Hanna, Ike and Josephine. Hurricanes of the Week

I think the guy on Channel 11 has been up all night. He's been going on for the past 10 minutes about how it appears the Ike has sped up. The 4:00 NHC updates have just been released and the speed is down 1mph to 11mph.

It may be too late to leave now.

You can order the people to leave, but you can't round up 40% of them if they are unwilling to go. It isn't possible.

30% of the residents of Seabrook did not evacuate. 2007 population = 11,483

gas line breaks resulting in multiple house fires on Galveston Island.



One report states five house fires.

Sad but true. I do think you can do a damn sight better than 40%, though. I knew fools who stayed on Singer Island when Floyd was offshore... and they literally had to hide from cops to accomplish it. They would have faced certain death had that monster not turned at the last minute. 40% is just obscene. Take care of you.

Sustained TS force winds at Galveston Island now.

Hurricane force winds expected in Harris County by 6:30pm.

Harris County = Houston

We just now went down to the new shopping complex at Kuykendahl and 2920, suddenly hungry, but not wanting to cook. The one place open was Wendy's, but there was a ginormous line. We drove to Tomball and ate at Church's Chicken. The only other place we knew for certain was open was MacDonald's. Coming back in the neighborhood, we saw painted on sombody''s plywood, TAKE A HIKE IKE.

So far, the wind gets a bit gusty, then calm.

I'm beginning to think how to get Punky the dog inside the apartment. She has rarely been outside the gate since coming here almost four years ago. I know I can get her in the pickup, but the rest will be hard.

Anchoring a hurricane TV broadcast has to be a grueling job. I wonder that their voices can hold out.

EB, you gonna be able to keep posting?

(pick the dog up, and go, you should try relocating an attack cat...)

Surge levels are still climbing even though the tide was going out. High tide will peak approx 2 -3 hours after the center of the storm makes landfall. High tide near Galveston Island averages 2'. This means that the 17ft' seawall (which is actually only 15.6') will only need a 13-14ft surge to be overtopped.

Hey, edgar. Glad to see you checking in. Best wishes to all of the 2 and 4-legged blythes.

Last time I picked up that dog my lower back protested loudly and longly.

Oh, I should be offline in a few hours or so. Depends on the wind. There is no computer access where I will be.

Can you make her walk backwards, so she knows not where she goes?

(I'm dog stupid, can ya tell?)

Mebbe hang a steak out yer pocket?

I trust you have plenty of water and food that doesn't require cooking, Edgar. If power goes out for any length of time, these things will be scarce. A full tank of gas isn't a bad idea either. I'd also recommend a good book or two, a flashlight, battery or crank operated radio, and some hot weather clothing. Coolers full of ice wouldn't suck either, because you don't want to be in and out of the refrigerator any more often than you have to, once the power goes out. Best wishes.

Edgar, when this thing comes through he's going to pick up speed quickly. He's currently slowing down just off the coast but don't wait too long to make your move, ok? Being in the apartment building for a couple extra hours is better than waiting too long. He's starting to wobble a bit and the track might jog a bit.

He also seems to be building an eye wall for the first time. No one can predict precisely when things will turn south on you but conditions can change quickly.

Check, check, check and check, Bill. We had water left from Gustav, but bought a bunch more, because this one scares us more. Plus, they have a few 5 gallon bottles of it in the office. Another thing I wonder about: How many folks took cash out of the bank to use after the atms lose power? We got enough to survive on for a while. I should have bought a huge bucket of that chicken - -

Last major storm we did this for, we timed it just right. Not too much wind for driving, but paring the boring waiting time as much as possible. I go out frequently just to check the air.