Memo --

I just received the following memo as of 11:17 AM today:

Memorandum for Superintendent

Subject: Hurricane Ike Update 4

From: Arnold Proctor

Date: September 11, 2008


Superintendent Cleveland, Don Roy, John Mathis, Chief Amador, Officer Brown, and I participated in a statewide emergency preparedness telephone conference this morning. The Emergency Preparedness Center Jack Colley announced that Ike continues to move toward the Texas coast with landfall still predicted along the Brazoria/Matagorda line. Preparation is being made for Freeport to Beaumont/Port Arthur landfall.

Nearly 12,000 special needs citizens have been evacuated already. UTMB evacuation is ongoing now. 600 buses were moved into the Harris County/Galveston County staging areas overnight. The entire statewide shelter system is activated. Six C-130 aircraft are activated this morning and will fly as long as weather conditions permit.

He stated that we cannot overstate the need to keep fuel tanks full.

Twenty five counties are already declared disaster areas by President Bush. More will be added.

The National Weather Service announced that the storm is holding a fairly steady course with the bull’s eye still along the Brazoria/Matagorda line. Ike is a very large storm extending out 275 miles from the eye. There is still a tug of war between the high pressure over the southeast US and the low pressure over the mid-west. Strengthening or weakening of either would impact the direction of the storm. The storm is still over 400 miles away. The storm now is showing 100mph winds with gusts to 120 mph moving WNW at 10 mph. The storm surge is expected to be a Category 4. Tide is now 2-4 feet above normal. Surges up to 20 feet are expected at Galveston.

Mayor Thomas has called for mandatory evacuation of the entire Galveston Island as of this morning.

The storm should exit Texas to the northeast sometime Sunday.

There will continue to be telephone updates at 10:30 AM , 4:30 PM and 9:30 PM daily through landfall Friday night. I will keep you informed as we know more.