PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
906 AM CDT SUN MAY 24 2009

...COMPARING HURRICANE IKE TO OTHER NOTABLE TEXAS HURRICANES...

THE GREAT GALVESTON HURRICANE OF SEPTEMBER 8...1900...REMAINS THE
WORST NATURAL DISASTER IN THE UNITED STATES IN NUMBERS OF LIVES LOST.
THE EXACT NUMBER OF DEATHS IS UNCERTAIN...BUT 8000 IS THE ESTIMATE
MOST FREQUENTLY USED. IN 1900 THE POPULATION OF GALVESTON WAS
SLIGHTLY OVER 20000. DRIVEN BY WINDS IN EXCESS OF 125 MPH...THE
RAGING GULF WATERS COVERED THE ISLAND TO A DEPTH UP TO 15 FEET.
BUILDINGS MADE OF WOOD FLOATED OFF PILINGS AND SMASHED INTO ONE
ANOTHER. AS BUILDINGS COLLAPSED AND DISINTEGRATED...THEIR OCCUPANTS
WERE THRUST INTO THE WATER TO DROWN. THE LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE HAD
SOUNDED THE ALARM ON THE PREVIOUS DAY...AND OVER 10000 PEOPLE FLED
INLAND...AN ACTION THAT NO DOUBT SAVED THEIR LIVES. OF THE 10000 WHO
DID NOT EVACUATE...FEWER THAN 2000 SURVIVED.

THE GALVESTON AREA WAS STRUCK AGAIN BY POWERFUL KILLER HURRICANES IN
1909 AND 1915. AN ESTIMATED 41 DIED IN TEXAS IN THE 1909 STORM WHILE
275 LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE 1915 HURRICANE. LOSS OF LIFE WOULD HAVE
BEEN HIGHER IF IT WAS NOT FOR THE GALVESTON SEAWALL BUILT IN RESPONSE
TO THE 1900 STORM.

HURRICANE CARLA MADE LANDFALL NEAR PORT LAVACA ON SEPTEMBER
11...1961. CARLA WAS AMONG THE LARGEST HURRICANES OF HISTORICAL
RECORD...WITH ALL OF THE DAMAGING HURRICANE ELEMENTS. IT PRODUCED
MANY TORNADOES...PEAK WINDS ESTIMATED TO 175 MPH...TORRENTIAL
RAINS...AND A STORM SURGE OF 19 FEET AT PORT LAVACA. THE DEATH TOLL
OF ONLY 46 PERSONS CAN BE ATTRIBUTED IN PART TO WHAT AT THE TIME WAS
THE LARGEST PEACE TIME EVACUATION OF AN AREA IN THE HISTORY OF THE
WORLD. A QUARTER MILLION PEOPLE LEFT THE MIDDLE AND UPPER TEXAS
COASTS FOR SAFETY.

HURRICANE IKE MADE LANDFALL ALONG THE TEXAS COAST DURING THE EARLY
MORNING HOURS ON SEPTEMBER 13...2008...WITH THE EYE CROSSING THE
COAST NEAR THE TOWN OF GALVESTON JUST AFTER 2 AM. IKE WAS A STRONG
CATEGORY 2 STORM ON THE SAFFIR SIMPSON SCALE WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF
AROUND 110 MPH AT LANDFALL. IKE WAS A VERY LARGE HURRICANE...EVEN
LARGER THAN CARLA BY SOME MEASURES...ALTHOUGH ITS MAXIMUM WINDS WERE
NOT AS HIGH. THE SIZE OF IKE CONTRIBUTED TO A TREMENDOUS STORM
SURGE...ESPECIALLY NEAR AND TO THE RIGHT OF THE STORMS LANDFALL. THE
BOLIVAR PENINSULA EXPERIENCED THE HIGHEST WINDS AND SURGE...WITH THE
MAJORITY OF STRUCTURES COMPLETELY DESTROYED AS GREATER THAN 10 FEET
OF WATER INUNDATED AND SWEPT OVER THE LAND MASS...AND THEN SWIFTLY
FLOWED BACK AS THE STORM HEADED AWAY. APPROXIMATELY 20 DIED IN TEXAS
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF IKE...MOSTLY DUE TO THE STORM SURGE.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING HURRICANES OR HURRICANE
PREPAREDNESS...PLEASE VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/HGX

THIS MESSAGE WAS SENT AS PART OF HURRICANE AWARENESS WEEK...MAY 24TH
THROUGH MAY 30TH 2009.

$$