been much worse. Hopefully no one here sustained any serious losses.

 

[Math Is Hard]

They left? I saw an article that said "a neighborhood near the Johnson Space Center had flooding", but they did say which neighborhood, or how much flooding.

Brennan's burned down. That was a Houston institution. I don't think there is a Houstonion that hasn't eaten there at least once.

They drove up to Austin to get out of the way ( I think they were under the mandatory evacuation order), but the news has been pretty good for their neighborhood as far as flooding. We don't know what the wind did to the house yet. They just put on a new roof so I hope that helped.

I think the family beach cabin is probably trashed.

I saw the news about Brennan's. I can't remember if I have ever eaten there.

How are your folks, Evo?

 

[Andre]

I think the family beach cabin is probably trashed.

But your folks seem okay obviously and cabins can be rebuild. I have a hammer.

How are your folks, Evo?

 

[Math Is Hard]

But your folks seem okay obviously and cabins can be rebuild. I have a hammer.

Thank you, Andre. How good are you at hammering underwater?

 

[Andre]

It's indeed not going well with all the water it seems listening to http://www.myfoxhoustonlive.com/

Perhaps not rebuild cabins but solve it like this:

 

[Math Is Hard]

http://www.swedesrealestate.com/News/tabid/86/ctl/ArticleView/mid/832/articleId/770/Default.aspx

While waiting to board a bus, Kathi Norton and her husband Paul Norton said they endured the storm surge from their Crystal Beach home about two blocks from the seaside.

"We got a late start to get out Friday, and there was two feet of water," Kathi Norton said. "There was no way we could get out, because rollover pass was flooded."

As the waves pounded on the Nortons' home standing on 14-foot stilts, they felt the floors buckle.

About midnight, the couple left the home and they watched as it rolled over onto their flagpole.

"We floated on staircases, anything we could get a hold of," Kathi Norton said. "We floated until about 4 a.m. Roofs were coming at us. It was not a pretty picture."

 

[Astronuc]

Sounds like chaos along I-45. Apparently people have abandoned cars, and others are dumping their trash on the freeway.

Houston is mostly without power.


My mom mentioned it could be weeks before electrical power is restored - and that's in the middle of Houston. About 2.6 million customers are without power. The economic loss to Houston is currently estimated in the range of $16-20 billion.

Houston has established a curfew 7 pm to 6 am. Many people are already stressed out due to lack of power and access to gasoline.


Meanwhile, Ike's trail of destruction stretches into Midwest
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/09/15/hurricane.ike/index.html

More than 340,000 Louisville Gas and Electric customers were without power Monday morning, WLKY reported.

Across the region, more than 1.3 million people were without power, AP reported.

"Over 90 percent of our customers are without service," Kathy Meinke of Duke Energy, which serves southwest Ohio and northern Kentucky, told AP.

 

[Math Is Hard]

My parents just got back - no power.

I have been looking at some pictures of damage that someone put up on flickr. It's quite surreal looking at the boats strewn across I-45.

http://flickr.com/photos/kaozrider/2854509095/in/photostream/

 

[Astronuc]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/storm_ike_dc;_ylt=AjX7EmptZ1r5PIe6b2ql9L.s0NUE

GALVESTON, Texas (Reuters) - Texas officials warned of a health crisis on Monday and urged thousands of people to leave Galveston, where relief supplies were scarce for hungry, exhausted residents of the island city ravaged by Hurricane Ike.

In Houston, millions struggled to cope without power in the U.S. energy hub.

About 2,000 people have been plucked from flooded areas by helicopters and boats in the largest rescue effort in the state's history as searchers scoured battered communities along the coast and Galveston Bay.

Galveston, a city of 60,000, was decimated when the hurricane made landfall there on Saturday morning and 15,000-20,000 people remained in quickly degrading conditions. . . . .

Recovery will go slowly.

Mobile morgue en route to Galveston as search continues
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6002679.html

Many people are missing.

 

[Gokul43201]

Ike passed through Ohio yesterday. Very little precipitation, but lots of 75mph winds.

Three roads on my way to school have been closed off due to fallen trees. About 2 million homes in Ohio have no electricity, and most are not expected to get in back in the next few days. It's been virtually impossible to eat out, get gas or buy groceries today.

And Ohio is at least 4 states away from Texas. I'm impressed.

 

[Andre]

My parents just got back - no power.

I have been looking at some pictures of damage that someone put up on flickr. It's quite surreal looking at the boats strewn across I-45.

http://flickr.com/photos/kaozrider/2854509095/in/photostream/

Hopefully they manage. Perhaps there are generators around or wind mills.

 

[Astronuc]

Hopefully they manage. Perhaps there are generators around or wind mills.

People are waiting in long lines for gasoline, water, food, and in some cases generators.

Hunt Is On For Generators, Gasoline In Houston
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94617088

Ike Leaves Houston Lacking Power, Food, Water
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94617085

Now people had at least 1 week to prepare for the hurricane, and apparently many, perhaps most, didn't.

 

[Astronuc]

Striking picture of Gilchrist, Tex on Bolivar Peninsula.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/us/16bolivar.html

 

[Ronnin]

I have never seen this town so crippled. Gas lines are 1-2 hour waits in some spots. I just got my power restored late yesterday and have never felt so much love for electricity. My office had its bay doors blown in and the suspended ceiling in the office collapsed. There is no power there either. Huge chunks of town are still down and cell phone service is patchy at best. Its a mess here but there is progress being made.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Where are you located?

 

[wolram]

Striking picture of Gilchrist, Tex on Bolivar Peninsula.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/us/16bolivar.html

I bet no one will build there again, the best thing to do is dig the road up and leave the land to nature.

 

[turbo]

I bet no one will build there again, the best thing to do is dig the road up and leave the land to nature.

You'd be on the wrong side of that bet, Woolie. The US taxpayers (financing low-cost flood insurance) have to foot the bill for these "unforeseen" disasters that happen with frightening regularity, and people rebuild, only to get hit (and bailed out) again. If I could make it happen, nobody on barrier islands or living below sea-level would qualify for Federal flood insurance. The insurance market would soon price these people out of coverage, and re-building rates would plummet.

 

[Math Is Hard]

http://hspca.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=Hurricane_Ike_Updates

The wrath of Hurricane Ike left a site of mass destruction at the Galveston County Animal Shelter in Texas City. the Houston SPCA's Disaster Response team lead by Chief Investigator , Charles Jantzen stepped in on Saturday afternoon to rescue 77 dogs, 65 cats, one rabbit, some parakeets and a pelican along with other wildlife that sheltered in place with staff when the hurricane hit.

The Wildlife Rehab & Education is preparing for an influx of wild animal victims of Hurricane Ike. Executive Director Sharon Schmalz said that Ike’s high winds and heavy rain blew baby squirrels from their nests, knocked roosting birds out of trees and literally slammed coastal birds like pelicans and seagulls to the ground.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Hopefully they manage. Perhaps there are generators around or wind mills.

Thanks. Power is still out but Mom was happy to report that she got lunch and even ice at McDonald's today. They are still under curfew and have to be indoors by 9 PM. The police seem to be doing a good job keeping looters under control.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6003901.html

Ike passed through Ohio yesterday. Very little precipitation, but lots of 75mph winds.

Three roads on my way to school have been closed off due to fallen trees. About 2 million homes in Ohio have no electricity, and most are not expected to get in back in the next few days. It's been virtually impossible to eat out, get gas or buy groceries today.

And Ohio is at least 4 states away from Texas. I'm impressed.

This storm is like the Energizer Bunny - just keeps going and going and going.

 

[wolram]

You'd be on the wrong side of that bet, Woolie. The US taxpayers (financing low-cost flood insurance) have to foot the bill for these "unforeseen" disasters that happen with frightening regularity, and people rebuild, only to get hit (and bailed out) again.

Plonkers.

 

[Ronnin]

On a positive note, the weather was beautiful today. Those without power got a nice break.

 

[Astronuc]

My parents went looking for a camp stove today, so they can cook. They, and everyone around them have had to empty their refrigerators and freezers, except for those few who have generators. They might get power restored by the end of the week. Some parts of Houston may not have power for one month.

Then there are the neighborhoods that are totally wiped out.

And to think, it could have been worse! And also - it could happen again next year or sometime in the near future.

 

[Astronuc]

I just talked with my sister who is still without power, although neighborhoods around her do have power. It's pretty bad in parts of Houston.

Galveston is apparently mostly destroyed, and many 1 story houses are so heavily damage so as not to be habitable. One FEMA official told my sister that the devastation in Galveston/Bolivar and other areas is worse than Katrina.

My sister and husband have a house (2nd home) across one of the channels from Galveston, and the first floor was flooded and the doors and walls were knocked out. There were 6 stair cases from other houses wedged under their house. All those houses are built on pilings, so most houses only had flood damage to the first floor.

Now this still needs verification, but apparently the flood insurance (National Flood Insurance) will not cover them, and may not cover many others because it only activates with a 20 ft or greater surge (waves don't count). So, since the maximum surge was something like 12 and maybe 14-15 ft, flood insurance will not cover those whose homes were flooded. If your house was blown away, I guess your covered. The question will be, can one rebuild?


One of the downsides of the current situation is the theft of gasoline. Apparently some people follow others home from a gas station, then the perpetrators puncture the gas tanks and steal the gasoline.

There is a curfew.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

This storm is like the Energizer Bunny - just keeps going and going and going.

The CNN meteorologist was just saying that Ike either made it to, or will make it to Iceland as a weather system.

 

[Andre]

There is a curfew.

This is devastating Astro, my sympathy. Where are the help troopers. If this happened in any other country, the west would have open international air bridges and international rescue units doing what they are supposed to do. Where are they?

 

[BobG]

One of the downsides of the current situation is the theft of gasoline. Apparently some people follow others home from a gas station, then the perpetrators puncture the gas tanks and steal the gasoline.

There is a curfew.

I guess that's one downside of having a locking gas cap. The only thing locking gas caps are good for is when someone cuts in front of you at the gas line. If they don't have a locking gas cap, you can replace their gas cap with your locking gas cap, then leave. Takes some of the fun out of cutting in line.