LOUISIANA -- Storm surge driven by Hurricane Ike breached levees in coastal Louisiana Friday and flooded hundreds of homes in areas along the Gulf of Mexico still recovering from Gustav.
Ike's Position at 1 a.m.
- Position: 28.9 North, 94.5 West
- Distance from Galveston, Texas: 35 miles SE
- Movement: 12 mph WNW
- Winds: 110 mph
- Minimum Central Pressure: 952 mb (28.11 inches)
See the Latest Hurricane Ike Advisory
About 1,800 homes and business flooded in coastal Cameron Parish as the storm churned toward expected landfall in Texas, said Gov. Bobby Jindal, and he expected water to eventually inundate all 2,900 homes in the area. Flooded homes were reported in other parishes, though numbers were sketchy at nightfall.
More than 160 people were rescued from flooding Friday, Jindal said.
Jindal said about 130 people remained in the fishing community on the barrier island of Grand Isle after storm surge cut off the only road to the mainland.
More than 100,000 customers were without electricity Friday night, a number that also included some customers who lost power in Gustav, the Louisiana Public Service Commission said.
1 a.m. Hurricane Ike Advisory
This is the latest Hurricane Ike advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
The next advisory will be at 5 a.m.
The center of Hurricane Ike was located near latitude 28.9 north, longitude 94.5 west or about 35 miles south-southeast of Galveston, Texas and about 80 miles south-southwest of Port Arthur, Texas.
Ike is moving toward the northwest near 12 mph. A northwest to north-northwestward motion is forecast to continue Saturday morning with a turn toward the north expected Saturday afternoon. On the forecast track, the center of Ike will be very near Galveston Island and the Upper Texas coast by early Saturday morning.
Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Doppler weather radars and reconnaissance aircraft indicate maximum sustained winds are near 110 mph with higher gusts. Ike is a strong Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale and could reach the Texas coast as a Category 3 major hurricane just before landfall. Stronger winds, as much as 30 mph higher than at the surface, could occur on high rise buildings.
Ike remains a very large hurricane and hurricane force winds extend outward up to 120 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 275 miles. During the past hour, hurricane force wind gusts have been reported on Galveston Island and reports from NOAA and Air Force reconnaissance aircraft indicate sustained hurricane force winds are just offshore Galveston Island.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 952 mb or 28.11 inches.
Coastal storm surge flooding of up to 20 feet with near 25 feet in some areas above normal tides along with large and dangerous battering waves can be expected near and to the east of where the center of Ike makes landfall. The surge extends a greater than usual distance from the center due to the large size of the cyclone. Water levels have already increased to 9 to 12 feet above normal along much of the northwestern Gulf Coast.
Do not venture outside in the eye. The strongest winds and highest surge will likely occur near or just after the eye makes landfall.
Ike is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 5 to 10 inches over eastern Texas and extreme southwestern Louisiana with isolated amounts of 15 inches possible.
Isolated tornadoes are possible Saturday over portions of eastern and southeastern Texas and southern and western Louisiana.
The next advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center is expected at 5 a.m.
Track the path of Ike with our Hurricane Tracker and downloadable map, available at the News 13 Hurricane Center.
Need help getting ready for a hurricane? News 13 on Demand, Bright House Networks Digital Cable Channel 313, has a Hurricane Center filled with vital information on what you can do to prepare for a storm. In the Severe Weather section, News 13's meteorologists show you how to be safe when a storm strikes.
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