Ike Prompts Evacuations In Texas

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ROBERT SIEGEL, host:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

MELISSA BLOCK, host:

And I'm Melissa Block.

Hurricane Ike is barring down on the Gulf Coast. The storm surge is already causing flooding along the Florida Panhandle with Ike projected to hit the Texas coast hard early Saturday morning. A hurricane warning extends from Morgan City, Louisiana all the way to Baffin Bay, Texas just south of Corpus Christi.

Many people are trying to get out of the storm's way. Hundreds of thousands have left the greater Houston area, and the mayor of Galveston, Lyda Ann Thomas, ordered a mandatory evacuation earlier today.

Leigh Jones of the Galveston County Daily News joins us. And Leigh, what are the signs that you're already seeing that Hurricane Ike is heading to your direction?

Ms. LEIGH JONES (Galveston County Daily News): Well, the tide there is exceptionally high right now. The surf is breaking over the rock groins that extend out from the sea wall, which is pretty unusual especially since it's right now cloudless skies and very warm. But it's also fishing storm water up to the storm drain system so the low line streets are already starting to flood.

BLOCK: And this storm's been pretty erratic. I think it was supposed to head farther south. It took a jog to the north and then came this mandatory evacuation order from the mayor there.

Ms. JONES: That's right. When we went to bed last night, we were told that it was just a voluntary request for people to leave and the mayor was pretty adamant about not calling for a mandatory evacuation. She said it would be too late at this point. But this morning, the hurricane's track shifted again a little bit closer to us and so the mayor changed her plans and called the evacuation at 9:30 this morning.

BLOCK: And are people heeding the warning? Are they taking off?

Ms. JONES: A lot of people are. But there's a lot of evidence that other people are staying. People we were talking to out on the streets also - I was in a grocery store earlier today and lots of people were stocking up on supplies. And they didn't look like they were supplies for a road trip. It looked like they were supplies someone would want for staying put.

BLOCK: And why do you figure those people are staying put? What did they tell you?

Ms. JONES: A lot of that has to do with the disaster that was the Hurricane Rita evacuation.

BLOCK: In 2005.

Ms. JONES: That's right. People sat on the highway for hours and hours. And you know, there were lots of health problems and that kind of thing just from the stress of being on the road. And then, it all turned out to be unnecessary. And I don't think that's going to be the case here at all. But I think people just have that in the back of their mind and they think nothing can be worse than what they experienced then.

BLOCK: People have been told to clear out their yards, get rid of things that might become projectiles during a strong storm. Are people doing that?

Ms. JONES: Yes. Absolutely. We were out on the west end of the island which is mostly beach homes yesterday. And they were the ones that were called for a mandatory evacuation first. And people were lashing down furniture that they couldn't move off their decks, bringing in trash cans, people started boarding up their windows this morning after the evacuation call. And, so things are starting to look more quiet. Downtown was completely deserted this afternoon.

And it's kind of funny because we have a cruise ship and - on its regular schedule at least, came in this morning and then it'll leave tonight. And it's just kind of odd to see nothing going on downtown and yet there is the cruise ship right there getting ready to leave.

BLOCK: So that cruise ship has to get out right before the storm.

Ms. JONES: It does. I'm not sure what route it's going to take. The last storm, Gustav, caused the cruise lines to change their itineraries and actually delayed a ship. But this time, it seems like they're going to be right on schedule. I mean, they definitely want to get out of port before it comes in anymore(ph).

BLOCK: Leigh Jones, thanks very much for talking with us.

Ms. JONES: No problem. Thank you.

BLOCK: Leigh Jones is a city reporter with the Galveston County Daily News.

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