Hurricane Ike Closures, Evacuations In Texas

HOUSTON (AP) – The approach of Hurricane Ike is prompting officials to close Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports on Friday.

Airport spokeswoman Marlene McClinton says JetBlue and AirTran will operate until 3:30 p.m. but other carriers at Hobby would stop flying at 9 a.m. The last flight at Bush Intercontinental will be at 2 p.m. Friday.

Ike is expected to become at least a Category 3 storm, with winds upward of 111 mph, before it comes ashore, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Some forecasts indicate Ike could grow to a Category 4, with winds of at least 131 mph, and could strike at or near the Houston-Galveston metropolitan area.

Emergency officials warned it could drive a storm surge as high as 18 feet.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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MANDATORY EVACUATIONS (with approximate population totals, where available):

-Brazoria County (288,000 people)

-Jefferson County (244,000)

-Orange County (84,000)

-Galveston Island (58,000)

-The city of La Porte (34,200)

-Eastern portion of San Patricio County

-Low-lying areas of Harris County (“tens of thousands,” according to county officials)

-Low-lying areas of Chambers County

-Areas south of Texas 35 and the Blessing area in Matagorda County

-Goose Island and Mustang Island state parks

VOLUNTARY EVACUATIONS:

-Hardin County

-Areas north of Texas 35 in Matagorda County, as well as for residents of low-lying areas of Bay City and Van Vleck.

-The city of Kingsville.

– About 5,000 prison inmates were relocated from areas threatened by the storm to facilities farther inland, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said.

CLOSURES AND CANCELLATIONS:

-NASA’s Johnson Space Center shut down until on Thursday. The International Space Station Flight Control Room at Mission Control in Houston was shut down Thursday. Station flight control continued through backup teams located near Austin, Texas and Huntsville, Ala.

-Continental Airlines is reducing flights at its Houston hub Friday and Saturday. Similar flight reductions are also anticipated at other Texas destinations. Continental has plans to reactivate the hub Sunday morning, although some flights will remain subject to cancellation.

-Southwest Airlines suspended flights beginning Friday morning to and from Corpus Christi, Harlingen and Houston.

-Several universities and colleges, including Sam Houston State University, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, all campuses in the Lone Star College system and Brazosport College.

-Lake Texana and Galveston Island state parks.

-Galveston-Port Bolivar ferry system, as of 10 p.m. MDT Thursday.

-Corpus Christi, Danbury, Hitchcock, Wharton, Bay City, El Campo and Boling-Iago school districts.

-Houston school district athletic events and field trips scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Trips and events Thursday requiring travel outside Harris County.

-All Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston closing at11 a.m. MDTThursday. All events in the archdiocese are canceled for this Thursday evening, and all parishes and schools will be closed Friday.

-Sea Rim State Park has postponed planned youth alligator hunts until next weekend. The park remains closed to the public due to damage cause by Hurricane Rita.

-Houston meeting of the Advisory Committee on the Texas Democratic Party Convention/Caucus System will be rescheduled.

-Amtrak has temporarily suspended service to and from parts of Texas.

-Thursday’s Texas Supreme Court hearing on the state of legal aid services for the poor has been canceled.

-The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has canceled visitation at its Hamilton Unit in Bryan and the Travis County State Jail in Austin.

-MHMRA of Harris County will be closed Friday, except for 24-hour and essential services. The NPC Emergency clinic located at 1502 Taub Loop will remain open.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)