Hurricane Ike Revisited

[Srain]

Ike was a long-lived and major Cape Verde hurricane that caused extensive damage and many deaths across portions of the Caribbean and along the coasts of Texas and Louisiana. It originated from a well-defined tropical wave that moved off the west coast of Africa on August 28 and then became a tropical depression on September 1 about 775 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands. The depression quickly strengthened to a tropical storm later that day. Ike became a hurricane on September 3, and Ike reached an estimated peak intensity of 145 mph (Category 4) on September 4 when it was located 550 miles northeast of the Leeward Islands. After weakening briefly, Ike regained Category 4 status just before moving across the Turks and Caicos Islands on September 7. Ike then passed over Great Inagua Island in the southeastern Bahamas at Category 3 strength.

Ike turned westward and made landfall along the northeast coast of Cuba in the province of Holguin early on September 8 with maximum sustained winds estimated near 135 mph (Category 4). Ike made a second landfall in Cuba over the extreme southeastern part of the province of Pinar del Rio on September 9, with winds of 80 mph (Category 1). It moved into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico later that day.

Ike developed a large wind field as it moved northwestward across the Gulf of Mexico over the next 3 days, with tropical-storm-force winds extending up to 275 miles from the center and hurricane-force winds extending up to 115 miles from the center. The hurricane gradually intensified as it moved across the Gulf toward the Texas coast. Ike made landfall over the north end of Galveston Island in the early morning hours of September 13 as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph. The hurricane weakened as it moved inland across eastern Texas and Arkansas and became extratropical over the middle Mississippi Valley on September 14. It then moved rapidly through the Ohio valley and into Canada, producing wind gusts to hurricane force along the way.

Grand Turk Island reported sustained winds of 116 mph as the center of Ike crossed the island. Storm surges of 15-20 feet above normal tide levels occurred along the Bolivar Peninsula of Texas and in much of the Galveston Bay area, with surges of up to 10 feet above normal occurring as far east as south central Louisiana. Storm total rainfalls from Ike were as much as 19 inches in southeastern Texas and 14 inches in Cuba.

Ike left a long trail of death and destruction. It is estimated that flooding and mud slides killed 74 people in Haiti and 2 in the Dominican Republic, compounding the problems caused by Fay, Gustav, and Hanna. The Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas sustained widespread damage to property. Seven deaths were reported in Cuba. Ike's storm surge devastated the Bolivar Peninsula of Texas, and surge, winds, and flooding from heavy rains caused widespread damage in other portions of southeastern Texas, western Louisiana, and Arkansas. Twenty people were killed in these areas, with 34 others still missing. Property damage from Ike as a hurricane is estimated at $19.3 billion. Additionally, as an extratropical system over the Ohio valley, Ike was directly or indirectly responsible for 28 deaths and more than $1 billion in property damage.

http://www.nhc.noaa....treach/history/

[eyewall]

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[Ed Lizard]

That radar reminds me of one of the cool things. How long we had cool winds before the rain started and chased me inside. I was chilling with the Salvadoreños from across the street, practicing my Spanish, winds gusting, and one could actually predict the arrival of the next big gust by the flashes in the distance.

House power didn't go until probably an hour after the rain chased me inside. So I'm thinking maybe powerlines arcing because they got too close, not transformer flashes.

[stormitecture]

Ike was an absolutely awesome chase. So wish I was a better videographer then though.

The thing I remember the most about that storm was the fires. I had not encountered a hurricane before where there were so many fires. It was quite tragic to watch since firefighers really didn't have an easy time at responding, or even getting fresh water (debris filled surge/flood water will damage the pumper trucks) to spray the homes down with. Uggg...hard to watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG3K-pxPDEk

Eventually I'm gonna reload those clips to the Vimeo acct (link in my signature) with better resolution (since YT SUCKS!)

[HurricaneJosh]

Chase-wise, it was pretty good. I was in Texas City, very close to the landfall point. The center passed right over me.

I remember it lasted forever-- it seemed like hours and hours of winds over 50 kt. The roof of my hotel-- a large, sturdy building-- ripped off as the cyclone approached. The eye was well-defined-- it reached dead calm for a while-- and the highest winds seemed to come on the backside.

My chase account: http://icyclone.com/...s/ike-2008.html

My video:

[Normandy]

Perfect example of how a non-major hurricane can have disastrous impacts on a region

[Ed Lizard]

That sea wall is a good thing, although you can't really have a beach house less than a minute's walk from the beach, like all the cool people on the West end of the island, behind a seawall.

[stormitecture]

Not sure what the beach house comment was about. I will say the different between Galveston and the Bolivar area was rather dramatic and a perfect example of seawall vs. no seawall.

Here is a picture of one of the fires:

[Mr. Windcredible!]

I still can't get over how stupid people can be not to evacuate. For those with Netflix, search for Raging Planet...and check out the episode on Hurricanes. There's a segment on Ike's storm surge and a story about this guy who was trying to ride it out only to end up in the surge fighting for his life. He got swept miles up the beach but some how survived. He talked about how he spent the whole time praying for God to save him and all I could think is "you had your chance to get out...but you chose to stay!"

[stormitecture]

I still can't get over how stupid people can be not to evacuate. For those with Netflix, search for Raging Planet...and check out the episode on Hurricanes. There's a segment on Ike's storm surge and a story about this guy who was trying to ride it out only to end up in the surge fighting for his life. He got swept miles up the beach but some how survived. He talked about how he spent the whole time praying for God to save him and all I could think is "you had your chance to get out...but you chose to stay!"

Quite a few folks stayed. I too was surprised. Granted, this was in Texas, and they don't tend to back down from much there, but still. The one I remember is the air rescue I filmed of the folks who stayed at one of the businesses on the seawall side of the road. It is the redish building with the pick-up truck out front. Was there when Air Nat'l Guard lifted them out.

Add:

[Ed Lizard]

Quite a few folks stayed. I too was surprised. Granted, this was in Texas, and they don't tend to back down from much there, but still. The one I remember is the air rescue I filmed of the folks who stayed at one of the businesses on the seawall side of the road. It is the redish building with the pick-up truck out front. Was there when Air Nat'l Guard lifted them out.

Add:

That was a TWC special. 'When Nature Calls' or whatever. Couple that lived over the bait shop. Darwin Candidates, but didn't win the prize.

That bait shop and fishing pier is finally open. The fishing pier beyond the Flagship Hotel is gone forever, the zillionaire restaurant-casino Fertitta family own the entire 'Pleasure Pier' and I heard it is something like $10 admission just to get on, before riding attractions or anything. Mi suegro and I used to fish on the pier behind the hotel. I caught mostly hardhead. It is a salt water catfish with spines. Internet says technically edible, but unpleasant tasting. Need gloves to get the hook out without getting stuck with the poisonous spines.

I was thinking a party in that corner room would have been so awesone. They probably locked down the hotel before the storm, but the furniture is undisturbed,

The Pleasure Pier now...

Personal note, 2009, the year I didn't have a place to stay in Jamaica Beach. But even w/o insurance, Popo rebuilt!

[SunnyFL]

My best friend from high school had his home destoyed by Ike. In Conroe! I felt bad because I never thought of him having any problems with Ike. After a few weeks I couldn't get in touch, I called his mother and got the story. His house had roof damage from Ike due to falling pine trees in his neighborhood. Then, the thunderstorms AFTER Ike caused so much water damage the home was totaled. I felt horrible because I never thought of checking or helping, his family was totally out of touch for weeks. The whole interior had to be rebuilt.