Friday Hurricane Ike Update: The Chaos Before the Storm

Hurricane Ike was still over 150 miles away from Galveston this afternoon and already generating surges 8-feet-tall and rising. The Category 2 hurricane, which has an unusually large footprint, is still expected to escalate to a level 3 status before it makes landfall sometime Saturday morning.

The National Weather Service in Houston issued a warning that "certain death" awaited those who did not leave Galveston, which could be completely inundated by water when the storm hits. Even Fox News correspondent Geraldo Rivera managed to get knocked over by a wave while reporting from the sea wall:

Evacuees from the Houston area, coupled with the onset of local hysteria, has led to long lines at the gas station pumps—even in Austin, demand has "doubled in the last 48 hours,” said Chris Newton, president of the Texas Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, to the Statesman.

Several flights out of Austin Bergstrom have been canceled, while all air travel to and from Houston has ceased. Hundreds of local events have been canceled; the Statesman is maintaining a searchable list here.

Below are some photos from around Houston of pre-Ike preparations, taken by Houstonist writer Eric Sauseda:

Links and Information:
Shelter Information: (512) 974-1110
Hurricane Ike cancellations and Aid information
City of Austin Emergency Conditions Information