I know there had to be some deaths, there just isn't reports of them yet. There were reports of a man leaving his home with nine feet of water and seeking shelter. He stated the sea was moving toward the town.
Ike strengthened as it came over land which is unique for a hurricane, but, the land is a heat source and probably more of one now that Human Induced Global Warming is roasting the southern USA everyday. I am not surprised.
Hurricane Ike makes landfall near Beaumont/ Port Arthur (click here)
By Genevieve Wedholm
Story Created: Sep 13, 2008 at 10:55 AM CDT
Story Updated: Sep 13, 2008 at 10:55 AM CDT
BEAUMONT, Texas- Lindsay Landry and photojournalist Jess Winfrey continue our coverage from Beaumont, where they spent the night in at Parkdale Mall where wind gusts were reported up to 91 miles per hour.
Signs have been ripped off and several items are being tossed in the rain.
Our KETK News Team will have your latest breaking news through out the rest of the day.
September 13, 2008
0630z
UNISYS Enhanced Southeast USA Infrared Satellite
...Of particular note is the hurricane protection structure in Port Arthur (click here). The structure was completed in 1984 to provide protection to the urbanized and industrial areas of Port Arthur, to include the City of Port Arthur and the associated petrochemical complex from a hurricane surge up to 14 feet. It is maintained by the Jefferson County Drainage District No. 7, and was last inspected by the Corps in June of this year....
47A 28.20 -93.80 09/12/23Z 95 954 HURRICANE-2
47B 28.40 -94.30 09/13/01Z 95 952 HURRICANE-2
48 28.60 -94.40 09/13/03Z 95 952 HURRICANE-2
48A 28.90 -94.50 09/13/05Z 95 952 HURRICANE-2
Landfall - Kindly notice the central pressures. The winds at Port Arthur were in the 90 mph range while in Galveston they were registered in the 60 mph range. The corner of the storm that landed on Port Arthur caused far higher storm surges and more concern for safety. The folks in that area were actually in more danger than in Galveston, although everyone needed to pay attention and leave before anyone could incur injuries or worse.
48B 29.20 -94.70 09/13/07Z 95 953 HURRICANE-2
49 29.70 -95.00 09/13/09Z 95 954 HURRICANE-2
The Weather Channel had really exceptional coverage through the entire storm.
Ike closes one local refinery, should drive up gas prices (click here)
By HEATHER NOLAN
September, 11, 2008
...ExxonMobil, Valero Energy Corp., ConocoPhillips and Marathon Oil Co. were among companies in Texas halting operations as the storm closed in, according to the Associated Press.
Valero's refinery in Port Arthur shut down its 325,000 barrel-a-da capacity plant around 5:30 Thursday afternoon, said spokesman Bill Day....
Port Arthur Levee System Holds; Ike Causes Damage, Power Outages in SE - TX. (click here)
September 13, 2008 - 5:02AM
Scott Lawrence
Law enforcement officers and utility executives say it's too early to gauge the full extent of Hurricane Ike's impact on Southeast Texas, but Greg Bostwick says the levee system in Port Arthur held and the water level began falling at about 4 a.m.
The level rose to more than 11 feet in Port Arthur. The lowest point of the levee is about 14 1/2 feet.
The Sabine Pass tide was 14.24 feet. The levels began receding at about 4 a.m.
With that type of tide, storm surge damage can be expected.
There are also reports of flooding in the Bridge City area, but until daylight, the extent of the flooding won't be known.
We have received reports of damage from viewers across the area, including some reports of tree and wind damage to homes.
Entergy Texas reports about 175,000 customers without power in its service area. Those numbers are expected to rise.
You can call 1-800-9Outage to report a power outage.
