Comments on: Hurricane Ike Hits Houston

By: Houston Gold

Houston Gold — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:19:54 +0000

It’s interesting to read this now…I wonder how much of an influence that this storm and Katrina had on the advent of the current economic state this country in fact the whole world.

By: Henry J. Lee

Henry J. Lee — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 05:06:05 +0000

ALL: Kenneth call at 12:55 am EST. He said the cable was out and the power was on. He said they are OK. He will not be blogging for a while. I’ll try to keep you posted on his progress. Keep Ken and Kendall in your prayers.

By: Kenneth Lee

Kenneth Lee — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 04:09:42 +0000

We’ve just gotten our first real rain here at the house. It seems to come with the high wind gusts. The gusts and the rain are still coming in waves; we’re not getting a constant wind. We’re also loosing our TV signal - it looks like our cable provider, Comcast, is losing its satellite coverage. As of now, we still have power, but reports say other parts of Houston have already lost power. Since it’s dark outside, it’s tough to explain the strange noises happening outside.

By: Kenneth Lee

Kenneth Lee — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:52:40 +0000

The sun’s gone down, so it’s dark now. We’re still getting gusts of wind - they come in waves. Best guess has gusts around 30-40 MPH. When the larger gust come, they sound a bit like a freight train. Our power is above ground, so I expect we’ll lose it at some point tonight.

I’ve been watching weather instruments at work in Baytown, TX. So far, wind speeds are hanging around 20-30 MPH with occasional gusts above 40 MPH.

By: Kenneth Lee

Kenneth Lee — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 22:49:21 +0000

We’re now getting real gusts of wind, probably around 20 MPH. We’re also seeing some initial water drops, but not really much of a drizzle. A tree on the street came down - it was likely fragile, it’s the only one so far, and we haven’t seen any other worrisome signs yet.

By: Kendall

Kendall — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 22:29:44 +0000

Hey, all. Kendall here. I’m not trying to minimize the danger that Galveston and the surrounding area faces. It’s real and eminent. And the people who opted to stay on this sea-level island are cra-razy. But I do just want to tell our friends and family these news channels are definitely hyping the danger to Houston. They’re all about ratings and have been dramatizing this for 2-3 days now, and the nation has been glued to their televisions. Now that we’re the story, I see how the news story/ratings machine really works.

I grew up in Charleston, SC, part of hurricane alley, so this whole experience is old-hat for me. The thing that sucks the worst is that the air conditioning will go out when the power goes out (pretty sure that it will, and it’s still HOT here).

Don’t know if Ken has mentioned this, but we live about 35 miles inland, at 50 feet above sea level. We’ve got food, water, and a generator. Prayers are always welcome, but please try not to worry. We’ll be fine. Thanks for all the love and concern. -K.

By: Kenneth Lee

Kenneth Lee — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:26:06 +0000

There really hasn’t been any change in conditions outside. Maybe a bit less breezy than before. Obviously that will change.

The radar image (courtesy Wunderground) shows an imposing eye staring us down.

By: Kenneth Lee

Kenneth Lee — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:04:10 +0000

The sky is quite a bit darker now. I haven’t seen the sun in nearly a half hour. Still where only getting a light breeze with occasional light gusts. The news is fun, though. CNN has their normal reporters out “facing the danger”, and for local news: “Their continual coverage of Ike continues”.

By: Kenneth Lee

Kenneth Lee — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:24:31 +0000

The sky is now much more overcast, but I still see the occasional burst of sunlight. The light breeze is has grown a bit with stiffer winds hear and there (mostly blowing from east to west. Only the smaller branches are moving.

One neighbor boarded up their house. It’s the only one I saw on my way to-from the gym of the ~50 houses in the neighborhood. Extreme or good planning? We’ll see.

By: Perryce S

Perryce S — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:24:34 +0000

We are in the Harris/Fort Bend County area and we are also staying home. I cant believe the devestation already in Galveston and the actual storm is hours away… And the stranded freighter… I must admit I am glad majority of the people that were evacuated did it without incident.I saw on the news where a neonatal unit at a hospital was evacuated last night, one by one. I never realized how extensive the efforts to protect everyone are… Hats off to those brave and dedicated individuals

By: Kenneth Lee

Kenneth Lee — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:07:33 +0000

Sunny with blue skys and a light breeze. Like Pants said, “that’s just the opening scene of the movie ‘texas storm!’”