The Storm Surge of the Century
The ocean has really started churning off the coast of Galveston, Texas. Waves are already topping the 17-foot tall, 10-mile long seawall that was built to protect the city and the island. For the first time in a 100 years, that wall may not save the island from near devastation. Forecasters say that Ike is brining a storm surge of 20-feet and waves up to 50 feet. One weather website described the Gulf of Mexico as a big shallow bathtub and Ike as a big disturbance causing it to overflow onto the Texas Coast.
Ike is a huge storm and it’s not the winds, but the storm surge that will likely cause most of the damage to the areas in and around Houston and Galveston. One local station already has aerial shots of Jamaica Beach, not far from our location, where houses are already being overrun by the rising surge. It’s just starting to get bad and only will get worse as the eye makes landfall near here sometime after midnight. The storm is massive and will bring certain devastation to many in this part of Texas. Waves and flood waters can easily tear apart a brick home.
Authorities have told everyone to get off Galveston Island. They say anyone who stays is risking their lives. One word used to describe the urgency of this message was one official saying “anyone in a single or two-story family home is facing certain death if they do not leave.”
We are staying at the San Luis Resort which is right on the Gulf. It’s a 16-story hotel that sits high up so the danger of the hotel being overrun by water is slim. Most of the city’s police officers and firefighters are staying here, so we know we are pretty safe. Given the fact that Galveston Island will likely be cut off from the rest of the mainland, we are planning to double back to Houston and report from there.
UPDATE 4 PM
Under instructions from the Assignment Desk in New York we have left Galveston Island and moved about 30 miles inland to Clear Lake, which is near Houston. Although we may not experience Ike’s landfall on the ocean front, we will see hurricane conditions here in Houston. Local forecasters predict up to 80 mph winds in the city and plenty of flooding for our area as well.
Tags: hurricane ike
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Brooks Blanton has been with FOX News since July of 2006 as a producer based out of the Network's southeast bureau in Atlanta. Prior to working for Fox he was a senior producer, investigative producer and assignment editor for stations in Phoenix, Arizona. He has covered many impacting stories such as the deadly track of the Super Tuesday storms that ripped across Arkansas and Tennessee in February 2008, the deadly shootings at Virginia Tech and the celebrations in Miami when Fidel Castro gave up power over Cuba. 
I wonder exactly how this massive hurricane is going to affect gas prices?
What danger is Brownsville facing??
PLEASE ASK NATIONAL GAURD TO SEND AIRLIFT NOW TO SAVE THOSE POSSIBLE
About 20 minutes ago, we lost cable TV from Comcast in Houston; both internet and our VoIP lines work fine.
We were watching Shep when it happened.
Who does a worse job at reporting disaster than Geraldo? He has had his run and it’s time for him to just get off the air. He sounded so stupid in New Orleans last week, “he’s in the water, he’s in the water, he’s in the water, he’s in the water, he’s in the water.” Wow, cutting edge reporting. And now he’s in Galvaston with about as much to say. Good night Geraldo–Go Home.
DUMB PEOPLE This is a free country so to speak ,But shouldn’t the people that don’t leave under mandatory orders be forced to pay for there rescue ether money or public service witch who’s money is spent to save them?
Sitting in the third-floor attic of my house…hearing the wind howl, the trees blowing, the rain driving, the house shuttering from time to time…power flickered intermittently over a period of about 4 hours. Finally, the power quit. No big deal…but, that means no air conditioning! I like my landline telephone…it still works. The cordless phones are dead. The cell phones…and my laptop battery…aren’t much longer for this world.
Amazing hearing things about my neighborhood from people half-way around the world. Learned that Brennan’s Restaurant - where I celebrated my wedding dinner - burned to the ground this evening. The hardest part of the hurricane is over my house right now…making everything shutter, shake, and rattle. I thought that there was a lot of lightning flashing in the city. The newscaster on the radio says that the lights are from transformers exploding and causing the power lines to arc.
I’m blessed that there’s no storm surge here in Houston’s Museum District (near Downtown Houston). I’m blessed that my newborn baby is getting the best sleep she’s had yet (1 month old). Impossible to sleep…the raucous forces one into a state of absolute alertness.
The old-fashioned radio…a flashlight…they are so low-tech…and so comforting when the power’s gone and the laptop battery is starting to fade.
Thinking about the people that are in trouble…and sending them good wishes.
Let me first say that my heart goes out to the people of Houston and Galveston for having to face this ravenous storm.
Second, let me say, to all the drunk/nondrunk/tough people that stayed when they were told to leave, you owe me. You owe me and every other good taxpaying American citizen a refund of the money that we just spent to come looking for you. Even if you got lucky and aren’t even if need of rescue, search and rescue teams were organized, assembled, dispatched, and are combing through the neighborhoods to figure out who needs help and who doesn’t. That takes time and time is money, searching to see if you’re ok when you were told to leave. Taxes come out of my pocket and it irritates me tremendously, that you just cost me money.
Here’s my take, it’s selfishness. Come on people, think about others sometimes. I’d like a refund from what we spent on the people who didn’t get out of New Orleans but I’m not sure that it was all their fault so I forgive them. You folks in Galveston? You thought you’d be renegade rebels taking on a huge goliath and expecting to he heroes when you fought this thing out? That’s not bravery, that’s selfishness and you owe me.
To the rescue teams, etc: Please don’t send the taxpayers the bill for these folks, send them the bills.
My heart goes out to the people of Texas for having to face this huge storm, and i am glad it wasnt as worse that the forcasters predicted.