Hurricane Ike

[soleta_nf]

My thoughts go out to anyone affected by Hurricane Ike. I have two good friends in Houston who are hunkered down now waiting for it to hit.

Unlike 2005 when Hurricane Rita missed Houston, Ike will hit straight on. Back in 2005, Houston officials ordered everyone to evacuate, which ended up being more harmful than the hurricane itself (around 120 died from the evacuation and 9 from the hurricane itself). So this time the officials are telling more people in Houston (who aren't in low-lying areas - they have an evacuation order) to stay put, hoping to avoid the chaos of 2005. I really hope Ike passes over with minimal damage and loss of life.

It would be great if you could all send good vibes, prayers, and positive thoughts to everyone affected by hurricane Ike. Thank you.

:( :( :(

ETA: From the Globe and Mail story:

The storm could also force water up the seven bayous that thread through Houston, swamping neighbourhoods so flood-prone that they get inundated during ordinary rainstorms.

Yes, Houston gets flooded regularly just by lots of rain! Here's a photo from when I was in Houston in the summer of 2007. This was pretty bad for a regular rainstorm, but the rain just pounded down and it was quite scary. You could only see a few feet ahead of you in the worst of it. :( And that's not out of the ordinary! (We were in Seabrook, right on the gulf, so it was worse than it would have been in, say, downtown Houston. But still!)