Ike is bearing down on Texas, and only some of Houston has been evacuated.
The weather service painted a vivid picture in its warning of the destruction it expects: a towering wall of water, possibly up to 22 feet high, crashing over the Galveston Bay shoreline as the brunt of Ike comes ashore. That wall of water could send floodwaters surging into Houston, more than 20 miles inland.
“All neighborhoods … and possibly entire coastal communities … will be inundated during the peak storm tide,” the weather service warned. “Persons not heeding evacuation orders in single family one- or two-story homes will face certain death.”
But farther inland, 4 million Houston-area residents were told to hunker down and stay home, even as government offices and schools prepared to close Friday 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.”
It is notable that just about every story I’m seeing is leading with the weather services words, Certain Death, and noting the last time those words were used was when Katrina was bbearing down on New Orleans.
It appears, that as I am writing this, Ike is pushing waves over Galveston’s sea wall.
Stay safe.
