09/12/2008
A Prayer for Texas
Above, Hurricane Ike bears down on the Texas coast:
"Waters rose rapidly along the Texas coast as Ike moved within hours of striking low-lying areas near Houston with a possible 20-foot (6-meter) storm surge in what may be the worst storm to hit Texas in nearly 50 years. The National Weather Service warned that people in coastal areas could face "certain death" from the storm's massive storm surge. Ike was a Category 2 storm with 105 mph (165 kph) winds as it moved on a course that pass directly over Houston -- the nation's fourth-largest city. Ike was expected to come ashore late on Friday or early on Saturday as a dangerous Category 3 storm on the five-step intensity scale with winds of more than 111 mph (178 kph), the National Hurricane Center said."
Our thoughts go out to all of you down in Texas.
Posted 2:13 PM EST by Andy Towle in Houston, Hurricanes, Natural Disasters, Texas | Permalink
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All my folks live between Galveston and Houston...they have all evacuated but fear for their homes and belongings. Thanks for the well wishes. This could be bad.
Posted by: Pugzz | Sep 12, 2008 2:27:13 PM
Thanks, Andy! That's my hometown. Pray for Galveston, too. Its much more vulnerable.
Posted by: Joe | Sep 12, 2008 2:30:33 PM
"...people in coastal areas could face "certain death"...
So, which is it, possible death or certain death?
Posted by: Victor | Sep 12, 2008 2:58:51 PM
By the way, are McCain and Bush traveling to the Gulf tonight to "oversee the emergency response effort" there, like they did on the eve that Gustav was about to make landfall?
Posted by: Blue Dog | Sep 12, 2008 3:04:39 PM
Our prayers are most certainly down south with all in harms way!!! Take care!
Posted by: tegs | Sep 12, 2008 3:11:27 PM
Put on an Obama T-shirt, grab some friends, and help out on Saturday. I'm not wishing bad weather and suffering on people (unlike that pastor who prayed for rain on Obama's Denver speech), but no reason a bit of cleanup can't be given a positive association spin. Unlike McCain and Bush striding around the command center, Obama folks out there on the streets--like Obama was filling sandbags a few weeks back--has a definite "putting money where our mouth is" vibe.
And yes, it's all very well for me to talk, I'm in Oregon.
Posted by: Dback | Sep 12, 2008 3:18:49 PM
Any chance of Crawford Texas and Bush's ranch getting the New Orleans treatment?
Posted by: Roscoe | Sep 12, 2008 3:19:57 PM
Thanks Andy. We're gonna need it.
On the upside, watching the junior reporters and talking heads on TV work themselves into a frenzy is amusing.
Posted by: Mark | Sep 12, 2008 3:21:09 PM
Thanks Andy! It's going to be a long challenging weekend.
Posted by: Rob | Sep 12, 2008 4:32:43 PM
McCain and Bush traveling to the Gulf tonight to "oversee the emergency response effort" = ambulance chasers.
Posted by: my2cents | Sep 12, 2008 4:56:33 PM
I'm from Houston -- but luckily in Austin this week for the Out & Equal conference... but for those that want to monitor the situation (like we are), I put some links to cams and other weather information (like the wind forcasts) on my blog.
Posted by: Mike | Sep 12, 2008 5:17:08 PM
DBACK, Crawford is way too far inland. But Galveston needs everyone's prayers. I live near downtown Houston and love to visit Galveston Island. The local news says that the storm surge may destroy some of the beautiful historical buildings and it will take a long time to recover. Anyone in Galveston who is NOT in a two-story strong structure faces a very very dangerous situation. The local news guy is not prone to hyperbole, so I ask all of you to pray for Galveston.
Here in Houston I know we are in for trouble, but nothing like the surge on the island.
Posted by: Jeff | Sep 12, 2008 5:25:44 PM
Best wishes to all those in the hurricane's path... it must be really daunting. Hope they come out of it OK.
Posted by: CK | Sep 12, 2008 5:33:07 PM
I wonder if the religious right will blame Ike on the depravity of Houston and the evil gays who live there, like they did Katrina.
Posted by: Dave | Sep 12, 2008 6:53:29 PM
As someone who is waiting for the storm to come any positive thoughts help the worry fade. Thanks Andy and to all ... from Everyone in Texas. Obama '08!
Posted by: Antonio | Sep 12, 2008 7:23:51 PM
Andy, thank you for the well wishes. I have many family members directly in the path of Hurricane Ike. My partner and I are fortunate to be in far west Texas and will not be affected by the storm. No matter what religious background we all are, we need to raise everyone up in prayer and hope for the best outcome possible.
Posted by: CALVIN | Sep 12, 2008 11:13:56 PM
Prayers? With the heavy atheist contingent on this site, I'm surprised you had the balls to suggest it!
Let's see, idiots blamed Bush for Katrina so years later he goes to the command center when Gustav is threatening and people still attack him. This smacks of the irrational intolerance found in those suffering with Bush Derangement Syndrome. Between sites like Towelroad and AfterElton there's clearly an major epidemic in the gay community.
Not a peep about Obama's plans to do SNL? The Hollywood Reporter said Friday he is booked to appear. Will Kanye tell us how Barack Obama doesn't care about Texans?
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ibd93dba87a9330a3d2ba25c2be25065a
Posted by: queendru | Sep 13, 2008 2:42:50 AM
So homophobic, religious Texas is getting a mighty beating from Mamma Nature....guess God is angry with them. Let's see how the evangelicals explain this one.
Posted by: nikko | Sep 13, 2008 3:54:32 AM
Once again, the users of the internets see a blog post and feel the necessity to tear it apart any way they can. Sure. Attack Texas for being homophobic and religious. Nevermind the fact that he's generalizing 23.5 million people. And while we're at it, let's have a go at the writer for requesting a prayer. Even an atheist understands the meaning of the text. Why do people always NEED to "share" what their simple minds are thinking? Piety isn't getting you fellas anywhere.
Posted by: Irritated Atheist Texan | Sep 13, 2008 4:23:30 AM
Andy, we survived the night! With daylight now here I'm seeing alot of debris, but not alot of major damage (in Houston). I work in television, so I was hunkered down -- I've been using that term alot -- here at the station. Our reporters and photogs did some incredible, fearless work! The city is almost completely blacked-out, but I think we made it. Pray for the people who didn't evacuate the coast.
Thanks for the warm thoughts.
Posted by: EtotheG | Sep 13, 2008 9:45:42 AM
Glad to hear you made it through etotheg. The photos look devastating.
Posted by: andy | Sep 13, 2008 3:16:25 PM
There must be alot of "gay" in Texas, doesn't GOD send the hurricanes to wipe us out????
Posted by: Jack | Sep 13, 2008 4:11:37 PM
I just moved away from Houston for school, but all my family and friends still live there.
Fortunately my family only had minor damage done to their home. My brother is without power right now but is otherwise alright.
Some of my friends were under the mandatory evacuation. I hope their homes are alright.
And to those of you who want to politicize this, doing so is very offensive. Some of us have loved ones who have actually been affected by the hurricane.
Posted by: Eric | Sep 13, 2008 5:32:52 PM
Thanks, Andy for the well wishes. It was and is a rough time for us in Houston...but we've got a lot to be grateful for...mainly that it wasn't much worse than it was. I give our mayor (Bill White) and our city gov't. (Judge Ed Emmett) a lot of credit for preparing for the storm and keeping everyone apprised in its aftermath. Right now we have a cold front moving through bringing thunderstorms...just what we needed. But on the other side, we're hoping the nights will be comfortable for the majority of us who are still without power.
Posted by: Eric | Sep 14, 2008 10:29:37 AM