|pirate voice|Arrrrrgh!/|pirate voice|

Are there any mateys out there in the path of hurricane Ike? If so, are you heading for the hills or hunkering down?

Thar she blows!

Howdy there!

I'm in the path, although Ike is only going to be a tropical depression when it hits here--a mere remnant of his presently formidable self.

I hope all of our Gulf Shore chicks aren't checking in because they're headed for, or on, higher ground!!

Here, here. Although I have a houstonite friend who wouldn't let something as minor as a Category 3 hurricane keep her off the Internet!

I'm well out of Ike's path, but have plenty of family and friends on the Gulf Coast and in Houston. All but a handful are just staying put. I think the ones that are "running" are just doing so because they have a long weekend to go stay with friends! Haha!

I remember in college a Cat. 3 hurricane was a whole different thing. We were 20 miles from the coast and would be having parties. Katrina really changed everyone's state of mind regarding hurricanes.

Still, if we were on Galveston Island, we'd be out of there...

You'd be riding waves.

My sister lives in the DFW area, but it's her husband I'm more worried about. He's a bus driver. He was hired by FEMA to drive evacuees from the last hurricane in Louisiana and he's expected to be doing the same for Ike down in the Houston area.

Just got off of the phone with a friend in Galveston. She said it's getting pretty ominous, but they're still okay. I was hoping, of all my friends, she would leave, but she won't leave with her DH and brother being out in the storm (Their police officers there.) Praying for them. She has about 20 people in her house to wait the storm out. My dad's going to call her and see if she can't still make it out to get to their house, or at least a hotel. They don't have the money to stay in a hotel somewhere, so my dad is going to offer to pay. Hope it works out okay.

I lived in Houston during Hurricane Alicia back in 1983 when it hit Galveston. That one was a category 3. I remember there being lots of tornados right before it made landfall (one touched down a block from my apartment). We had a huge weeping willow tree (in front of our building)that got ripped right out of the ground. I watched it as the storms came in and it was almost completely on it's side. Then the eye came through and the winds just suddenly died and then all of a sudden they started back up in the opposite direction flattening it the other way. Poor tree didn't stand a chance.

I remember even though we were in Houston that they had to close downtown for 2 days to clean up glass from windows. Our parking lot was flooded and the grocery stores had no electricity for days either. It was hot with no electricity and everything had to be heated/cooked on the barbeque grill. Toilets couldn't be flushed so we filled our bathtubs with water for flushing. Never again did I want to go through all that.

So glad I'm back in the midwest now. I can deal with tornado warnings easier and it doesn't rain for days after.

Wow. It's so funny how different people can live with different weather situations! Being in tornado alley would terrify me! I couldn't handle it!

Kim:

I've lived here in tornado alley all my life, but for the 4 yrs. I was in Texas. I'm in my late 40s and although many have been pretty close, I've yet to have to deal with one. You just head to your basement shelter when you hear the sirens sound and pray it passes by quickly.

A tornado tore the roof off our house two years in a row. I don't remember being scared about it though, just in awe. But, I was a teenager then, and probably too dumb to be scared.

We're supposed to get some rain and high winds here, but nothing like Houston and Galveston.

Hi all.

I live in Houston and we are hunkering down. We live on the east side of the city so hopefully we won't have the surge to contend with although we are in zone 3 of the the city's hurricane zoning.

It is pretty grim for Galveston, Seabrook, Kemah, Texas City, and the surrounding areas. Places are already flooding badly and the storm won't land on shore until late, late this evening/early tomorrow morning.

It looks like it will go right over Houston and her surrounding areas. If you're the type to pass on good thoughts, we all could sure use them.

Consider them sent!

My friend down there is also in zone 3. She said that they were asked specifically to stay so that the coast through zone 2 could get out safely. I expect you will be mostly safe, as long as your home is adequately protected from the winds. Still, it's going to be a rough ride.

Just talked to my sis who lives in Baytown. She said the worst they've gotten so far is flooded streets since their house is on high ground for the area.

So I'll add y'all to my thoughts while I get a crappy night's sleep.

I evacuated from Galveston, & am glad I did. I still don't know when I'll be able to go back & check on my stuff. I've been told that the apartment complex seems to be in as good of shape as expected. I'm not too concerned about my stuff. If it's lost, it's lost.

Please send a good thought/prayer/vibe for those who lost everything. The pictures of the island look devestating & I talked to someone who's brother was allowed back on the island & he's never seen anything like it...and they've gone through Carla & Alicia.