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Ike Bears Down on Texas
Aired September 12, 2008 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. It is Friday, September 12th. Here's what we're watching in the NEWSROOM. A massive storm moving in. Hundreds of thousands of people leave their homes as Hurricane Ike advances. We are watching from the Texas coast and from our weather center here.
Other parts of the country feeling a pain in the pocket book from Ike. Gas prices spike over fears the storm will disrupt supplies today, Friday, September 12th, you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Hurricane Ike, monstrous and menacing. It is growing stronger as it barrels towards the Texas coast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE ED EMMETT, HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS: The storm surge is stronger, and it's important that people understand that this really is a life or death matter. If you live in one of the evacuation zones, get out. I would also like to note that mobile homes, same thing. We're going to have high winds. You need to move to safer sanctuary somewhere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Thousands of Texans listened to the dire warnings and hit the road. Others though stayed behind and face now a chilling threat. The National Weather Service say some could face certain death.
The very first hint of the storm just now lashing the Texas coast. What's behind it could put millions of people in danger. We've got our crews out in full force to bring you all the angles on this storm. Sean Callebs is in Houston, Rob Marciano in Galveston and in the weather center meteorologist Jacqui Jeras.
Let's get the big picture first from CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras, standing here next to me. So Jacqui, we heard the county judge just say get out. I mean, there's no bones about it.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. At least have right. You know, you can't make the warnings strong enough for the people that live in the low-lying areas, the people that are on Galveston Island because pretty much you're going to be filled up with water. It's already beginning, some of the roadways are starting to be cut off. Take a look at these pictures covering up the roadway there as well.
And this storm surge is only on the range of say three to five feet. That's it. We're talking about storm surge potentially as high as 20 feet plus. So this is very significant. And you know, a lot of this has to do, Heidi, with the size of this storm. We were talking earlier off camera about how I don't think I've ever seen a storm this large in size, I mean, not even Katrina. This is bigger than Katrina. The tropical storm force winds extend out 275 miles from the storm. The hurricane-force winds extend out about 120.
So if you double that, if it's symmetrical which it isn't always, we'd be talking about the equivalent of an EF-2 tornado making landfall here covering up over 200 miles. So that is incredible the potential destruction with this storm. In addition to that the storm surge will be greater because the storm in size is bigger. Think of it this way, think of a swimming pool, OK. One fan just blowing strong winds at one end of the pool. That's going to cause some slashing on the back end, that's going to bring in a couple waves.
Now, imagine 20-plus fans lined up all the way across the pool, blowing wind at the same exact strength, you know, for hours on end. That entire pool is going to be slashing and moving. And you'll have a lot more wave action. So this is what we're dealing with here with Ike. Let's put a distance on this. You know, we'll just talk about the cloud shield, not even the wind. Look at how large this is. (inaudible) ward for me, putting the distance around it there. This is over 900 miles wide when you're just talking about the cloud. So we're already seeing that into the coastal areas, and with that surge coming up now, we're talking it's well over 12 hours before landfall. We've got a long ways to go with this storm.
It's moving west-northwesterly, maximum sustained winds at 105 miles per hour. There's really nothing blocking between this storm and the coast in terms of bringing down the intensity. We're expecting some slight additional strengthening, likely up to a category 3. So we're at 105 now, we got to get up to 111 to be a category 3. We're not all that far away from that. And landfall will likely be late tonight, early tomorrow morning before you wake up. So this is a night-falling system.
And look at that cone of uncertainty, just kind of narrow, shaved down. We don't want you to focus on that skinny line either, Heidi, something to think about, because this storm is so big it doesn't necessarily make that big of a difference who gets that skinny little line there. Because this covers up such a large area. Such an impressively huge storm. Look at that. There we got some more waves continuing to wash up.
COLLINS: All right, Jacqui. It's incredible that you say, already we know it's bigger than Hurricane Katrina. I mean, that's what I got out of what you were just saying now. Everybody really taking into account their safety in trying to get out of these low-lying areas and many of the other places along the Gulf Coast there. Thank you, Jacqui. We're going to check back with you a little bit later on. I want to get back to the story and update you as well.
About this freighter that we were telling you about. Danger at sea because a massive freighter is actually dead in the water, has no power, and it's right in the path of Hurricane Ike. On board, nearly two dozen crew members, 22 people in fact. The Coast Guard scrambling as you can imagine. The very latest now from CNN's Jean Meserve who is on the phone.
And Jeanne, last we spoke with the Coast Guard here, they were assessing their rescue options. And I think we know now they're just not going to be able to do anything at this point.
VOICE OF JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well it seems unlikely, we've been talking with Coast Guard officials in New Orleans from where a helicopter rescue would be attempted. And they say no final decision has been made at this point. But clearly, their window of opportunity is closing because the winds in New Orleans have become so strong, so strong that they're on the verge of not being able to launch their helicopters.
They say, in fact, that there might be some advantage of leaving some people on this ship. The best scenario as they see it is that the storm pushes the freighter up into shallow water where at that point they could drop anchor and ride out the storm. If they took everybody off the ship, clearly there wouldn't be anybody to drop the anchor. So, good news, bad news kind of story at this one. But as you mentioned, the 584-foot freighter. We learned that the name is the "Antalina," that it is of Cyprus Registry.
As you mentioned, 22 people on board this ship which left Port Arthur hoping to ride out the storm and then its engine conked out. So Coast Guard New Orleans still weighing exactly what they're going to be able to do here. But it is appearing less and less likely that they're going to be able to launch those helicopters and get those 22 people or some of those people even off of that ship. Back to you.
COLLINS: Wow. Oh boy. That is certainly not what anybody wants to hear. But clearly you've got to take into account how to keep the rescuers safe as well. If those winds are too strong, it's obviously riskier than it already is. CNN's Jeanne Meserve coming to us by telephone in Houston. The very latest on that freighter. We will keep an eye on that story as well. We are just getting some information in to the CNN NEWSROOM regarding other helicopter rescues.
Obviously the wind not as big of a problem in this area known as Boulevard Peninsula. It's a very small stretch of Texas Coast. We are understanding that the Coast Guard is performing helicopter rescues of people and pets inside their cars. I'm imaging as we continue to get more information in here that these are people who are obviously trying to get out of harm's way and trying to beat the storm and may not have been able to do so as quickly as they had had hoped. So we will stay on top of that portion of the story again. That is called Boulevard Peninsula, a very small stretch of Texas Coast.
As you know, we have already seen an awful lot of flooding along the Texas coast. CNN's Rob Marciano is actually live in Galveston for us now this morning. And Rob, we've been watching your pictures come in all morning long. What are you seeing now?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Well, we got our first bit of rain. The first time anything moist is falling from the sky. We've gotten sprayed with sea spray from the ocean or from the Gulf of Mexico that's been picking up in intensity for sure. As you were telling that story, I heard some choppers fly back and forth, I was trying to figure out if those were Coast Guard choppers that you were talking about. Certainly there's been some news choppers up and down this stretch of beach which has become more and more active as far as the water.
We've moved back now from the seawall which is in our background there. It's about 15, 20 feet below us. And that protects the road there by maybe another ten feet. So we should have no problem here. But you see the water and the waves crashing against that seawall and water splashing on top of the seawall boulevard there. So even with the traffic going back and forth, the storm lookers or looky Lous, of which there are quite a bit. There goes that news helicopter over us right now. So a lot of media down here as you would come to imagine.
All right. How many people evacuated here? Typically you got about 58,000 people that live her in Galveston. We're told just over half evacuated. So that leaves about 15, 20,000 or so people who are still on this island, much of which is at sea level and will be inundated by this storm. There are spots like this where it's high enough where the water will go around. But there are certainly a great majority of areas in Galveston that will be very, very wet come this time tomorrow morning or at least actually in the next 12 hours we expect the surge to come on shore.
Folks here, Heidi, don't seem too worried. When you think about the last major hit of a major hurricane in 1983, memories may very well be faint as to what these storms can do here in Galveston. We certainly hope people take the necessary precaution.
COLLINS: Yes. And then taking into account the number of people who may have moved there since that happened and have no account of it whatsoever. Hey quickly, repeat for me, Rob, what did you say? 58,000 people they hoped to have evacuated. But only half at this point?
MARCIANO: Yes, 58,000 is the population year-round here in Galveston. And they think only about half or a little more than half actually have gotten off the island. So that would leave, you know, 20,000 people here floating around. Hopefully not literally.
COLLINS: Yes. Well, we are going to stay on top of that, obviously. Rob Marciano from Galveston this morning. Thank you, Rob.
I want to get the very latest now from Houston and CNN's Sean Callebs is standing by with the latest there. Hey, Sean. How does it look?
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRRESPONDENT: Hey, Heidi. The word here, evacuations, you're looking at interstate 45 behind me, really not very crowded at all. That's good news. Within the last hour the mayor and the leading county officials held a news conference in very, very sobering terms said look, if you're in a mandatory evacuation area, get out of this area. Don't wait around. They're going to make a decision in the next couple of hours to close the interstates because they expect to get tropical storm force winds in this area. And they simply don't want people on the interstate at that time. Look, they can't stop the wind from coming and sheering roofs off of homes. They can't stop the storm surge. But they said they can get people out of harm's way in a very, very controlled fashion.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS (voice-officer): For Spring Parent, it's simply reliving a bad dream.
SPRING PARENT, MOTHER AND TEXAS EVACUEE: I swore to myself if we were OK and we got away and we got back OK, I would not ever do this again and I'm doing it again.
CALLEBSS: Three years ago the parents were trapped in this asphalt purgatory. Among hundreds of thousands trying to flee through Houston, ahead of Hurricane Rita. Now, as Ike bears down, the town of La Porte is again under a mandatory evacuation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All you need is your pictures and a prayer.
CALLEBS: Windows and doors on their home are sealed. Valuables such as Spring's rodeo champion belt buckles stored as high as possible.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't replace those, mommy. You were great.
CALLEBS: You see, their home is only a short drive away from the shipping channel. This area could get a 15-foot storm surge is. Governor Rick Perry's ultimate nightmare is a cat 5 hurricane rolling up the channel unimpeded and cites a recent study.
GOV. RICK PERRY, TEXAS: Without evacuation, that model shows 1.5 million people dead. I did not misspeak.
CALLEBS: Hyperbole or not, Spring Parent believes citizens and the state are doing a much better job of evacuating than three years ago.
PARENT: It took people literally to die on the side of the road, overheated cars, you know, elderly people. And it's been more of a concentrated effort. I've seen a lot more organization this time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS: And the Parent family told me the name of the town La Porte actually means the door to the shipping channel. So, Heidi, you see they can theoretically be right in harm's way.
One thing I want to point out. The reason the state, city, feds, don't have the gridlock they see on the interstates they saw during Rita. They changed the way they evacuate people, Heidi. Three years ago, say a community called Pasadena near here, 50,000 people. Let's say everybody in Pasadena evacuate, now they say anybody living in this zip code evacuate, because the last thing you want to do is put people on the interstate that don't need to be there and make it even more crowded.
COLLINS: Yes. No question about that. Hey, I'm just wondering, Sean, you and I were in Houston together and spoke quite often and frequently with Mayor Bill White who handled post-Katrina things so well. There was a lot of press about him and the organization of that city to handle all the people coming into his city. Are we talking about more people there now still this much later on that could affect the amount of traffic we're talking about getting out of Houston this time around?
CALLEBS: Well, I think we've seen the mass exodus. But we've seen also those images from Galveston and into the south. We haven't seen the gridlock at all on the interstate today. I mean, not at all. We've been out here since about 4:00 this morning. Now, yesterday it was bumper-to-bumper traffic. I think we saw it in New Orleans about a week and a half ago. People are taking these warnings seriously. People remember what happened in Hurricane Katrina three years ago. No one wants a repeat of that. As bad as the interstate situation was during Rita, a lot of people are saying look I'm going to get out rather than risk my life.
COLLINS: Well, that's exactly what I'm sure everyone wants them to do and to be thinking that way. Sean Callebs for us live in Houston. Sean, will check back with you later on.
Hurricane Ike could also have a major impact on the oil industry. This map shows just how many oil platforms in the Gulf could be impacted by the storm. Many of those operations were just getting restarted after Hurricane Gustav came through. Now they have been evacuated once again for Ike. We will watch that side of the story as well.
If you would like to help the Red Cross and other organizations that are reaching out to victims of extreme weather, you can go to our web page, cnn.com/impact. There you will find links to all different kinds of organizations that are trying to help.
We are continuing to follow the path of Hurricane Ike. These pictures coming into us live now from our affiliate KHOU in Houston. You can see the wall of water there. We're watching it back in a moment here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: All right. We are continuing, of course, to watch very, very closely Hurricane Ike and its progress. We are looking at two different pictures here now, Galveston, I believe is on your right. I can't quite see those affiliate letters and Houston, I believe - yes, on your left there. Boy, an awful lot of water, an awful lot of activity. And also wind that is something that we're hearing more and more about obviously. Things are getting more fierce, stronger. You can see the waves, the satellite is swirling down at the bottom right- hand side of your screen there. We are watching it, watching it very closely. We'll be back right here in the CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment.
In fact, before we go to break, we want to take you to KPRC, one of our affiliates that filed this report for us a little bit earlier, just so you get an idea of what exactly is going on there now. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
reporter, KPRC: Yes, we're down at the west end of the seawall and looking back toward town, you can see the power of this storm, of the surge coming up against the seawall. Look at that. Looks like geysers going off. It's beautiful to watch, but it's also a testament to the strength of this storm and how dangerous that surge is. We've just heard the mayor a little while ago, the mayor and the county judge talking about people that live in the low-lying areas that are susceptible to this.
Look at that. If you're still there, it's time to get out. And this is building, and it's going to continue to build. We've been watching the water cresting this seawall, get higher and higher, just in the last couple of hours. Now, if we could swing back over this way, looking back this way at the - this is called the Galveston Fishing Pier. That's looking back toward the west end. If you look out on the end of the pier, it's starting to take, partake the railing down. The power of those breakers coming across right down there at the end. See if we can let the swell settle. You can see it right there. All that railing is coming down.
Now, these piers, this pier, the 61st street pier, most of the ones that jut out into the gulf off the seawall have withstood a lot of storms. But that doesn't mean there's not going to be some damage here. We're already seeing that right now. Also down toward the west end just a little while ago, within just a couple minutes ago, as a matter of fact, fire trucks, a ladder truck and a deuce and a half, one of the big 2 1/2 ton trucks that they use for water rescues headed that way.
So we're checking right now. But our assumption is they're going down there because somebody needs some help getting out of their house. Also we haven't had a chance to look at the radar recently. What we're starting to see right here, it looks like this must -
COLLINS: Quickly I want to get you to President Bush who is speaking and talking about the hurricane and preparedness out of Oklahoma. Let's listen in.
PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We want to help them. And so I want to thank the citizens of Oklahoma for ready to help a Texan in need. I urge my fellow Texans to listen to what the authorities are saying in Galveston county or parts of Harris county, up and down the coast. We're be monitoring the situation very carefully. The federal government will not only help, you know, with the pre storm strategy, but once this storm passes we'll be working with state and local authorities to help people recover as quickly as possible. Thank you all for what you're doing. God bless your work. Good luck to you.
COLLINS: Quickly, I just wanted to bring that to you as fast as we could. President Bush at Tinker Air Force Base there in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Actually attending the President's Volunteer Service Awards, he's going to hand two of those awards out to Oklahomans there. But obviously commenting on the current situation in Texas with Hurricane Ike.
We are watching the progress with all our crews standing by and meteorologists to give you the very latest regarding evacuations and, once again, the strength of Hurricane Ike. You're looking right now at Galveston. A quick break. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Boy, you know what the story today is obviously. It is this. Hurricane Ike. We are watching the progress, the strength and the evacuations this morning. We are learning about half of Galveston, population there 58,000 is out, which means obviously half is not. So, all of this is under way as we speak to you right now. We want to take a moment to go - you're looking at both Houston and Galveston right now on your screen there. I want to take a moment to get to one of our affiliates out of Houston who actually covers the Galveston area for the very latest from there. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL ARCHER, REPORTER, KPRC: Well, we're at the far west end of the seawall. And what we wanted to get down here to show you is the tide coming in now, these breakers are coming in over the seawall. Remember that that concrete barrier is 17 feet tall. And frankly, you can see them right there. A couple of times we've seen the waves coming over 17 feet breaching this wall. We've been watching this all morning.
Before the sun came up this was beginning to build. What this is, of course, is that wall of water that Ike is pushing in front of it. There's a good one. And it is building slowly but steadily coming in and now coming over the seawall. Now, at least this side of the island has this seawall. It protects about ten miles of Galveston from here all the way down to the east end. But there is nothing on the other side, on the bay side to protect the island. That's where the big concern is.
We were over there just a minute ago. There is already some minor street flooding beginning around the off its bayou area on the bay side. What is happening here and this happened in other storms too is going only on the bay side is the storm sewers that usually drain out into the bay are now acting as reverse - almost like straws or sives, the water from the bay is now coming in the storm sewers as the tide comes up. And again, you can see how high the tide is coming up.
The prediction is according to the mayor and our last word from FEMA, that they may get a storm surge as high as 18 to 20 feet here. And the mayor is saying that she believes that may put a lot of the city underwater if it happens - that is, if the storm stays on course as it is headed for Galveston. Again, this is the west end of the seawall. We've got the breakers well over the seawall now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: All right. Once again, our affiliate reporter out of Houston covering that Galveston fishing pier, talking a lot about the sea wall there. Phil Archer, appreciate those reports, giving sort of a minute-by-minute account. Just how big those waves are getting, we've got three different views now coming in to us all live pictures from our affiliates there. Along with the satellite imagery of Hurricane Ike down in the right-hand corner of your screen. We are watching all of this very closely. We have crews standing by to give us the minute-by-minute.
Sean Callebs and of course, Jacqui Jeras here, the meteorologist in the Severe Weather Center at this point to tell us what is happening next. She has also told us 900 miles wide. That is Hurricane Ike's reach. The storm is already starting to swamp Texas hours before landfall. Of course, we are watching from the coast and our weather center here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Goods morning, once again everybody. 10:30 Eastern time now. And the story today: Waves crashing into coastal Texas. Hurricane Ike, battering sea walls already. And the center of the storm, still more than 200 miles away. You're looking at some new video that's just come into the CNN NEWSROOM from our affiliate there in Houston. And doesn't even look like there's any beach left. The homes and those residents there -- the water has already reached them.
Thousands of people taking the threat here very seriously, getting out of town. But right now, some who didn't get out in time are having to be rescued by Coast Guard helicopters. That is taking place on the Boulevard Peninsula, it's right next to Galveston. Some pictures coming in here now. We have seen water rushing up and surrounding beach front homes there. So, a pretty frightening situation, everybody really scrambling to get out and get out safely.
Want to get the big picture for you now. CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is in the Weather Center with the latest.
Jacqui, we're talking about a huge storm, a surge. And then even some of these tornado warnings that often come with a hurricane like this.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. We've got a lot of issues that we're dealing with here, with Ike, Heidi. And number one issue is that surge. And you know, depending on how close some of those homes are to the coastal areas, you know, this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of how high that water is going to go. It's possible some of those homes are going to be covered entirely. That it's going to be over top. That's what kind of potential surge that Ike certainly has with it.
This is a monster of a storm. It's extremely large. I personally have never seen anything as big as this in terms of how far out those winds extend, more than 275 miles from the center of the storm. Here is the maximum sustained winds. It's a Category 2, 105 miles per hour -- by the way, look at this, 230 miles away from Galveston. That's how far away the center of the storm is, where the worst of the surge and the strongest of the winds are. This is 230 miles away still and look at those waves that you're seeing right there, next to me. Incredible. So we're going to be looking at you know, 10 to 12 hours easy duration that you're going to be dealing with hurricane-force winds. And in addition to the surge these winds are going to be a big, big issue. The timing of this thing we think is going to be coming in overnight tonight. So late tonight, early tomorrow morning, before you wake up is when landfall will happen. There you can see that narrow cone.
Let's talk a little bit about some of the wind impacts. Strengthening is expected here prior to reaching the shores. So, we could still see this thing turn up to a Category 3. A Category 3 has winds over 111 miles per hour. So, here's the little forecast that we put together of where we're anticipating the strong winds and what kind of an impact that you're going to have from it. And because of the size of this storm, look at how far inland -- this is Category 2 wind gusts. This is greater than 96 miles per hour here. This is where we're expecting to see some major damage. This includes the downtown Houston area.
So imagine winds, say, around 100 miles per hour going through high- rise buildings, going through mobile homes, going through your window. We're talking about some major damage expected in the Houston metro area. It's not a water issue for you, it is a wind issue for you. Power outages are going to be widespread. We're also going to see that extending all the way up to Dallas. We think you're going to get the tropical storm force winds, power outages possible all the way up here.
So, this is a very widespread event. If you live in a mobile home and you live in the Houston area and you decided not to evacuate, you need to get out of it. You need to get to a sturdy structure. The tropical storm force winds are just hours away. And we're expecting those hurricane-force winds to be arriving by this evening -- Heidi.
COLLINS: It is just unbelievable. It could reach all the way up into Dallas, even at this point.
All right. Jacqui, thank you. We'll check back later on.
Want to take a moment to see what it's like in the leading edge of the storm now. CNN's Reynolds Wolf along the coast. He's standing by in Clute, Texas.
Reynolds, what do you have?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Heidi, very quickly, the reason why we're in Clute is because we couldn't be at Surfside Beach. The reason why we couldn't come to you from Surfside Beach is because of evacuations. The beach already flooding.
Now, in Clute, we're about roughly 10 miles inland. The county has been evacuated. Nearly 300,000 people call this place home. The latest information we have is that roughly 70 percent of the population has made its way to the north, with about 30 percent still hanging on to their homes. And one of the reasons why they're sticking around is because many of the people have this mindset that they'd rather be home -- they feel safer being in their house, even with the threat of winds and the heavy rain and the potential flooding, than they do being exposed on the highway farther to the north. So, many of them are hunkering down and staying put.
From our present location right along Highway 288 -- this is actually -- you see hotel row. Our hotel is actually evacuated with the exception of the CNN crew. The owners gave us the keys and we're pretty much holding up shop here as long as we can. There's the potential though, even in this area that's could have up to three, maybe even four feet of water. That is going to be a tremendous threat, Heidi, because if you look over here, look across the street, on the other side of 288, you got BASF, a chemical plant.
Now, if we go to our other camera, as John Person (ph) is manning that one up on the second balcony, you can see across, not only is it BASF, but also have DOW, you've got Shell Oil, you've got Gulf. Also part of the nation's strategic petroleum reserve is in this area, too. So, you couple all of that up with the potential of having maybe three or four feet of water in this area, think that oil and those chemicals really don't mix. That is a tremendous concern.
I can tell you one of the top jobs today for these chemical plants is to seal everything off, Heidi, today and make sure there won't be any spillage, any leakage. That with flooding would not be a good combination. Let's send it back to you.
COLLINS: Absolutely not. All right. CNN's Reynolds Wolf for us in Clute, Texas. Thank you, Reynolds.
I want to give you an idea now, some of the effects of hurricane Ike outside of Texas. There's flooding in Mobile, Alabama. The storm surge pushed by Ike, washed up across roads. It also forced the evacuation of some tourists along the coast. And you can see the effect Ike is having on the waves along the Florida coast. These pictures from Pensacola, on the Florida panhandle. Just giving you an idea of Ike's power from hundreds of miles away.
Staring Ike straight in the eye. Our viewers are sharing their first- hand accounts now, as Ike bears down on Texas. CNN's Josh Levs is here now with some of the best highlights.
Hey, Josh. What are people talking about?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, I'll tell you right now I'm set up in the hurricane center right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. We've got people following all angles of the hurricane, pretty much everywhere it that goes and everyone who is affected by it. And our iReporters are all over it. I just have some of the latest up on the screen, behind me. They keep coming in. Every time I refresh this screen I see all new photos and videos, all taken safely folks.
I'm going to start off with a piece of video that we've gotten out of Florida. Let's watch it and listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS (voice-over): And I'll tell you what's going on here. This comes to us from Max Dansky. He tells us he was at Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, and he was seeing safety workers needing to take down the flagpoles that were there because they could be turned into projectiles by the winds that have gotten to that area, as well. He says this happened yesterday. He's seen similar things today. He did take that safely. But it's some powerful video that shows you even right there, not directly in the storm's path, serious surges over in that area.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Speaking of which, we have some photos now, let's go to those. These have come to us from James Amerson, who also says that he has seen some of the biggest surges he's ever seen in his life. This is In Pensacola beach area. And I was just checking with our Jacqui Jeras. She says, yes, that area is being pounded by Ike. And he tells us this waves have been rolling in, incredibly powerful. You can hear them from almost as much as a mile away, sometimes even farther. He says he's seeing effects of tidal surge unlike things that he's seen in the past.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: We want to encourage you to keep your iReports coming. I'll show you quickly, before I bring it back to Heidi. We have this new, neat feature here, called the map of iReports. And this just shows you some of the absolute latest ones that are coming in to us on all sorts of different topics at any given time.
We're expecting to see a lot out of Texas, here. Because like I told you, more and more coming in. Stay safe at all times. Go to iReport.com, they'll tell you how to do it. And, Heidi, I'll be back next hour with a whole bunch more videos, photos, iReporters throughout the scene.
COLLINS: All right, Josh. Appreciate that.
And quickly, before we take a break here, we want to show you some of these live -- excuse me. We are also telling you about the deadly tear through the Caribbean. Pictures here of aid coming in, but really not enough for Haiti. Here we see a woman tangled in razor wire as the crowd is really fighting for the food and relief supplies.
United Nations troops say the threat of chaos is ever present as they try to ease the suffering. The storm left tens of thousands of people homeless and many have gone several days now without food or water.
If you would like to help the Red Cross and other nations that help victims of extreme weather, you can do that. Just go to our web page at CNN.com/impact. You will see links to all kinds of organizations that are trying to help out.
900 miles wide. That's hurricane Ike's reach. The storm already starting to swamp Texas, hours before landfall. We are watching from the coast and this now out of Galveston, and that sea wall that we've been talking about. You know, this thing is 16 feet high. Gives you an idea of how high the waves are. We've got the very latest coming up in just a moment.
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COLLINS: All right. Giving you some more live pictures coming into the CNN NEWSROOM. You're looking at both Houston and Galveston. The situation in Houston, we're talking about flooding. Galveston we're looking at the sea wall, there. And you can see how those waves are crashing up against it. And our Rob Marciano is here. He's been telling us of the 58,000 people that live in Galveston, about half of them have evacuated. So, obviously there are still quite a few people that need to get out of the way as hurricane Ike moves forward.
In Houston, they are hoping that everybody will get out of there as well. About 500,000 people is what we're talking about in the city of Houston. So, we are watching all of this. Also should let you know, the Coast Guard is evacuating people by helicopter because they have to. Some of them have become stranded in their cars. And Boulevard Peninsula, that is just north of Galveston, a very narrow stretch of land there. Obviously this storm, Category 2 now, could certainly strengthen and people are really trying to heed these warnings. We hope it continues that way.
Like a bad dream, $4.00 gas prices may soon be back. Hurricane Ike already causing huge spikes, including $5.00 gas in at least one location. We showed you the pictures a little bit earlier here in the NEWSROOM.
CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow has more from now New York.
Hey, Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hi, Heidi. An unwelcome shock for a lot of people at the pump, today. What we're seeing gas prices nationwide they could surge above that $4.11 per gallon record we saw in July. That's according to oil expert Tom Kloza, who works for OPUS. He also says some gas stations expect to run out of gas completely.
At some stations already in South Carolina, prices have surged above $5.00. Just check out those numbers. Stunning. Kloza says the problems will be the worst in the south and in the Gulf region. But, the prices will likely increase across the country. Some affiliate video shows lines at gas stations already forming. Some gas stations rationing fuel right now. IReporters tell us there are lines at some of those gas stations that they're seeing.
Kloza says, you may see more stations run out of gas completely. The reason behind all of this, Heidi, U.S. refineries in the Gulf are shutting down in preparation for hurricane Ike that includes refineries along the Texas coast. The big worry is that these refineries will flood. That's what happened after Katrina and Rita, shutting down some of those refineries for more than six months.
The good news is -- there's a little bit of good news. The oil expert we talked to said, price spikes should only be temporary. Returning to normal by October, whatever normal is these days. September though, could be pretty rough -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. It seems weird though, doesn't it, that prices would jump this dramatically? I mean, oil prices have been falling. So what gives?
HARLOW: Yes. Oil prices have been falling a lot. Really, yesterday they closed near a six-month low.
The problem right now is not a lack of oil, it's a lack of refining capacity. Turning that oil into gasoline. What we're seeing now is wholesale gas prices rising to $5.00 a gallon. That happened yesterday. That's just the wholesale price.
So, really, we should be seeing retail gas, what you pay at the pump, at more than $5.00 a gallon right now. But oil companies of course, they're hesitant to do that. They're not popular with anyone right now in terms of those of you paying for gas because of those record profits. And the oil expert we talked to says he thinks a lot of this has to do with political issues. They're reluctant to raise prices. Some companies, they don't have the luxury to do that, to wait. That's why we're seeing prices up in some locations, Heidi, and not others.
But everyone out there should be watching their prices. Because huge, huge spikes in some places -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. That's for sure. Ick! I hate seeing that sign, with the $5.23, or whatever it was in South Carolina.
All right, Poppy. Thank you.
COLLINS: Massive storm making way for Texas. Hurricane Ike's winds could get even stronger before the eye makes landfall. We've got Ike in our sights. Look at that.
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COLLINS: We, of course, are watching hurricane Ike. Wow. Look at those waves you are looking at on the right of your screen. The Galveston fishing pier and that sea wall there, which, as I mentioned earlier, 16 feet tall. So, it's going -- those waves way above that. Some of these predictions here are saying it's possible that the waves could get as tall as about 25 feet or so, as this current Category 2 storm could increase in strength. We are staying on top of all of that for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
In their own words, the candidates tell it like they say it is. Last night at a forum on national service, Barack Obama and John McCain agreed something about the government needs to change.
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SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When I say this, I don't want you to take it the wrong way. But Americans are so frustrated now with our government. 84 percent of the American people think the country's headed in the wrong direction. The approval rating of Congress is down to 9 percent, I believe. Down to blood relatives and paid staffers. And this is an opportunity -- this is an opportunity to lead the nation and talk to the American people and reform our government and ask for more service.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, Senator, do you -- what are the obligations of citizenship other than paying taxes? And should there be -- do you see service connected to what you're talking about in Washington? And should there be something compulsory?
MCCAIN: No. I don't think so, Judy. I don't think -- because I think when you compel someone to do something, then you basically are in contradiction to the fundamental principle of having people wanting to serve. And willing and eager to serve. Americans are still eager to serve. Americans, when we look at all of the programs that we've made available, almost all of them. In fact, all of them are over subscribed by people who are volunteering.
What's the most -- probably one of the lead organizations in America today is Teach for America. Vastly thousands more are seeking to be part of that program, to go in the inner cities of America and teach children. We're doing well in our military recruit. Could do better. We've got to do better on retention. But, we have to expand the military.
So, I believe Americans at this point, if you're digging for the pony, as I clearly am, are ready now to be inspired. They're ready to go. They understand the challenges that we have in this world. They see the Russian invasion of a little country called Georgia. They see the problems in Afghanistan growing larger. They see a whole lot of things happening in the world that's going to require us to serve. And that opportunity has to be provided to them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to touch on something you said in an earlier answer. That Americans have a very low self-regard for Washington right now. How is it, though, that we can try to inspire people in public service and even go to Washington, at the same time candidates are running against Washington and dissing Washington at every opportunity?
MCCAIN: Because we have to reform government. We have to reform the way we're doing business. Look at Congress's activity since they came off their five-week vacation. They never miss a pay raise or a vacation or a recess. And the point is that they see this gridlock, they want it reformed and they want it changed and they're ready for change. And I think they're ready to turn a page the beginning of January.
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COLLINS: All right. I also want to let you know as we get all kinds of news coming in here, trying to stay on top of things and of course, give equal time. I want to let you know Senator Barack Obama will be in Dover, New Hampshire, today at 11:45. We will of course, bring you some of the sound from that event.
And all the latest campaign news, of course, at your fingertip. Just go to CNNpolitics.com. We also have analysis from the best political team on television. It's all right there at CNNpolitics.com.
Quickly want to get back to another angle of the story, hurricane Ike, that we have been telling you about today. And one of the things that is going on is the Coast Guard is really having to work their tails off to basically come in and rescue people in a very, very tiny strip of land. It's known as the Boulevard Peninsula because people were trying to get out in their cars and just I understand, have not been able to do that. So, now the Coast Guard is going to have to go in and help get them out of harm's way.
On the line with us now, Michael O'Berry. He's Chief Petty Officer with the U.S. Coast Guard.
Officer, could you tell us a little bit about what's happening? I know you guys are trying to transport people and get them out of there safely.
VOICE OF MIKE O'BERRY, CHIEF PETTY OFCR., U.S. COAST GUARD: Yes. There's about 22 to 50 people that we got calls on that were in distress when the storm came in. We have an HH-60 that is transporting them to safe haven to get them out of harm's way.
COLLINS: How did this situation come about? Did they just not get out in time?
O'BERRY: That is what the understanding is. I know that they didn't understand I guess the strength of the storm. And as it came about, they realized that it's a long stronger than they may have anticipated. So, they called the Coast Guard in for assistance.
COLLINS: OK. Well, glad that you guys are there obviously, to try and help out with that. What's the situation now? How many people have been rescued, if you will? And how many people are still there that you guys have to try and get out?
O'BERRY: I think we're waiting to get a total number. Sometimes with a hurricane like that, we'll get a rescue call and we'll send helicopters in and take as many people as we can and do as many trips as we have to get people to safe location.
COLLINS: OK. Obviously, when you see pictures like we're looking at right now and like we've seen all morning long, I have to wonder about wind. I mean, we can't really be flying aircrafts when you've got massive wind going on. I know that is certainly the situation for the freighter that is out in the water right now. That they're not sure they're going to be able to do anything with, they're going to have to ride out the storm, these 22 people on board that freighter.
But, when you're talking about doing, I guess, lower altitude rescues, maybe not as much of a worry?
O'BERRY: Correct. And even with the freighter, the Coast Guard is still looking at options to get out there. That we can -- sometimes the helicopters we can get up to possibly 75 knot winds to actually lower rescue swimmers and get out there. So, as I'm talking to you now, Heidi, we're looking at possibly launching some helo's to go out there and conduct a rescue. It's all being -- they're trying to work it and make sure that the weather is right and that the crew and everything is prepared so we can do an effective rescue.
COLLINS: Yes, obviously.
O'BERRY: And there are about 140 miles southeast of Galveston right now. And they are drifting southwest, they're drifting away from landfall. So the freighter's not approaching land. So they are drifting away. And they're full. So, they've got full cargo which makes it easier if they have to ride out a storm, it's a little bit more stable than if it were an empty freighter.
COLLINS: All right. Well, we sure do appreciate the update on both of those stories, Boulevard Peninsula and then also that freighter that is out in the water.
Chief Petty Officer Mike O'Berry from the Coast Guard. Thank you. Appreciate that.
Signs of an advancing storm surge up to 20 feet likely on the Texas coast. Dangerous winds that major concern inland. We have the latest on hurricane Ike.
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