The city of Houston and other Texas coastal communities are preparing for Hurricane Ike - a storm that could turn into a strong category three or four hurricane before it's expected landfall early Saturday. Ike is currently a category two hurricane but warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico are expected to add fuel to Ike's fury before it roars towards the United States coastline.

Mandatory evacuations were issued for the southern part of Houston and Gavelston, Texas at noon today. Hurricane Ike is following a similar path that left 8,000 dead in 1900.

President Bush has already declared an emergency for the entire state and Texas Governor, Rick Perry has readied over 1,300 buses to evacuate residents of the area. A majority of the oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico have stopped production ahead of hurricane Ike's arrival. At least 7,500 National Guard personnel are on stand-by.

Forecasters have predicted that there could be a storm surge as high as 15 feet and that heavy rains and high winds could cause flooding and significant damages to structures. A hurricane warning has been issued for the northwestern Gulf Coast from Morgan City, Louisiana to Baffin Bay, Texas. Hurricane conditions could reach these areas by late Friday.

Currently Hurricane Ike is located about 580 miles east-southeast of Corpus Christi and about 470 miles east-southeast of Galveston, Texas. He's traveling at about 10 miles per hour and is expected to travel in a west-northwest direction with winds of 100 MPH, though higher gusts are possible.

Residents of the Gulf Coast are advised to keep abreast of Hurricane Ike developments with their local media, as conditions can rapidly change with a storm of this magnitude.

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