'Certain death' warning over Ike

[dgriffin]

'Certain death' warning over Ike


Residents in one area of the Texas coastline have been warned they must evacuate before the arrival of Hurricane Ike or "face certain death".

The National Hurricane Center issued the grave warning to those living in low-lying areas around Galveston Bay.

More than a million people in Texas have been advised to leave their homes before Ike hits late on Friday night.

The storm has already killed more than 70 people in the Caribbean, with Haiti and Cuba particularly badly hit.

At 0600 GMT on Friday, Ike was located about 300 miles (485km) south-east of Galveston, and had winds of around 100 mph (160km/h).

See:
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7612106.stm

[clarencebunsen]

Of course we all "face certain death.

[dgriffin]

You know, I think the people who remained in the coastal communities like Galveston and Beaumont dodged a very deadly bullet. As the storm whipped across the gulf and I heard that fully 40% of the residents had stayed on Galveston island, and thousands of others were digging in along the coast, I was prepared to read about 20,000 deaths the next morning. I remembered reading "Isaac's Storm" a year or so ago (about the 1900 Galveston destruction by hurricane), a terrible story of hubris and death. And then the storm passed through and the cell phones began working again and we first heard from a fellow who became frightened in time to get to higher ground. Many must have done the same. Looking at the utter destruction of homes and communities in the video footage from the fly-overs, I'm amazed the death toll was so low.

[rrogers40]

The way I see it is that if you live in one of those communities you need to be prepared. And I think most were- of course the news isn't going to show those people. Its like living around here- we can't close everything every time we get a bit of snow.

[denise]

Sept 22, 2008 7:54:57 GMT -5 rrogers40 said:

The way I see it is that if you live in one of those communities you need to be prepared. And I think most were- of course the news isn't going to show those people. Its like living around here- we can't close everything every time we get a bit of snow.

True, but unless power goes out and you freeze to death, you don't hear of very many people dying due to being caught in a snowstorm.

[dgriffin]

And if a "bit of snow" pushed houses from their foundations in south Utica all the way to New Hartford, some of the schools and stores might close for the day.

Denise, I think most snowstorm deaths are from shoveling!