Texas coastal counties prepare for Ike
Ike's center was about 620 miles east of Brownsville, Texas, moving at about 9 mph in a west-northwesterly direction in the Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center in Miami reported. The Category 2 hurricane has maximum sustained winds of 100 mph and could intensify to a Category 3 storm as it nears the Texas Gulf coast.
Ike was forecast to make landfall on the central coast of Texas Friday night or Saturday morning, AccuWeather.com reported.
A hurricane watch was in effect from Cameron, La., to Port Mansfield, Texas, the center said. Tropical storm warnings were posted along the Mississippi-Alabama border.
Mandatory evacuations have begun for people with special needs in several counties along the coast, CNN reported. Cities also were urging people living in low-lying areas or mobile homes to leave.
"One of the things that the public has to understand if they decide to stay, there will be a period of time during this storm when they will absolutely be on their own," Brazoria County Sheriff Charles Wagner told CNN.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry has put 7,500 National Guard members on standby this week and issued a disaster declaration for 88 counties, his office said. U.S. President George Bush declared an emergency in Texas, making federal funds available for the state to prepare for the storm.
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