WORLD> America
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WORLD> America
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Hurricane Ike grows as it closes in on Texas
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-09-13 09:07 In southeastern Louisiana near Houma, Ike breached levees, threatening thousands of homes of fishermen, oil-field workers, farmers and others. Crews struggled to plug four breaches. "We've got a bad situation," said Windell Curole, levee manager for Terrebonne Parish. Though Ike was heading for Texas, it spawned thunderstorms, shut down schools and knocked out power throughout southern Louisiana on Friday. An estimated 1,200 people were in state shelters in Monroe and Shreveport, and another 220 in medical needs shelters. Rescue crews were being tapped before the storm even arrived on shore. Because of high winds, the Air Force and Coast Guard aborted plans to send aircraft to the Gulf of Mexico in a daring attempt to rescue 22 crewmen adrift on a stalled freighter in rough seas 90 miles off Galveston. And Coast Guard helicopter crews plucked 60 people from the town of High Island on the Bolivar Peninsula, a 32-mile spit just up the coast from Galveston, after rising waters covered the only road. In Galveston, a working-class town of about 57,000, waves crashed over the 11-mile seawall built a century ago, after the Great Storm of 1900 killed 6,000 residents. That hurricane remains the nation's deadliest natural disaster. A boat and yacht repair warehouse caught fire and burned to the ground on Galveston Island because the streets were under at least 8 feet of water -- too flooded for firetrucks to reach it, Galveston Fire Chief Michael Varela said. No one was believed hurt. While the Galveston beachfront is dotted with new condominiums and some elegant beach homes on stilts, most people live in older, one-story bungalows. The National Weather Service warned "widespread and devastating" damage was expected. The sight of the storm's fury frightened some people who initially intended to stay. "We started seeing water come up on the streets, then we saw this. We just loaded up everything, got the pets. We're leaving," 33-year-old Tony Munoz said in Galveston. "I've been through storms before, but this is different." In Surfside Beach, a town of 800, the police chief asked one stubborn couple, David and Dondi Fields, to write their names and Social Security numbers on their forearms with a black marker in case something bad happened to them. Dondi Fields, 50, wrote "I heart U" and "for my kids" on her arm. But the couple finally decided to leave. Police used an aluminum boat to reach them, and a National Guard truck carried them to safety. In Freeport, Drew Ryder, 47, took no chances. He left his plywood-covered home, heading north with coolers filled with food. "It's coming, so I'm going," he said. "It's not smart to be here." Houston's streets were eerily quiet, emptied of the usual weekday traffic. Skyscrapers were darkened, and sandbags protected the lobby doors to some. At the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, a bartender secured plywood over windows as two dozen customers drank beer, ate burgers and watched scenes of Galveston on giant TV screens. Andy Weeks, a retiree who serves as the homeowners association president in the eight-story building, spent the morning knocking on doors and reminding neighbors to bring their patio furniture and plants inside. The windows were bare of any plywood or other protection. "It's pretty tough to get outside to board up your windows," said 64-year-old Weeks, who lives on the sixth floor. Gloria Dulworth, who lives on the seventh of a high-rise apartment building, refused to let the storm dampen her plans to celebrate her 81st birthday. "We're surrounded by glass, so I'm taking my crystal candlesticks down. It's been suggested that we roll the rugs away from the door," in case water seeps in. Other than that, said Dulworth, "I'm going to get some fresh veggies. I have cereal and canned milk. I anticipate being without air conditioning for a couple of weeks, but you can't do much." |
