Posted by
seobb on Thursday, September 11, 2008 2:31:17 AM
WHARTON, TEXAS -- With Hurricane Ike gathering strength over the warm
waters of the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, authorities ordered
mandatory or voluntary evacuations in four low-lying counties along the
Texas coast as frail and elderly residents were bused to safety inland.
Ike barreled across the gulf past Cuba, strengthening into a Category 2
hurricane with maximum winds near 100 mph. Forecasters predicted the
storm would become a Category 3 -- possibly a Category 4 -- before
making landfall somewhere between Corpus Christi and Houston early
Saturday.
A Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson
Hurricane Scale packs sustained winds of at least 131 mph and storm
surges 13 feet to 18 feet above normal.
The state's coastal areas are home to the nation's largest
collection of refineries and chemical plants. Texas has a quarter of
the nation's refining capacity, with most of the facilities located in
the hurricane's potential path as outlined by forecasters.
As highways began to swell with traffic heading inland Wednesday and
people jammed stores to stock up on supplies, state officials prepared
1,350 buses to ferry people out of harm's way. More than 1 million
people live along the coast between Corpus Christi and Houston, which
is just inland from Galveston Bay and has a population of about 4
million.
To accommodate those fleeing the storm, state troopers opened the
shoulder of the northbound lanes of Interstate 37 between Corpus
Christi and San Antonio.
Along interstates in Houston and its suburbs, overhead electronic signs
read: "HURRICANE FORMING IN GULF -- FILL YOUR GAS TANKS."
Oil companies removed workers from more than 400 production platforms
in the Gulf of Mexico, although most such facilities were made stronger
after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. "It is imperative that residents pay
attention to this storm, heed warnings from their local leaders and
take the steps necessary to protect their families, homes and
businesses," Gov. Rick Perry said.
Michael Peterson, who lives outside Houston, was at a Lowe's store
southwest of the city, loading his shopping cart with gasoline cans,
bottled water, batteries and a battery-operated lantern.
"Just playing it safe," Peterson said at the checkout counter. "I don't
know if I'm staying or leaving, but at least I know I'll be prepared."
The store was handing out hurricane preparedness guides, complete with
a paper map of the Gulf of Mexico and Texas for customers to chart
Ike's course. Stacked at the entrance were gas cans, bottled water,
batteries, duct tape and plastic sheeting.
The governor has issued a disaster declaration for 88 counties in
southeastern Texas ahead of the storm. Parts of three coastal counties
were under a mandatory evacuation order, as were several state parks
and the low-lying west end of Galveston Island, southeast of Houston.
No evacuation has been ordered for Harris County, which includes
Houston. But authorities were concerned that, depending on where Ike
strikes, storm surges could flood parts of Houston with waters from its
bayous and Galveston Bay. There were similar concerns down the coast in
Matagorda Bay.
Ike already has battered Haiti and Cuba, toppling buildings in Havana
and forcing an estimated 2.5 million people to flee. The storm is
targeting Texas less than two months after Hurricane Dolly, a Category
2 storm, caused $1.2 billion in damage along the far southern Texas
coast after making landfall near the Mexican border.
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