Recovery efforts from Hurricane Ike continue in Texas in the wake of the devastating storm.  The death toll in the state stands at 17 however tens of thousands of people chose not to evacuate and officials are concerned the actual toll is much greater than that.  It could take years for a full accounting of the missing to happen as it is thought that some that stayed behind and chose to ride the storm out were simply washed away into the Gulf of Mexico.

Search and rescue personnel have completed a search for survivors and the Red Cross is now performing welfare checks on people named by relatives.  An estimated 90,000 people stayed behind and accounting for them will be virtually impossible.  The death toll will of course not climb to that high of a number but it is expected that at least some of that number will never be accounted for.
 
In the coastal town of Crystal Beach, the stench of rotting animals and livestock permeated the air where dozens stayed behind.  One account told of a survivor seeing a friend pulled out to see when she couldn’t hold onto the rafters of a home.

With the passing of Hurricane Ike, emergency responders in the Houston and Galveston area begin the task of aiding and rescuing the approximately 140,000 people who chose not to evacuate the area as the storm approached.  Debris and flooding made the task extremely difficult and hazardous for those tasked with helping recover from the devastating storm.

Texas Governor Rick Perry expressed frustration at having to put rescuers’ lives on the line for those that chose to ignore the warnings.  Thousands of 911 calls poured in as the storm struck Friday night and into Saturday morning.  As of Saturday night the governor’s office said 940 people had been saved. Another 600 were rescued from Louisiana floods.

More than 3 million people in Texas were without power at the height of the storm.  180,000 in Louisiana face the same problem.  Power providers in the region say it could take weeks before power is fully restored. 

Hurricane Ike made landfall over Galveston at 12:10am MDT on Saturday and was over 900 miles across at one point.  As the storm moved inland, it continued to produce hurricane condtions for over 100 miles.  As damaging as the storm was, it could have been much worse.  Authorities had predicted storm surges of 20 to 25 feet but thankfully that did not bear out.  The greatest surge occurred at Sabine-Pass near the Texas-Louisiana border and was measured at 15 feet.

500 miles of Texas coastline are now under a hurricane warning as Hurricane Ike continues to threaten a 500 miles stretch of the Gulf Coast.  Tens of thousands of residents have been ordered to evacuate including all of Galveston Island and many other vulnerable areas.  Thursday afternoon, evacuations will begin for many low lying areas surrounding Houston and all schools and government offices in the city will be closed Friday. 

As of 8:00am MDT, Hurricane Ike was about 580 miles east-southeast of Corpus Christi and about 470 miles east-southeast of Galveston.  The storm is moving toward the west-northwest near 10 mph.  A general west-northwestward motion is expected over the next day or so and the center of Ike should be very near the coast by late Friday.  But, Ike is an extremely large storm and coastal areas will begin feeling the effects of the storm long before then. 

Since leaving Cuba, the storm has continued to grow in size and intensity.  Latest hurricane hunter aircraft have measured sustained winds of 100 mph making Ike a category 2 storm.  Hurricane force winds extend outward 115 miles from the center of the storm, tropical storm winds extend 255 miles.  As Hurricane Ike transits the Gulf of Mexico, it is expected to continue to grow, potentially becoming a category 3 storm with 120+ mph winds. 

There is a great danger of significant loss of property and life in the storm’s path.  Considerable storm surge to the north of where the storm makes landfall can be expected as well as torrential rain and tornadoes.  Galveston Island could be hit with surge from 14 to 20 feet, potentially overtopping the city’s seawall. 

For the city of Galveston, the threat of Ike brings to the forefront memories of what is widely considered the worst natural disaster in United States history – the Galveston Hurricane of 1900.  Coincidentally, this past Monday, September 8, was the 108th anniversary since that killer category 4 hurricane claimed up to 12,000 lives (the exact number is impossible to determine due to inexact record keeping).  In that storm, a 15 foot storm surge submerged the island and destroyed 3,600 homes and very few buildings survived at all.

The Texas coastline is preparing for a potentially devastating strike from Hurricane Ike this weekend as the storm regains strength.  The center of the storm is currently 145 north of the western tip of Cuba and moving toward the northwest at 8 mph. 

Ike’s interaction with land near Cuba took a lot out of it as it dropped to a category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 85 mph.  However, the storm is expected to fully recover and regain strength as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico, possibly becoming a category 3 storm by the time it makes landfall.  Current modeling indicates the storm is headed for a collision course with land Friday night striking between Corpus Christi and Port Lavaca, Texas. 

All residents from northern Mexico to those on the northern Texas coastline should begin making preparations for the storm immediately.  As the storm regains strength, it is expected to gain in size as well and will most likely impact Houston and Brownsville as well.  Residents should review their emergency plans and absolutely not hesitate if advised to evacuate by emergency officials. 

Texas Governor Rick Perry began preparations for a potential major hit from the storm and emergency assets are being prepositioned should they be needed.  Some people with special medical needs will begin evacuating inland Wednesday and the pace and number of evacuations will increase as the storm nears and the path becomes more clear. 

For the latest on the storm’s location, please visit the ThorntonWeather.com Hurricane Tracker.