| Hey that's more than 100 miles away- IF Ike does go | | | | rain and large waves from Hurricane Ike could cause |
| where they think. If Ike veers 25-50 miles to the | | | | serious flooding. Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas called for |
| East, Galveston and a lot of Freeport, Angelton, and | | | | the evacuation after a special meeting of the City |
| Palacios just might be in for more than a wild ride. | | | | Council to declare a state of emergency and grant |
| And of course, everything Southeast of Houston | | | | her emergency powers. |
| proper will see major flooding. Right now hurricane | | | | Thomas was joined by Jamaica Beach Mayor Vic |
| Ike has been upgraded from a CAT 1 to a 2, and it's | | | | Pierson, a tiny city on the western end of Galveston |
| going to grow more. | | | | Island. City Manager Steve LeBlanc said Tuesday that |
| Residents along part of the Texas Gulf Coast were | | | | the western end, the part of the island not |
| starting to leave Wednesday as Hurricane Ike grew | | | | protected by the seawall, could be flooded by 5-foot |
| to a Category 2 storm in the Gulf of Mexico. | | | | to 6-foot tides, 3 to 5 inches of rain and heavy |
| President Bush declared an emergency in Texas, | | | | waves if Ike comes ashore near Matagorda. |
| making federal funds available for the state to | | | | Eric Berger summed it up best, "The bottom line is |
| prepare for the storm. Officials in the Galveston | | | | that there's a pretty good chance Ike will come |
| area's Brazoria County ordered mandatory evacuation | | | | ashore near Port Lavaca (50 percent?) and there's an |
| for one ZIP code and for people with special needs, | | | | equally good chance the storm will pull a major |
| beginning at 10 a.m. CT (11 a.m. ET). | | | | surprise on all of us during the next two or three |
| People along the Texas coast are getting serious! | | | | days." |
| Galveston officials today urged the voluntary | | | | So, keep your eye on the weather for the next |
| evacuation of more than 10,000 residents from the | | | | three days! |
| low-lying western end of the island, where high tides, | | | | |