Comments on: Ike’s storm surge apparently less severe than feared

By: SteveSadlov

SteveSadlov — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:08:08 +0000

This was Houston’s Ivan, a barely dodged bullet. For the dumbed down masses, like their counterparts in NoLA in 2004, they now say to themselves:

“See, I told ya! Dey allllllllllllways turn!”

When Houston’s direct hit by front right quadrant of a cat 4 or cat 5 comes, 10s of thousands will ignore evac orders and will die.

By: Alan Sullivan

Alan Sullivan — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:16:43 +0000

If Houston sustained this much damage in a cat 2 direct hit, imagine cat 4. It sounds as though local infrastructure needs review and upgrade. Maybe the city without zoning also lacks a building code, or fails to enforce the one it has.

By: Trent Telenko

Trent Telenko — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:13:27 +0000

An eye witness report broadcast from Galveston by a reporter from Dallas Channel 8 said that 80% of Galveston Island went underwater.

This has not been confirmed by Galveston emergency management.

By: Trent Telenko

Trent Telenko — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:05:45 +0000

Harris county officials just briefed that the storm surge peaked at 11-12 feet.

All the Houston south eastern area creeks and Bayous are under a flood watch.

A ship is loose in the Houston ship channel and threatens the I-610 bridge. Harris county officials say no one should try and cross the bridge until tugs have the ship stabilized. ETA for that operation is unknown.

By: Trent Telenko

Trent Telenko — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:01:59 +0000

Channel 11 Houston just showed the east side of the JP Morgan tower — a 75 story sky scraper — and every window on the east side of the building has been blown out by wind.

Harris County also just briefed that only under ground power lines in Down Town Houston and the Texas Medical center survived the storm. All above ground electrical power lines are heavily damaged and inoperative in the Houston Area.

Harris county said that the Houston 911 center got 1200~ calls over night, about 60% more than a normal night.

By: Trent Telenko

Trent Telenko — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 12:45:57 +0000

Houston Mayor White reports 4746 unanswered 911 calls over night. Emergency 1st responders will go out a 9:00am after the weather bands exit Houston.

One of the main pumps for the Houston water system is down and he is asking people to conserve water to keep up the water pressure.

By: Trent Telenko

Trent Telenko — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 12:32:23 +0000

Early Houston Channel 11 Reports from Houston show Buffalo Bayou is flooding from combined effects of the rain and the storm surge.

By: Trent Telenko

Trent Telenko — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 12:30:34 +0000

Reports over night are that the Ike storm surge was no where as big as predicted. There were 6-9 foot surges measured on the various storm gages on the coast.

This means that the sand erosion that a heavier surge would have caused did not happen. There will be bad scenes this morning, but nothing like a 1900 class wipe out of the city.

What is being reported on WFAA in Dallas — which is rebroadcasting channel 11 from Houston — is bad enough.

Most of Galveston Island is underwater, in some places 10-15 feet. There are over 200(+) unanswered 911 calls. Power is out.

There are trees down everywhere. More than 90% of Centerpoint Energy’s 2 million Houston area customers are without power. They are saying it will be weeks before all power is restored.

All Houston area refineries went to a full shut down (a three day process) and there are no reports as yet as to damage.

Also unknown is the extent of the silting of the Galveston Bay and Houston ship channel shipping lanes.

By: Alan Sullivan

Alan Sullivan — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 12:12:09 +0000

Topography is different in NOLA. Galveston Bay can drain much more swiftly to the ocean, as it is doing right now. Strain will come off the local flood defenses immediately in Houston; it will persist longer at Port Arthur, where wind is still onshore.

By: et_reader

et_reader — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 11:39:17 +0000

Does anyone know the ranges of these stations? The reason that the surge may not have shown up as badly may simply be to the fact that the water simply submerged the gauges…