Texas prepares for Ike's potential fury
Whether the shelters will be used to their fullest extent depends on the storm's path and strength, The Dallas Morning News reported.
"Our experience during (Hurricane) Gustav was we were dramatically over-prepared. But that over-preparation is the key to success," said Dr. Raymond Fowler, who is overseeing an emergency clinic in the Dallas Convention Center.
Ike's center was about 575 miles east of Brownsville, Texas, moving at about 10 mph in a west-northwesterly direction in the Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its 7 a.m. advisory. 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. Its projected path tracked to the Brazoria County coastline, meaning Houston could be hit by some of the storm's strongest winds, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Commanding officers from the three South Texas U.S. Navy bases said they would evaluate Ike's risk Thursday, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered Wednesday for the western end of Galveston Island and all of Brazoria County and parts of Chambers and Matagorda counties, the Chronicle said. Officials also urged people voluntarily leave the eastern end of Galveston Island, San Patricio and Victoria counties, and parts of Jackson County and Corpus Christi.
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.
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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