Effects of Hurricane Ike in Texas

[
Galveston Island on 13-Sep-2008 at 2:10 CDT.]

The effects of Hurricane Ike in Texas include deaths, damage, and impacts to the price and availability of oil and gas. Making landfall over Galveston, at 2:10 a.m. CDT] The Texas Rural Water Association held meetings with state agencies on Tuesday, September 9, to plan for landfall along the Texas gulf coast.] It was feared to be much the same in Port Arthur.

The threat to low-lying areas between Morgan City, Louisiana, and Baffin Bay, Texas, east of the projected eye of Hurricane Ike may experience the greatest damage from storm surges of up to 25 feet. Waves at sea are expected to be higher, up to 70 feet according to computer simulations. [ cite web |title=Experts: Giant Ike's Size Driving Massive Storm Surge |publisher="Associated Press" |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,420783,00.html |accessdate=2008-09-11]

The prices of crude oil and gas increased in the expectation of damage to some of the numerous oil refineries along the South Texas coast, or at least delays in production from the oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. [cite web |title=Oil prices churn as Hurricane Ike approaches |publisher="CNN Money" |url=http://biz.yahoo.com/cnnm/080912/091208_oil.html?.v=4 |accessdate=2008-09-12]

urge measurements

Landfall had been predicted near Freeport, Texas, by the National Hurricane Center, as of Wednesday, 10 September 2008. However, the actual landfall was further east, over the east endof Galveston Island (near Texas City, TX), with the eye centered over Galveston Bay. Because some winds blew from the north at Galveston, water was pushed back out into the Gulf, and the actual storm surge there was muted to 19 ft (5.8 m), rather than the original prediction of over 25 ft (7.6 m) as with a west-end landfall,cite web
title=Texas prepares for an ominous Hurricane Ike
author= | publisher=Los Angeles Times
date=2008-09-12 | accessdate=2008-09-13
url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-ike12-2008sep12,0,3709190.story] cite web
title=Ike on track to make landfall closer to Houston/Galveston
author=?? | publisher=KHOU TV
date=2008-09-12 | accessdate=2008-09-14
url=http://www.khou.com/news/state/stories/khou080910_tnt_hurricane_ike_general.6239b4dd.html ] which would have pushed more water into Galveston Bay, being a channel bay.

As of 13 September 2008, the highest storm surge had been noted at Sabine Pass at 21.5 ft (6.5 m), the highest surge ever recorded at that station, and Ike also brought on the record for greatest storm surge ever seen with any Category 4 hurricane.cite web
title=Economic damage from Ike may be less than feared
author=David Koenig and Ellen Simon, AP | publisher=Google NEWS
date=2008-09-13 | accessdate=2008-09-14
url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iUyM3MAkwYGZmjedSRx9VKXVCq7AD935UIQ80] cite web
title=POST TROPICAL CYCLONE REPORT...HURRICANE IKE
author=SHAMBURGER/ERICKSON/BRAZZELL/LANDRENEAU/CARBONI/GRIFFIN
date=2008-09-19 |accessdate=2008-09-22
url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/productview.php?pil=PSHLCH] However, Bolivar Peninsula, at the entrance to Galveston Bay, was nearer to the eastern side of the eye.

The morning high tide (on 2008-09-13), adding 2.3 ft (0.7 m), occurred at 4:14am CDT at the Galveston Bay entrance.cite web
title=2008 NOAA Tide Predictions: Galveston Bay entrance, south jetty - September tides
author=NOAA | publisher=NOAA
date=2005-03-10 | accessdate=2008-09-16
url=http://co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/get_predictions.shtml?year=2008&stn=2310+Galveston&secstn=Galveston+Bay+entrance,+south+jetty&thh=-0&thm=39&tlh=-1&tlm=5&hh=*1.43&hl=*1.43&footnote= ] The total eastern storm tide was then nearly 16 ft (4.9 m) by landfall at 2:10am, with higher waves on top.

Aftermath

On the night of September 12, 2008, the eye of Hurricane Ike approached the Texas coast near Galveston Bay, making landfall at 2:10 a.m. CDT over the east end of Galveston Islandcite web
title=Ike blasts Texas coast, floods homes, cuts power
author=Juan A. Lozano & Chris Duncan, Associated Press Writers
publisher=Yahoo! NEWS | date=2008-09-13 | accessdate=2008-09-13
url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ike] (near Texas City).People in low-lying areas who had not heeded evacuation orders, in single-family one- or two-story homes, had been warned by the weather service that they "faced certain death" in the overnight storm surge. [cite web
title=One death as Ike edges toward Category 3 power
author=Mike Ahlers et. al. | publisher=CNN
date=2008-09-12 | accessdate=2008-09-13
url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/09/12/hurricane.ike.texas/index.html?section=cnn_latest]

In regional Texas towns, electrical power began failing before 8 p.m. CDT,cite web
title=One death as Ike edges toward Category 3 power
author=Mike Ahlers et. al. | publisher=CNN
date=2008-09-12 | accessdate=2008-09-13
url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/09/12/hurricane.ike.texas/index.html?section=cnn_latest] leaving more than 3 million people without power.

Rainfall estimates indicated that 2-day rainfall totals from mid-day Friday through mid-day Saturday exceeded 20 inches (50 cm) in parts of both northern Harris County and southern Montgomery County, with a multi-county area receiving at least 10 inches (25 cm) of rainfall.cite web
title=Almost 2,000 Ike survivors rescued
author=Oren Dorell, USA TODAY | publisher=USA TODAY
date=2008-09-15 | accessdate=2008-09-15
url=http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/2008-09-14-ike-main_N.htm]

Galveston

In Galveston, by 4 p.m. CDT (2100 UTC) on September 12, the rising storm surge began overtopping the 17-ft (5.2 m) Galveston Seawall, which faces the Gulf of Mexico;cite web
title=One death as Ike edges toward Category 3 power
author=Mike Ahlers et. al. | publisher=CNN
date=2008-09-12 | accessdate=2008-09-13
url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/09/12/hurricane.ike.texas/index.html?section=cnn_latest] waves had been crashing along the seawall earlier, from 9 a.m. CDT. [cite web
title=Hurricane Ike: Galveston says 25% ignored evacuation order
author=Mike Carney, Oren Dorell | publisher=USA TODAY
date=2008-09-12 | accessdate=2008-09-12
url=http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/09/hurricane-ike-g.html] Although Seawall Boulevard is elevated above the shoreline, many areas of town slope down behind the seawall to the lower elevation of Galveston Island.

The historic Balinese Room, a former mafia-run nightclub that had extended 600 feet into the Gulf of Mexico and had withstood many serious storms, was swept away as Ike's eye crossed over the eastern half of Galveston Island. The elevated structure, which had hosted performers ranging from Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and George Burns to Groucho Marx and Sammy Davis, Jr., had recently been renovated and returned to profitability after years of neglect and disrepair, and was listed on the National Registry of Historically Significant Places. The rock band ZZ Top had a song named after the popular destination, "Balinese".cite web
title=Galveston's Balinese Room washed away by Ike
author= | publisher=Dallas Morning News
date=2008-09-13 | accessdate=2008-09-16
url=http://weatherblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/09/galvestons-balinese-room-washed-away-by.html ] cite web
title=Legendary Balinese Room destroyed by Hurrican Ike
author= | publisher=Zimbio
date=2008-09-13 | accessdate=2008-09-16
url=http://www.zimbio.com/Hurricane+Ike/articles/137/Legendary+Balinese+Room+destroyed+Hurrican ]

None of the many wooden piers that gave Galveston much of its unique character survived the landfall of Hurricane Ike. In addition to the Balinese Room, Murdoch's, Hooters and the 61st Street Pier were all completely destroyed. Seawall Boulevard, which runs the entire length of the seawall several meters above the popular beaches adjoining the Gulf, was littered with the debris of these and other structures.

The landmark Flagship Hotel, which sits on deep concrete pylons, was seriously damaged, but no one was injured, and an early survey indicates the structure will be salvageable. Some of the hotel's siding was peeled off by the storm (this occurred during Hurricane Alicia in 1983), venting at least one top-floor guest suite to the open air, and the elevated ramp permitting vehicles to access the hotel's lower level from Seawall Boulevard fell into the Gulf.cite web
title=Balinese Room, Galveston Landmark, Destroyed
author=KPRC 2 News | publisher=KPRC TV - Click2Houston.com
date=2008-09-13 | accessdate=2008-09-16
url=http://www.click2houston.com/news/17466539/detail.html]

Even though there were advance evacuation plans, Mary Jo Naschke, spokesperson for the city of Galveston, estimated that (as of Friday morning) a quarter of the city's residents paid no attention to calls for them to evacuate, despite predictions that most of Galveston Island would suffer heavy flooding storm tide.cite web
title=Hurricane Ike: Galveston says 25% ignored evacuation order
author=Mike Carney, Oren Dorell | publisher=USA TODAY
date=2008-09-12 | accessdate=2008-09-12
url=http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/09/hurricane-ike-g.html] By 6 p.m. Friday night, estimates varied as to how many of the 58,000 residents remained, but the figures of remaining residents were in the thousands.cite web
title=As Waters Rise, Many Decline To Leave Galveston Island
author=Ben Casselman | publisher=The Wall Street Journal
date=2008-09-12 | dateaccessed=2008-09-13
url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122125933796630189.html?mod=googlenews_wsj] Some people survived by punching holes in attics and carried sick relatives away from the flood. On the 91st Street Pier, formerly a two-story structure resembling a house that extended some 400 feet into the Gulf, three persons opted to ride the storm out, despite a National Weather Service warning direly predicting that they faced "certain death" from what was expected to be up to a 24-foot storm surge. Calling local emergency operators three hours ahead of Ike's landfall, they requested evacuation by Coast Guard personnel, as the entire length of the pier and the structure's first story had by that time fallen into the Gulf. They were informed that no one could rescue them at that time, due to the unacceptable risks their prospective rescuers would be subjected to. Weathering the storm huddled inside what remained of the pier's second floor, they were lifted to safety by a rescue helicopter late the following morning.

An early survey of Galveston Island, performed late Saturday, September 13 and Sunday, September 14, 2008, indicated that the entirety of the Island west of 11 Mile Road was entirely devastated, and that few structures on Galveston's western one-third had survived. This area of near-total destruction includes the communities of Bay Vista, Lake Como and Jamaica Beach, as well as the Galveston Country Club and the Galveston Island State Park.Fact|date=September 2008 The affected area previously included some 1,000 structures, including single-family dwellings, commercial enterprises, and hotels and resorts. It is unknown how many residents may have ignored repeated calls to evacuate, or what became of those who decided to remain in Galveston's vulnerable West End.

Electric power failed in Galveston around 7:45 p.m. CDT.Widespread flooding included downtown Galveston: such as 6-ft (2 m) deep inside the Galveston County Courthouse, and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston was flooded. Five people have died on Galveston Island - two of them drowned and three of them were due to natural causes.cite web
title=Ike-related fatalities in Houston area climb to 28
author=Rosanna Ruiz | publisher=Houston Chronicle
date=2008-09-23 | accessdate=2008-09-23
url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6016764.html]

"Transfer of survivors:" In transferring survivors out of town, Galveston officials planned to use Ball High School, which was being used as a "shelter of last resort" for evacuees, to be a center for FEMA. More than 200 residents had been staying at the school shelter, and hundreds more were eating meals there. Buses were brought in on Sunday to take residents from that shelter, and others who wanted to leave the island, to a shelter in San Antonio.

On the day of landfall, police were stopping travelers at La Marque, 4 miles (6 km) north of Galveston, and making them exit the highway. Interstate 45 at La Marque had been closed because boats and parts of wrecked piers were strewn throughout floodwaters blocking the road.

From a historical perspective, on September 8, 1900, the Great Galveston Hurricane came ashore on a path similar to Ike, [For details and sources, see: "Galveston Hurricane of 1900".] bringing with it a storm surge that inundated most of Galveston Island: as a result, much of the city was destroyed and at least 6,000 people were killed in a few hours; afterward, the level of the island was raised an average of 4 ft (1.3 m), adding a high seawall (17-ft, 5.2 m) to block incoming waves.

Houston

In Houston, windows also broke in downtown buildings such as the 75-story JPMorgan Chase Tower, and the Reliant Stadium was damaged. According to a witness interviewed by FoxNews, furniture from offices in the JPMorgan Chase building was blown out of the shattered windows and into the parking garage across the street. A fire partially burned Brennan's restaurant in downtown Houston, but workers were rescued. Many trees were uprooted, and bus stop shelters were mangled. Houston's theater district was flooded.

Although electric power was out in most of the region, the lights remained on at the Texas Medical Center, a complex of about a dozen hospitals. At Memorial Hermann Hospital, patients were coming in with a variety of problems, including people who had run out of medicine or oxygen, or others who had cuts and bruises.

Eight deaths have been blamed on Ike in Houston, all of which were indirect in cleanup incidents such as carbon monoxide poisoning from generators used or fires from light sources while power was out, or accidents involving tree cutting.cite web
title=Thirty deaths being blamed on Hurricane Ike
author=News Staff | publisher=KTRK-TV
date=2008-09-17 | accessdate=2008-09-17
url=http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=weather/hurricane&id=6395034]

Hurricane Ike affected Houston Astros' late dash for Major League Baseball's playoffs, indefinitely postponing Friday and Saturday's games against the Chicago Cubs. [cite web
title=Hurricane halts Houston's surge
author=BBC Sport | publisher=BBC
date=2008-09-13 | accessdate=2008-09-13
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/baseball/7613891.stm]

Flights in and out of Houston's two major airports (Bush Intercontinental and Hobby) were suspended on Friday September 12, 2008, with plans to resume on the following Sunday. However, as of Sunday September 14, 2008, Intercontinental remained without power, but both airports planned to re-open Monday with limited service.

Due to large number of destroyed, damaged, or dysfunctional traffic lights, most Houston roads remain clogged two weeks after Ike hit. Many highway exits are jammed and cause a gridlock on highways as well, especially during rush hours. Many gas stations were out of service for a week because of no electricity to pump the gas out of the ground, and few that functioned had long lines. Similarly there were long lines in most of the few open grocery stores, home repair stores, and restaurants.

Texas City

A Valero Energy Corp. spokesman, Bill Day, said that crews would soon get in to inspect the oil refineries in Houston and Texas City, which remained shut down on Saturday, 13 September 2008. Texas City (north of Galveston) was very near to the landfall site of Hurricane Ike. The Mainland Medical Center (off I-45) closed its doors on Saturday (13Sep08) at 4 p.m. CDT, after water service was unavailable in the area.cite web
title=Today's News
author=AP
publisher=The Daily News, Galveston County
date=2008-09-14 | accessdate=2008-09-14
url=http://www.galvestondailynews.com/] One death has been reported in Texas City, which was caused by a lack of dialysis treatment due to the storm's aftermath.cite web
title=Ike-related fatalities in Houston area climb to 28
author=Rosanna Ruiz | publisher=Houston Chronicle
date=2008-09-23 | accessdate=2008-09-23
url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6016764.html]

The beloved Texas City Dike, a manmade structure extending nearly five miles into the mouth of Galveston Bay, was overtopped and seriously damaged along with all structures built upon it. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn9CZFnMvc4 USA Today Video] ] Verify credibility|date=September 2008 The dike, known to locals as "the world's longest manmade fishing pier," had stood for seven decades and was considered Texas City's primary defense against the devastation wrought by a powerful storm surge.An aerial survey late afternoon Sunday, September 14, revealed that the eastern and northern portions of Texas City, as well as San Leon were still substantially flooded. Substantial wind damage appeared to have been sustained by the Texas City Industrial Complex that borders Galveston Bay.

A few businesses, including some gasoline stations, convenience stores and fast food restaurants, were planning to re-open as early as Monday, September 15, 2008. Beginning Sunday, September 14, the Texas Military Forces began using the city's high school football stadium as a staging and relocation area used by Black Hawk helicopters, which were used to retrieve stranded citizens from Bolivar, Galveston and other area communities. Also on September 14, the Red Cross opened a disaster relief center in Texas City.

Bolivar Peninsula and Crystal Beach

Bolivar Peninsula, just east across the water from the landfall site on Galveston Island, had been submerged under the storm tide.cite web
title=Rescuers reach hundreds of Ike survivors
author=Oren Dorell and Donna Leinwand
publisher=USA TODAY | date=2008-09-14 | accessdate=2008-09-15
url=http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/2008-09-13-hurricane-ike-texas_N.htm] Most, if not all of the communities previously located on the Bolivar Peninsula, which together with Galveston Island separates Galveston Bay from the Gulf of Mexico, were utterly devastated. Based on an extensive aerial survey conducted on the afternoons of Saturday, September 13 and Sunday, September 14, very little remains west of the community of High Island. The area of total or near-total destruction includes Caplen, Port Bolivar, and the area surrounding Gregory Park. Most, if not all of the structures that had been situated along the length of Highway 87 west of High Point, as well as Highway 108 on the western edge of Bolivar, were destroyed.

Crystal Beach, a populous community located roughly at the midpoint of the peninsula, was submerged and destroyed; waves and wind pounded houses, and even some houses elevated on 14-ft (4.3–m) stilts rolled into the waters. The tiny beachfront community of Gilchrist, which sat astride the north-facing Rollover Bay on Bolivar, was completely swept away, save for only a few homes. One of these homes, the only one in its neighbourhood to remain intact (although it was rendered uninhabitable), attracted widespread media interest after images of it began to appear in newspapers and on television. [cite web
title=Their house survived Ike, but it's the only one left
author=Jason Hanna
publisher=CNN.com | date=2008-09-18 | accessdate=2008-09-19
url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/09/18/ike.last.house.standing/index.html]

League City

In League City, TX, the electric power went out, and CenterPoint Energy said it could take four weeks or more to restore power after the largest outage in the company's history.Residents who evacuated were allowed to return on 16 September 2008 and advised to bring back enough food for two weeks; a dusk-until-dawn curfew was in effect. Two deaths have been reported in League City, both due to natural causes indirectly caused by Ike.

Kemah, Seabrook, Taylor Lake Village and El Lago

Kemah, Texas, about 35 miles (56 km) south of Houston, was without power and water, and still had 15 feet of flooding on Saturday, 13 September 2008. State Highway 146 was closed at the 2094 intersection. There was a lot of debris on the roads,cite web
title=Hurricane halts Houston's surge
author=Christopher Sherman and Pauline Arrillaga
publisher=Oakland Press | date=2008-09-14 | accessdate=2008-09-14
url=http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/091408/loc_20080914378.shtml] completely covering some lanes.Severe damage occurred at the Kemah Boardwalk, the site of many popular restaurants and shops, as well as a small waterfront amusement park with various rides, including a carousel, kiddie train and Ferris wheel overlooking Galveston Bay. The entire first floor of Landry's seafood restaurant was demolished and swept away, as well as those of neighboring structures. The Boardwalk had received 4 million visitors per year.cite web
title=82005 - The Jarbo Bayou Times
author= | publisher=Jarbo Bayou Times
date=August 2005 | accessdate=2008-09-16
url=http://www.jarbobayoutimes.com/82005.html
quote=Kemah Boardwalk draws 4 million visitors a year to this once-sleepy town on Galveston Bay near Houston] In an interview on local CBS affiliate KHOU-TV, the Boardwalk manager expressed confidence that despite such unprecedented devastation to the tourist attraction, the site would be rebuilt.

Clear Lake and Nassau Bay

Near Clear Lake, Texas, where winds reportedly gusted over 100 mph, many people rode out the storm at the Nassau Bay Hilton, across from the NASA/JSC complex. The roof of the Mission Control Center of NASA's Johnson Space Center was damaged by Hurricane Ike, but there were no injuries and no major flooding. Along with the roof damage, there were branches and light poles on the ground, with minor damage to buildings and vehicles. There was also damage to hangars and awnings over at NASA's Ellington Field,cite web
title=NASA reports minor damage at Johnson Space Center
author=CNN
publisher=CNN | date=2008-09-14 | accessdate=2008-09-14
url=http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/] east of I-45. NASA has its own generators to provide electric power.

Baytown

Baytown, on the upper portion of Galveson Bay, was affected by the storm surge from Hurricane Ike. Homes in the Lakewood subdivision on the western side of Baytown on the bay sustained major flood damage. Hurricane Ike also caused the temporary shutting down of the Baytown ExxonMobile refinery.Fact|date=September 2008

Jefferson County

Like most of East Texas, the Beaumont and Port Arthur areas received winds at hurricane force. Ike's storm surge threatened the Port Arthur levees, and penetrated far enough inland to contaminate the water supply for Beaumont with salt water. The highest storm surge of 13.5 ft (4 m) was recorded at Sabine Pass.

Hardest hit were rural areas of Jefferson County, including the unincorporated communities of LaBelle and Fannett. [http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/local/_tremendous__damage_in_labelle__fannett_area_09-18-2008.html] As of Sept 18, 4000 head of cattle were estimated dead, drowned by floods in the county, both from rain, and storm surge. [http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/local/jefferson_county_to_consider_removal_of_farm_animal_carcasses_09-22-2008.html]

One fatality has been reported in extreme Southeast Texas related to Ike. It was as a result of a generator fire when power was out.cite web
title=Port Arthur Woman Killed in Generator Accident
author=Nicole Murray | accessdate=2008-09-20
publisher=KFDM | date=2008-09-18
url=http://www.kfdm.com/news/woman_27873___article.html/say_generator.html] Despite official assurances that this was the only Ike-related death in the area, rumors spread that large numbers of people died during the storm. This was fueled by the presence of refrigerated trailers outside a Beaumont funeral home. The funeral home had lost electrical service and was using the trailers to store bodies of people who died of natural causes until burials could be arranged. [http://www.kfdm.com/news/hurricane_28004___article.html/died_rumors.html]

Orange County

Damage was widespread and severe across Orange County. Storm surge almost completely flooded Bridge City, breached the levee at the City of Orange, and travelled up the Neches River to flood Rose City.

The City of Orange received winds at hurricane force. Mayor Brown Claybar estimated about a third of the city of 19,000 people was flooded, anywhere from 6 inches (15 cm) to 6 feet (2 m). He said about 375 people, of those who stayed behind during the storm, began to emerge, some needing food, water and medical care. Many dead fish littered streets and properties. [" [http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/09/15/ike.fish.ap/index.html Ike: A fish story] ." "CNN".

Bridge City Mayor Kirk Roccaforte estimated that only 14 homes in the city were unaffected by the surge. The piles of debris and waterlogged furniture placed outside homes by residents beginning to clean up led the mayor to say "The whole city looks like a flea market. [http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/local/bridge_city_residents_try_to_dry_out__clean_up_09-19-2008.html] During the post-storm cleanup, Bridge City residents found swimming pools had been occupied by jellyfish brought inland with the water. [http://www.kfdm.com/news/new_27955___article.html/city_hurricane.html] Three people were found dead in Orange County on September 29.cite web
title=More Victims Raise Ike's Death Toll To 67
author=Associated Press | accessdate=2008-09-30
publisher=WCVB | date=2008-09-30
url=http://www.thebostonchannel.com/weather/17587594/detail.html?rss=bos&psp=news/say_generator.html]

Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, TX received winds at tropical-storm force. Near Corpus Christi, a man was reportedly swept away; he is presumed dead. The Coast Guard will search for his body after the storm has passed. [cite web
title=Devastating Ike Makes Landfall in Galveston; Millions Lose Power
author=AP | publisher=Fox News
date=2008-09-13 | accessdate=2008-09-13
url=http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/09/hurricane-ike-g.html] Wal-Mart Stores Inc. reopened 7 stores in the Corpus Christi area on Saturday, 13 September 2008.

Other towns

One death was confirmed to have been Ike-related as a tree fell onto a boy in Montgomery County while being cut in preparation for the storm,cite web
title=Boy, 10, Killed As Dad Cuts Tree Threatened By Ike
author=AP | publisher=WOAI-TV
date=2008-09-13 | accessdate=2008-09-13
url=http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=b245e51c-ddf0-4d04-b98c-f7e3b9cd5c96&rss=68] and another person was killed not far away from a fallen tree during the storm.cite web
title=Falling tree kills Texas woman at height of storm
author=AP | publisher=KNXV
date=2008-09-13 | accessdate=2008-09-13
url=http://www.abc15.com/news/national/story.aspx?content_id=479a3de2-fca0-4f91-b340-902bc2c12905] After the storm, another tree-cutting accident involving a damaged tree killed another young boy in Montgomery County. Another fallen tree in Huntsville resulted in a fatality after it crashed into a house.cite web
title=Elkins Lake resident killed when tree hits home
author=Matthew Jackson | publisher=The Huntsville Item
date=2008-09-13 | accessdate=2008-09-13
url=http://www.itemonline.com/local/local_story_257165438.html] In Anahuac, one person was electrocuted in the preparations, and one person was killed by a house fire while without power in Walker County.On Goat Island, there were reports of a herd of cattle and other livestock that survived the storm, although it was unclear from where they had arrived onto the narrow sandbar.Fact|date=September 2008

In San Leon, the popular Topwater Grill restaurant, that stood at the tip of a promontory extending into Galveston Bay, was swept away by Ike's powerful storm surge.Fact|date=September 2008 The eatery had featured fresh local seafood "right off the boat," with a small fleet of fishing vessels that pulled right up to its doors with each day's catch. It also offered dock space to patrons who arrived by boat or other personal water craft.

Also in San Leon, three members of a family that had opted to ride out the storm were still missing as of midnight, Monday, September 15, 2008.Fact|date=September 2008 One person in San Leon drowned.

Tiki Island, a low-lying waterfront community bordered by North Bay and West Bay along Interstate Highway 45, sustained extensive water damage, but most of the structures remained intact.Fact|date=September 2008

The neighborhood of Bayou Vista, just north of Tiki Island at the intersection of IH-45, State Highway 6 and State Highways 3 and 146, was substantially damaged.Fact|date=September 2008

The bayfront community of Virginia Point, on the other side of the Bay from Galveston Island, was swept away.Fact|date=September 2008

Electrical outages

CenterPoint Energy, the largest power company in the region, said that it had restored power to 112,000 homes and business on Saturday, plus many of Houston's skyscrapers had regained power. The progress was as follows::* by Saturday evening, 112,000 customers had power;cite web
title=Weathering Ike: What to do after the storm
author=Chronicle staff | publisher=The Houston Chronicle
date=2008-09-16 | accessdate=2008-09-17
url=http://blogs.chron.com/weatheringike/ ] :* by Sunday noon, 262,000 customers had power;:* by Tuesday 9 p.m., 750,000 customers had power.cite web
title=Power Restored To 750,000
author=KPRC-TV News | publisher=KPRC TV Click2Houston.com
date=2008-09-16 | accessdate=2008-09-17
url=http://www.click2houston.com/news/17485445/detail.html]

However, over 1.5 million people remained without power as of Sept. 16, 2008.

Entergy Texas, whose service area includes Beaumont-Port Arthur west to cities north of Houston such as The Woodlands and Conroe, estimated that 392,600 of their 395,000 customers lost power during Ike. Although nearly all their customers lost power, the company reported restoration of electrical service to all customers who could safely receive power on September 25, twelve days after the storm. The majority of Entergy customers unable to receive power were located in High Island and on the Bolivar Peninsula. [http://www.kfdm.com/news/texas_28014___article.html/entergy_percent.html]

Offshore ships and oil rigs

On Saturday (13Sep08), the US Coast Guard sent the tugboat "Rotterdam" to rescue the crew of a disabled freighter, "Antalina", carrying 22 people, hours after the ship had survived Hurricane Ike, without any means of escaping.cite web
title=Tugboat reaches freighter stranded in Gulf
author=The CNN Wire
publisher=CNN | date=2008-09-13 | accessdate=2008-09-14
url=http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/] Repairs to the ship's broken fuel pump will be made at sea; the tugboat will then tow the ship to Port Arthur, Texas, to be anchored for additional repairs and eventually to offload more of its cargo: petroleum coke, a petroleum byproduct.

Two oil rigs were adrift in the Gulf of Mexico, but crews had prepared to secure both rigs as soon as the water conditions settled.

As of Sept. 19, a revised total of 49 oil and gas platforms, of the 3,800 in the Gulf, were considered destroyed (compared with 44 destroyed during Hurricane Katrina).cite web
title=OilVoice: 49 Gulf Platforms Destroyed by Ike, Reports MMS
author=OilVoice.com
publisher=OilVoice | date=2008-09-19 | accessdate=2008-09-24
url=http://www.oilvoice.com/n/49_Gulf_Platforms_Destroyed_by_Ike_Reports_MMS/799a47ce.aspx] cite web
title=49 platforms destroyed by Ike
author=IHT.com | publisher=International Herald Tribune
date=2008-09-18 | accessdate=2008-09-24
url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/18/business/NA-US-Hurricane-Ike-Energy.php]

BP reported that the drilling derrick (tower) on its Mad Dog platform had been toppled into the sea, adding that it was too early to predict when the platform could resume production.

Oil refineries

There were 14 oil refineries in the affected region, and 8 were known to have survived with little flooding.

Emergency shelters

Several communities accepted thousands of evacuees, or later refugees, from the impact areas, including:
* In Galveston, Ball High School held 200 evacuees (as a "shelter of last resort"), plus providing meals to hundreds more.
* In San Antonio, about 219 miles (352 km) from Galveston, shelters held nearly 5,000 evacuees.
* In Tyler, about 200 miles (320 km) inland, 3,400 evacuees took temporary refuge, and it became clear that some shelters would not suffice for long-term evacuation.
* More than 4,000 people rode out the storm in tents, campers and RVs, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

There were other shelters as well.cite web
title=Rescuers reach hundreds of Ike survivors
author=Oren Dorell and Donna Leinwand
publisher=USA TODAY | date=2008-09-14 | accessdate=2008-09-15
url=http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/2008-09-13-hurricane-ike-texas_N.htm]

Recovery

Response team from the Texas Rural Water Association moved from their staging area in Mauriceville, Texas the day after landfall. They distributed emergency generators to impacted systems, some as early as eight hours after the loss of water service. cite web|title=TRWA, small utilities keep water running after Hurricane Ike
year=2008|publisher=National Rural Water Association|accessdate=2008-09-17|url=http://www.nrwa.org/NRWAupdates/Raywood.htm]

ee also

* Effects of Hurricane Ike in inland North America
* Hurricane Gustav - storm prior to Hurricane Ike
* Hurricane Ike - main storm article for Ike
* 2008 Atlantic hurricane season

Notes

References

* cite web
title=By air, boat and truck, search on for Ike victims
author=Christopher Sherman and Pauline Arrillaga
publisher=Yahoo! NEWS | date=2008-09-13 | accessdate=2008-09-14
url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080913/ap_on_re_us/ike

External links

* National Hurricane Center: [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov NHC homepage] .
* Houston Chronicle electric progress: [http://www.chron.com/databases/ikepower.html Ike Power Map] .