Hearsay on Hurricane Ike at 9 a.m.

-Bridge City and downtown Orange have about 7-8 feet of standing water. PA levees weren't breached, so damage in that area is not as bad as was expected! Poor Sabine Pass: they had a 14 feet storm surge, but it has receded to 8 feet by now. They were the SE Texas town hit hardest by Rita in 2005.

-Mom saw on CNN that there are people on rooftops waiting for rescue in Beaumont. I still don't understand why someone would insist staying home during this, but I hope it will send a message to these Southeast Texans never to do it again.

-There are 395,000 Entergy customers without power in Texas, or 96%. It will be weeks before power is restored.

-Here's a screen capture of what KFDM's radar looks like on the streaming webcast. Still a LOT of red over the Golden Triangle!


-I'm betting that my old house near Port Neches park didn't make it through without flooding. By yesterday afternoon, the water was all the way up the boat launch and creeping upward... My grandmother's house in PN is 2 miles away from the river, so I would think it's ok.

-Kevin and Brad, I hope your place in BC came out ok. Maybe being high up off the ground served you well. Gary Stelly from KOGT in Orange reported high waters in Colonial Estates and the Dugas Addition in BC, but I don't know where that is. Mom's worried about Orangefield, low-lying as it is. She says she thinks the schools and community are flooded, since BC is.

-Again, since I know you're waiting for my next post to see what is happening with Ike (as opposed to lesser media outlets such as CNN or KFDM), I'll post things I hear on the webcast, which I will watch all I can. If anyone hears any news or finds pictures, let me know where, please! I'd especially like to hear about the west end of Beaumont, where my sister and brother-in-law live.