Ike: Hurricane to Tropical Depression

As Hurricane Ike made landfall in Galveston, TX it was packing winds of 110 miles per hour and traveling at a speed of 13 miles per hour. Today Ike is categorized as a tropical depression and is currently on a path through Memphis, Tennessee. I'm sure our friends and family who were and are in the path of Ike have taken the necessary precautions to prevent any injury. Forecasters had predicted some rain for the area but local Doppler radar isn't showing much at the moment. Though most of the farmers might like a bit more rainfall for their crops, too much is never a good thing!

At this point the news reports say there has been minimal loss of life in Texas and the surrounding states along the coast. Rescue efforts resulted in saving nearly 2000 residents from Galveston and flooded areas along coastal waters, and the search for survivors continues. However there is extensive property damage throughout the area. The JP Morgan Chase building in Houston which stands 75 stories tall suffered extensive damage including loss of office equipment as the windows were blown out on the sides of the building. People outside found computer parts on the sidewalks and streets along with shattered glass. What is puzzling is that older surrounding buildings seemed to have very little damage to their windows. Was this a design flaw?

Several roadways remain impassable due to downed power lines and debris from the surrounding areas. Standing water and debris over these roads were making rescue of those still in Galveston hard to accomplish early this morning. Why would anyone want to ride out a hurricane that had flooded your streets before it made landfall? One man's home burnt to nothing as he helplessly stood by watching in horror. Firefighters had no way of reaching his home; it is a total loss. My heart goes out to all of the residents and families of the hardest hit areas. I can only imagine their sense of loss.