The National Weather Service, whose reports often contain only the dry language of meteorology, was discernibly more excited in its 8:19 p.m. bulletin:
“Life threatening inundation likely!” the service said a statement directed at those living beyond the protection of the sea wall and close to where Ike comes ashore. “All neighborhoods … and possibly entire coastal communities … will be inundated during the period of peak storm tide. Persons not heeding evacuation orders in single family one- or two-story homes will face certain death.”
Cars leaving Galveston after the late evacuation order had no noticeable effect on traffic in Harris County, according to Transtar, which monitors traffic in the Greater Houston area. That may be because the order was far from universally obeyed. Naschke said many locals were ignoring the evacuation order this time and taking their chances because of memories of grueling evacuation journeys that lasted 20 hours to 30 hours in 2005.
This is from a Houston Chronicle story that also says 22 crewmembers stranded on a freighter wallowing dead-in-the-water 90 miles southeast of Galveston AS WELL AS 100 people stranded on the Brazos peninsula are just out of luck: the Coast Guard has only one helicopter.
