Ike's Waves Assault Galveston

With hurricane still 200 miles off Texas coast, residents warned to leave or die
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 12, 2008 9:57 AM CDT
Ike's Waves Assault Galveston
Buses with Hurricane Ike evacuees from Beaumont, Texas are met by members of the Tyler fire dept, as clouds move in front of the moon, Thursday night, Sept. 11, 2008.    (AP Photo/Dr. Scott M. Lieberman)

Hurricane Ike is still more than 200 miles from land, but its waves are already flooding Galveston Island neighborhoods, CNN reports. Residents have been warned to evacuate or face “certain death,” as waters are expected to rise up to 22 feet. A 584-foot tanker, meanwhile, lost power about 90 miles off the island’s southern coast. With conditions too dangerous to attempt a rescue, the crew will have to weather the storm within the ship.

Hurricane Ike is a category 2, but forecasters expect it to strengthen before it hits land. The storm is so huge that it covers almost the entire Gulf of Mexico. The National Weather Service expects massive walls of water when Ike comes ashore. “All neighborhoods ... and possibly entire coastal communities ... will be inundated during the peak storm tide,” said the service, in its most strongly worded warning since Hurricane Katrina. (More Hurricane Ike stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X