Sheltering In Place

Houstonist has just taken our last hot shower for what might be a while, and we're now cozied up to the computer while the comforting blue-green glow of besuited weathermen and frantic on-location reporters on the television fills the room.

Hurricane Ike should make landfall in Houston during the night with winds of up to 115 miles per hour, but it's the landfall in Galveston on which the country has currently trained its eyes. With headlines full of terms like "certain death" and "too late to flee," it's no surprise that so many people are suddenly concerned with the welfare of the Texas coast. What is surprising, however, is how so many Galveston residents are demonstrating a complete lack of concern for their own wellbeing in the face of the oncoming hurricane and in the face of overwhelming national interest.

An astonishing 40% of Galveston residents -- nearly 23,000 people -- have chosen to remain on the island to ride out the storm despite mandatory evacuation orders that were issued early yesterday morning and a projected storm surge of twenty feet. Compared to the 100% compliance with evacuation orders during the buildup to Hurricane Rita, the paltry 60% evacuation rate for this storm is a jarring example of hurricane apathy (or, perhaps, simply low IQs).

There have already been Coast Guard rescues in neighboring Surfside and the Bolivar Peninsula, as helicopters flew in today to pluck people from the rising waters. In most cases, these were the same people who had moronically bragged to news anchors only the day before that they were confident in their ability to weather any storm the Gulf threw at them. Despite the fact these people had to be rescued from their homes far in advance of Hurricane Ike itself, a disappointing number of Galveston residents are resolutely refusing to leave the island in spite of fiercely crashing waves and flooding that began early this morning. What remains to be seen is whether or not their decision is stoic or stupid.

In Houston itself, the roads are quiet tonight. Most shops are closed by now, gas stations sit empty and the world itself seems vacant due to the mandatory, city-wide 7:00 p.m. curfew. People here have completed their preparations for tonight's storm. On the west and north sides of town, scattered homes are boarded up, but most people have taken their potted plants and lawn furniture inside their houses. Most residents in these areas know that the storm will take its fiercest toll on the south and east sides of town.

The storm surge that is predicted to deal such a devastating blow to Galveston is also forecasted to travel up the Houston Ship Channel, causing successive surges and flooding in the southeast part of town. Not only will this spell trouble for the United States' second-busiest port, but also for the $15 billion network of refineries and petrochemical plants that surround it. While both the Port of Houston and the surrounding petrochemical complex are currently closed, the threat of massive flooding and strong wind damage to the refineries themselves has the nation worried: nearly 30% of our country's refined petroleum comes from these refineries.

Even though landfall is less than twelve hours away, it's still too early to tell what will happen to both historic Galveston -- which has already suffered the relentless wrath of a deadly hurricane once in the last century or so -- or Houston's ports and refineries. Only one thing is sure now: it's too late to leave now, so enjoy these last hours of electricity and internet while you can, Houston. Keep a level head. Be safe out there. And save the good wine and whiskey for tomorrow; you'll need it.

---

Photo courtesy of Flickr user P3t3rT.