Hanna, Ike and Josephine. Hurricanes of the Week

ke is almost as large as Katrina was, and this large wind field is already beginning to pile up a formidable storm surge. Tides are running 2-4 feet above normal along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the west coast of Florida. Tides have risen one foot above normal in Galveston already, too. The water level will continue to rise as Ike approaches Texas, and NOAA's experimental storm surge forecast (Figure 1) is calling for a 10% chance that the storm tide from Ike will reach 10-12 feet at Galveston, and 18-21 feet on the south and east sides of Houston.

So far, I am out of the most expected path(s), for which I am grateful. Mine is a mobile home, surrounded by tall pine trees. Need I say more?

Partial Mandatory Evacuations Begin on Thursday

The newest weather forecast has shifted Hurricane Ike's landfall to the east side of Matagorda Bay, bringing the storm a little closer to Galveston County. The decision has been made following the latest forecast information to call for a mandatory evacation beginning at 7:00 am for the following areas: West Galveston Island, Jamaica Beach, Bolivar Peninsula, Omega Bay, San Leon, Bacliff and Freddiesville. Voluntary evacuations should be considered for low-lying areas in Dickinson, Kemah and Clear Lake Shores and La Marque. Citizens should also consider evacuating if they live in areas subject to flooding or in mobile homes. If you should decide to evacuate, please remember to pack your disaster kit and important papers. Hurricane Ike continues to be a difficult storm to track because of the number of shifts in the forecast models. Given the current track, we are preparing for the possibility of tropical storm force winds beginning sometime Friday morning and possible hurricane force winds affecting the county Friday evening around dusk. http://www.gcoem.org/